JAMMIND - mental health game jam

We're excited to host our first ever game jam, JAMMIND, thanks to the support of the Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund (ISSF).

JAMMIND will bring together developers, researchers and clinicians and mental health campaigners to create a variety of games aimed at depicting accurate and positive portrayals of mental health.

Everybody will have the opportunity to play the games developed and the game that gets the most votes will win a prize.

Programme

Friday (16:30 - 19:00)

The first day will begin at 16:30 with an introduction to JAMMIND and short talks from developers and researchers who have collaborated on video games featuring characters affected by mental health problems.

Attendees will then be divided into teams and have the chance to get to know each other over pizza and share ideas for their game.

Saturday (9:30 - 17:00)

Saturday will start with a talk giving perspectives from psychiatry and industry, with the rest of the day spent developing your game.

Sunday (9:30 - 16:00)

Finish developing your game before having the opportunity to try out the rest of the games developed. Individuals and our judging panel will vote for their favourite game and the winning team will be awarded a prize.

FAQs

Are there any costs to attend JAMMIND?

No, spaces are free and we will also provide food and refreshments throughout the weekend. You'll just need to bring your own device with you.

What programme/engine can I use?

You can use whatever you like or feel most comfortable working with. There's an extensive list of game making tools from Pixal Prospector.

What existing assets can I use?

You can use assets you've made for previous games or existing code libraries and Creative Commons assets. We just ask that you reference according to the license(s) used. If you're new to developing, Pixal Prospector has put together a list of sites with royalty-free graphics. Super Dev Resources have also made this handy list of free sound effects, music tracks and loops.

Do I need to be an experienced developer?

Absolutely not! The idea of JAMMIND is to form multidisciplinary teams of developers, researchers and mental health campaigners and champions to work together, so even if you're not an experienced developer you can still contribute ideas and use your own experiences to help produce a game positively and accurately portraying mental health.