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Game Jams are a pretty big (and fun) deal. At Coder Kids, we love participating in them, seeing all of the creatiity that comes from a game jam, and, of course, playing the games! If you’re not sure what game jams are, don’t worry! In this post, we’ll talk about what a game jame is, as well as introduce you to the Coder Kids Game Jam- a kid friendly event with cool prizes and lots of fun. Keep reading to learn more!

What are Game Jams?

Game Jams are an event where people (usually game developers) come together to create brand new video games (Think of a music “jam session”) Game jams started in the early 2000’s and were usually done in person. Now, there are tons of game jams held all over the world, both in person and online. Game jam participants can either paricipate in teams or as individuals.

Game jams always have a time restraint. This can be anywhere from a couple of hours to several days. The time restraint is used as a way to add the pressure of a deadline and to encourage creativity, productivity and focus. Without a time restraint, it wouldn’t be an actual event or game jam. It would just be working on a new game whenever the mood strikes.

Sometimes game jams have a theme. If there is a theme, then all of the games developed during the game jam must adhere to the theme. The theme is usually announced when the game jam starts to discourage participants from planning before the game jam starts.

Sometimes game jams have restrictions or requirements on what type of technology and/or programming languages can be used. This all depends on the organizers of the game jam.

Coder Kids Game Jams

Now that we know the basics of what a game jam is, let’s talk about Coder Kids Game Jams!

Coder Kids now has game jam events once a month. We are excited to see the creativity, ingenuity and fun that will come from them!

Kid Friendly

Coder Kids Game Jams are kid-friendly spaces. The parcipants are kids, and we’ll be there to moderate and be sure that there is no bullying or inappropiate subject matter, topics, or comments. We decided to start our game jams so that kids would have a chance to partcipate in game jams in a safe and appropriate environment.

Details

Coder Kids Game Jams will be a total of 3 and 1/2 hours. This timeframe includes the game development period, as well as the judging and awards ceremony. The time restraint for the actual game development is 2 and 1/2 hours.

Coder Kids Game Jams will all take place online. You can register here to join us! Different Coder Kids Game Jams will have different restrictions and/or themes. For some Game Jams, we might require the game to be made using Scratch or that they have to include the theme, “Under the Sea.” You’ll learn about the restrictions when you sign up.

Currently, the age group for our game jams are grades 2-10.

Prizes

There are prizes for the winner(s) of the Coder Kids Game Jams! While the prizes will vary depending on the game jam and the time of year, you can expect awesome rewards like $50 or a free week of an online summer camp.

Cost

Right now the cost to participate in a Coder Kids Game Jam is: FREE! This is a fun event and we want any kid who is excited about designing games to participate with us.

Conclusion

Game Jams are a fun way for people to develop brand new games in a relatively short amount of time. Coder Kids Game Jams are a great way for kids to improve their creativity, coding skills and have FUN! We hope you join us! You can register for Coder Kids Game Jams here.

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