Game Jam as Feminist Methodology: The Affective Labors of Intervention in the Ludic Economy

Kennedy, Helen W.

Abstract

© The Author(s) 2018. This article examines the evidenced and the potential impact of all-female games jams as an element within a feminist interventionist approach to improving women’s equal participation within the ludic economies of the games industry. The article examines two specific projects—a single-site 24-hr event that took place in 2012 and a restaging of the format 4 years later across five different sites in the United Kingdom. These two case studies offer two critical contributions to the ongoing research regarding the wider challenges of diversifying games design, games development, and games culture more generally. The first is a consideration of the range of labors—free, hopeful, and affective—that underpins these endeavors and provides a significant contribution in general to the ludic economy. The second is valuable evidence of the impact and ongoing validity of these all-female initiatives as an effective and transformative methodology for feminist intervention.

Citation

Kennedy, H. W. (2018). Game Jam as Feminist Methodology: The Affective Labors of Intervention in the Ludic Economy. Games and Culture, 13(7), 708-727. https://doi.org/10.1177/1555412018764992

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 1, 2018
• Online Publication Date: May 7, 2018
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 2018
• Deposit Date: Jan 7, 2020
• Journal: Games and Culture
• Print ISSN: 1555-4120
• Electronic ISSN: 1555-4139
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 7
• Pages: 708-727
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1555412018764992
• Keywords: Human-Computer Interaction; Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous); Cultural Studies; Communication; Anthropology
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3685294
• Publisher URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1555412018764992