Tomorrowcraft - Global Sustainability Game Jam

Ort: Online (Discord/MS Teams) | Anmeldeschluss: 14 Mai 2021 |

Du hast einen Laptop, ein Wochenende und ein kleines Team, um die Welt zu verändern - mit einem Computerspiel. Mission unmöglich? Schnallen Sie sich an und halten Sie es mit uns! Begleiten Sie uns auf diesem Länderspiel-Jam und fordern Sie die Art und Weise heraus, wie Computerspieler über globale Entwicklung nachdenken - und sich neuen Perspektiven gegenüber öffnen.

The Federal Agency for Civic Education and the German Federal Foreign Office are inviting you to join us on our first international game jam. A game jam is a development conference where digital games are created during a short time span. In this online game jam, game developers and educators discuss concepts of education on sustainable development in games and develop their own playable prototypes.

The natural resources of our planet are limited – at the same time, societies are globalized as never before. Our way of life and our actions have an impact on other countries and future generations. As a global community, we have to work together to find sustainable solutions to the most pressing problems we face.

There is already an ambitious global transformation programme that seeks to offer future generations prospects for a dignified life: The 2030 Agenda, adopted by all member states of the United Nations in 2015, aims to shape worldwide development in an environmentally, economically and socially sustainable way. At the heart of the 2030 Agenda are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A variety of free software tools are available for designing and programming. The goal is to learn from each other and to find inspiring game concepts.

These range from eradicating poverty and hunger to good education and climate action, from responsible consumption and decent work to peace and justice, from good health and biodiversity to reduced inequalities and gender equality. The SDGs are inseparably linked and go hand in hand with each other. They are united by five core messages (people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership), which act as guiding principles. The aim is not to leave the weakest and most vulnerable behind in the process. But much remains to be done to reach the SDGs by 2030, with several SDGs being off-track even before the Covid 19 pandemic.

The aim of this purely digital event is to break new ground to communicate both the importance and the complexity of sustainable development. And what better way to reach them than with a medium with which they spend a large part of their free time – computer games?

On the first day of the event, the participants discuss the topic and game design theory.
On the first day of the event, the participants discuss the topic and game design theory. (© bpb)
Digital games are increasingly popular and part of a global culture. As more and more people own smart phones, digital games are almost always available and take up a large part of our leisure. This is an opportunity for political education and communication – and its potential is still underused.

The reasons are manifold: the image as an entertainment medium and hesitance on the part of educators contribute to the fact that digital games are hardly used in education until now. Their interactivity also requires a new concept of narration.

Short game jams are a productive platform to develop new games. They can be compared with musical jam session for game developers. Within a few days, small teams develop playable prototypes on a specific topic. Key point is the joint creative work: we inspire each other, we find new game ideas and we learn from each other.

Together, we want to develop games that raise interest in global sustainable development – and deepen the understanding of the players.

Please find more information here