[game_edu] Games for Helath Game Jam Press Release

[Kathleen Harmeyer]

Here's more information about the G4H Game Jam:

-----Original Message-----
From: Bethany Bryant [mailto:bbryant at dmill.com] 
Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 10:25 AM
To: Fronda Cohen; Kathleen Harmeyer
Subject: Game Jam Release

Here you go, let's launch this contest!
 
 
Games for Health Project Announces Experimental Health Game Jam at  
University of Baltimore October 18 to 19, 2008
Independent, professional and student game developers to build rapid  
prototypes in a weekend marathon
 
(September  4, 2008) - On October 18 at the University of Baltimore,  
the Games for Health Project, together with its partners, kicks off  
an experimental Health Game Jam to encourage rapid prototype  
development of new games that people can play to learn about and  
improve their personal health.
 
The Jam is a marathon session that challenges teams of designers,  
programmers and artists to work round-the-clock to create small,  
playable games that demonstrate innovative ideas in short amounts of  
time. Competitors will then showcase their work, which will be  
critiqued and judged by a panel of professional game developers and  
educators.
 
"The goal of Games for Health is to use all the resources that exist  
in the greater game development field to provide solutions to health  
and health care challenges," said Ben Sawyer, co-founder of the  
Games for Health Project. "Experimental game jams, which owe their  
heritage to demo jams in Europe, have become popular events in the  
past five years. We want to tap into the incredible creativity these  
jams foster and put that to use in health domain."
 
The Jam's Grand Prize winner will receive $3,000 in prize money from  
the Games for Health Project. An additional prize of $1,000 will be  
offered to the best student-built game. The Health Game Jam's host  
partner is the University of Baltimore. Prize partners include the  
Baltimore County Department of Economic Development and Microsoft  
Corporation. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Pioneer Portfolio,  
which supports innovative ideas that may lead to breakthroughs in  
the future of heath and health care, is a major supporter of the  
Games for Health Project and helps makethe Health Game Jam possible.
 
The theme for October's Jam is personal health and wellness. Once  
participants are gathered, the Games for Health Project will unveil  
a simple challenge and set of goals for games to be developed over  
the course of a weekend. Beginning Friday evening, teams will  
incubate an idea, draw up basic supporting design and art, and then  
program it into a playable prototype. Winners will be judged not  
only on the originality, quality and playability of their resulting  
work, but also by how well the game potentially addresses the  
problem presented at the outset.
 
Game jams work best when led by a dedicated host and core group of  
teams. The Health Game Jam's host partner is the University of  
Baltimore and its game development program, led by Stuart Moulthrop  
and Kathleen Harmeyer. While not limited to students in the program,  
student teams, many familiar with the jam concept, will form the  
core of groups expected to participate.
 
"We are honored to host this event for the Games for Health  
Project," Harmeyer said. "Our Simulation & Digital Entertainment  
program at the University of Baltimore integrates the full range of  
concepts and skills needed to launch a career in game and simulation  
development. With its internships and capstone development seminar,  
the Bachelor of Science program provides an ideal entry point for  
aspiring professionals. We look forward as hosts to watching our  
students compete with other visiting independent game development  
teams from around the region."
 
"The Games for Health Conference has been a major event in Baltimore  
the past three years and is another example of the robust activity  
in games and serious games in the greater Baltimore region," said  
Fronda Cohen, director of marketing and communications for the  
Baltimore County Department of Economic Development. "By bringing  
the Health Game Jam to the University of Baltimore, we can showcase  
the next generation of designers, programmers, and artists who will  
contribute to our local serious games industry."
 
QUALIFYING & REGISTERING TO COMPETE
The Health Game Jam is open to individuals and teams of all shapes  
and sizes, including student groups, independent game developers and  
individuals with programming chops. Participants can register for  
the jam by sending their information to gamejam at gamesforhealth.org.  
Participants must be or have a team with at least one programmer  
with demonstrable game development programming experience using  
either Flash, XNA, OpenGL, PyGame, etc.  Please provide an example  
of past work, however basic or advanced, to qualify. Teams may  
include up to six members with varying skills. All team members must  
be 18 years of age or over to participate, or be accompanied by a  
parent or legal guardian at all times during their participation.  
All games created at the Jam will remain the property of the  
creators, but life-long promotional use of all executables and  
screen captures from work produced will be granted to the Games for  
Health Project by the Jam's participants. Any questions about  
participating may be addressed to gamejam at gamesforhealth.org
 
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
The Games for Health Project is supported by the Pioneer Portfolio  
of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Joining the Games for Health  
Project with additional support for the Health Game Jam are the  
Baltimore County Department of Economic Development.
 
ABOUT GAMES FOR HEALTH
The Games for Health Project, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson  
Foundation's Pioneer Portfolio, is a growing community of innovators  
that bridge the worlds of games and health. The Project promotes and  
advances opportunities to explore the health and economic benefits  
of applying games and game technology solutions to pressing health  
and health care challenges.
 
Games for Health was founded by the Serious Games Initiative, a  
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars effort, to better  
address the needs, innovations and research questions the growing  
area of health games posed. The Project also produces the Games for  
Health Conference, now in its fourth year.
 
For more information, visit http://www.gamesforhealth.org.