Slides for my presentation at "Retrofuturo - Independent Game Culture Festival" event in Milan on the 28th of February 2016. http://www.playing.vg/news/blog/retrofuturo-indeculture-festival/?noredirect=en-US

1. JamToday
Videogames, education and job: the
international serious game jam
RETROFUTURO: INDEPENDENT GAME CULTURE FESTIVAL
MATTEO UGGERI
Project manager Sound Designer

2. La game jam didattica internazionale
L’anormalità di CREARE SERIOUS GAMES

3. What’s the difference with the ‘normal’ game
jam?
Games must have a strong learning or educational
value.
Well, but all games do!

4. «Anything that’s vastly popular among students should be addressed in the classroom one way
or another.»
Abran Maldonado | nuskool.net

5. Source: Andrew Gould | Plymouth University, 19 January 2015
https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/plymouth-university-team-develops-immersive-training-to-help-fight-ebola

6. Source: Healthy Quest | JamToday, Milan, September 2015
http://www.jamtoday.eu/game/healthy-quest/

7. So any comercial games is made to learn
something?
Well, there are various degrees and different
approaches…

8. Examples of use
of games in education
 Use of commercial games to teach specific subjects:
 Games with intrinsic educational component
(eg. Historical simulation such as Civilisation)
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilization
 Mainstream games but that can be discussed in class (eg. games that have
moral dilemmas, such as Walking Dead)
http://myschoolofthought.com/2014/09/28/literature-ethics-physics-its-all-in-
video-games-at-this-norwegian-school/ - cfr. Aleksander Husøy & Tobias
Staaby, Norwey

9. But you mean also games made to learn only?
‘Serious’ games, really? Aren’t they boring?
They might be, but if well done they can be great and
entertaining. Even more scary than the ‘usual ones’.

10. Examples of use
of games in education
 Use of games specifically designed to teach specific subjects of
competences:
 Please check these slides from Maja Pivec:
 http://www.slideshare.net/MajaPivec1/exploring-games-for-learning-41954979
 Or this old but still useful list:
 http://ludus-serious-gaming.info/www.serious-gaming.info/3_-_knowledge/6_-
_serious_games_repository.htm

11. Darfur is Dying is a viral video game for change that provides a window into the experience of the 2.5 million refugees in the
Darfur region of Sudan. Players must keep their refugee camp functioning in the face of possible attack by Janjaweed militias.
Players can also learn more about the genocide in Darfur that has taken the lives of 400,000 people, and find ways to get
involved to help stop this human rights and humanitarian crisis.

12. PING is an online game made for secondary schools, forming a starting point to discuss the subject ‘poverty’ and what it
means to be poor. Ping is aimed at the students of the secondary and third degree. The students become the main
characters in the game. They can choose between Jim or Sofia, who, due to certain circumstances, end up on the street
and need to find their own path. PING shows that games can help to introduce complex social subjects like poverty in the
class room. | http://www.povertyisnotagame.com/?lang=en#sthash.hLb3nX2r.dpuf

13. A free online Flash game exploring the global impact of climate change and environmental depletion.
Inspired by art featured in 1950s science fiction movie posters, Rizk is a tower defense-styled game in which players must
gather resources on an alien world in order to grow a mother plant.
Each action taken causes the player's risk level to rise, however. If the planet's resources are depleted too quickly,
environmental defenders will attack the player's plant until gathering slows to an acceptable rate.

14. FreeRice is a non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Program. Their partner is the Berkman Center for
Internet & Society at Harvard University. FreeRice has two goals: 1) Provide education to everyone for free. 2) Help end
world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free. This is made possible by the generosity of the sponsors who
advertise on this site.

15. Façade. More than a game.

16. Not only browser games!

17. The Nobel prize is not only for writers and politicians…

18. Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) is the first game developed in collaboration with the Iñupiat, an Alaska Native people. Never
Alone leverages the power of videogames to share, celebrate and extend culture. These World Games will empower indigenous
communities around the world to share their stories in an authentic, engaging, and entertaining way.
(http://neveralonegame.com/)

19. Games for Change:
Promote > Connect > Research > Incubate
 Games for Change promotes the creation and distribution of social impact
games.
 It has license holders in the US, Europe, Latin America, Korea and
Australia/New Zealand.
 Founded in 2013, Games for Change Europe helps support and increase the
growing interest in social impact games throughout Europe. Mission:
 showcase best practices to the European public and discuss the potential of the
medium with companies, organisations and governments.
 partner with games academia and industry,
 help leverage entertaining games with non-entertainment goals and transform
them into a compelling and convincing communication tool.
 help find business opportunities for direct investment into new projects and
incubate games to strengthen the role of European Game Developers in the
emerging international markets.
…and many others.
+
+

20. …mmmhh, talking of business opportunities, is
there any chance to make money out of such
serious game?
Yes, especially if you take part to a game jam. Those
events are even recruiting opportunities for companies
in search of (hard and soft) skilled talents.

21. http://www.jamtoday.eu/games/

23. What the hell is a game jam? Something only
for geeks and nerds, right?
Not at all! It’s for musicians, storytellers, designers,
illustrators, publishers…
Look at the Global Game Jam website.
http://globalgamejam.org/

29. The winners (everyone wins).

30. Two days and one night coding in the room of colums of the Museum of Science and Technology

32. http://www.jamtoday.eu/games/

33. Sounds interesting, I must admit. Do you think
this ‘jam’ format may apply to other contexts?
Sure. It’s not easy, as every situation is different, but
you can do it for other kinds of creative activities (as
book publishing maybe) and for different targets, such
as children (see what CoderDojo does)…
https://coderdojo.com/

34. Bologna Children’s Book Fair - BOLOGNA DIGITAL MEDIA AREA April 4-6th 2016
This new hall promises to be a hub where publishers, developers, TV and cinema producers, animation studios,
artists and authors will take part in an exciting programme that will mix start-ups with established brands and
take advantage of the many opportunities offered by the ever expanding digital world.
An international debate on all the latest trends in children’s apps and new media.
http://bolognachildrensbookfair.com/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=2091

35. Intel IoT RoadShow – 12th + 13th March, Rome
Not only games but also other intitiative on a similar format.
In 2016 Intel® is hosting IoT Roadshow events for developer communities in cities across the US, Europe, South America,
and Asia. Please see below for our upcoming events. If you’re a maker, an IoT startup, a developer, a student or a
hardware novice, join us, get your free* Dev Kit, which includes an Intel® development board, and begin building
something awesome! In addition to providing you with the Dev Kits, we will have tools, tasty food, giveaways on-site, and
prizes** for the best IoT solutions.
https://iotroadshow.intel.com/en/home/

36. GRAZIE.
hue@[remove]greysparkle.com | matteo.uggeri@[remove]polimi.it
www.greysparkle.com | http://tinyurl.com/fpm-dlc