The Department of Global Studies (DGS) recently led an important initiative as part of its new Digital Transformation and Change Leadership concentration. The four-day event, which took place from November 8th~11th, was entitled "Kyoto Creative Game Jam (Games for Good), and was a game development hackathon competition with the theme of solving important social issues. It was held in collaboration with the U.S. Consulate General Osaka-Kobe and Innovator's Path - a business association founded by Kyoto-based startups to expand businesses by exchanging information with Silicon Valley companies.

Day 1 of the Game Jam kicked off with welcome speeches from the U.S. Consul General Jason R. Cubas and KUFS President Ono. Then teams came together and started formulating their ideas. The day also consisted of educational workshops on game design methods and social causes, ending with a welcome dinner in Arashiyama. Days 2 and 3 of the event consisted of intense prototyping sessions and play testing, all supported by professional coaches from the gaming world. Day 4 was the big day, where teams presented their final prototypes in front of a panel of judges and an eager audience. Winning teams received four months of mentorship toward developing their games further.

DGS students took both leading and supporting roles in the Game Jam, both as team members and interns. Two 3rd-year GS students - Moe Otsuka and Dang Phong - participated on the same game development team, which created a prototype of a game - called "Stranded" - intended to raise awareness of environmental conservation issues. While their team did not win a prize, the experience was well worth their efforts.

Ms. Moe Otsuka, who contributed to her team as a digital illustrator, had this to say about her experience: "The thing I enjoyed the most was talking to my teammates about what we wanted to make. Even though we had the same goal, we had a lot of different ideas. So it was interesting to hear other people's ideas and making that into a real game through art."

And Mr. Dang Phong, who served as lead programmer, shared his thoughts: "I learned a lot. From game development thinking and the way games are made to the way some small element like sound and music can contribute to making a game become exciting. Not only that, but I learned how to better work with people. So it was a very good experience."

If you are interested in game development, social media, user-interface design, etc., check out our Digital Transformation and Change Leadership concentration in the Department of Global Studies.

Photos by: 長谷川 槙也