Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/929711
maltatoday SUNDAY 21 JANUARY 2018 30 This Week Game on! TEODOR RELJIC speaks to Jasper Schellekens of the Institute of Digital Games at the University of Malta, as they prepare to hold yet a new edition of the Malta Global Game Jam, which challenges participants to come up with a game in 48 hours, while also hosting acclaimed keynote speakers culled from various corners of the gaming industry How would you describe the evolution of the Malta's 'chapter' of the Global Game Jam from its inception until now? The Institute of Digital Games started organising the Malta Global Game Jam in 2013 and it has grown in popularity since its inception. It is a testament to its success that many of those who were at our first jam keep re- turning and that every year more people want to join. Nowadays we have to close off registrations early, because places have filled up. We need a bigger venue! Creativity and creation has always been at the core of the Game Jam concept and this hasn't changed over the years. It is a fertile and creative ground for creators (teams have game designers, musicians, writers, producers) to get together and actually produce a game. In some cases this can be devel- oped further, as for example, '... and then we held hands' went on to be a $60,000 success on Kick- starter. The first edition was run more as a competitive event where the keynote speakers functioned as judges, but we have moved away from that, focusing on the crea- tive and networking aspects of the jam. The idea is also that teams help each other trouble- shoot, as someone outside their own team might have a solution to their problem. As organisers, we thought it was more impor- tant for people to create freely and we give them the incentive to experiment without necessar- ily worrying about whether their game would be a 'winner'. There is still a popular vote prize, but this is very informal and deter- mined by the participants them- selves. Our hard work and enthusi- asm has also been noticed by the Global Game Jam team. In early February Prof. Susan Gold, one of the founders of Global Game Jam will be visiting the Institute of Digital Games and giving a talk as well as speaking to our Jammers. There is some interest from corporate sponsors as well which we haven't had before. There is still a lot of room for growth and we'd like to be able to grow to something like the Nordic Jam, with scholarships and satellite events. They were founded in 2006 so we still have a few years to make those ambi- tions. What does the turnout and general reception of the Game Jam say about Malta's gaming culture, both on its 'academic' side and the 'gaming proper' side? The turnout has been dramati- cally increasing and we barely have place to accommodate all the interested people. I think two main things about Malta's gaming culture can be drawn from this increased attendance. The first is that we've hit upon a legitimisation of gaming as a serious career path and better understanding overall of what it entails. It isn't just about "play- ing games". And from the aca- demic side, it is dawning on peo- ple that games are multifaceted and all kinds of roles and back- grounds are relevant to creating games (as a participant in game jam, I can attest to our need for more project managers). So we're getting a wider spectrum of participants. Everyone can find a role in the Game Jam, because games are so multi-faceted as a medium. For example musicians and sound engineers don't often consider joining a game jam, but there is really a lot of potential to use music and musical principles as game mechanics as well as for enhancing the atmosphere and the message of the game. To take it to the extreme, even someone with a background in neuro-surgery and an interest in games can find a place on a team. They would be able to bring their knowledge of their topic to either create a game whose mechanics are faithful to reality or they could even consider teaming up with the programmers and artists to de- velop a training tool for remote surgery. Hopefully, it will be a far cry from Surgeon Simulator. The concept and definition of a game is vague and can be shifted to accommodate a lot at a Game Jam. Another sign of the devel- opment of the gaming culture in Malta is that the Malta Global Game Jam is no longer the only game jam. What can you tell us about this year's keynote speakers, and what would you say they will be able to contribute to the Game Jam's atmosphere, and what important conversations do you think they could inspire? This year we've managed a great balance of Game Design – Matt Binkowski, Game Nar- rative – Emily Short, and Game Artificial Intelligence – Mike Cook. The Arts Council Malta has really supported the Malta Game Jam the last two years al- lowing us to bring in some very impressive guests. Maciej Binkowski is Lead Game Designer of Techland's Dying Light, open world FPS horror action-adventure video game published by Warner Bros. Dying Light has won a number of awards including Most Valu- able Game Award by Official Xbox Magazine, Best of E3 2013 Award by DvLZGaME, and E3 '13 Editor's Choice Award by Polygon. Emily Short is an interac- tive fiction (IF) writer, perhaps best known for her debut game Galatea, and her use of psycho- logically complex Non-Player Characters. Her IF has won nu- merous XYZZY Awards (the Academy Awards of Interactive Fiction) including Best Indi- vidual, Best NPCs, Best Game amongst many more. She has al- so written for FailBetter Games's Sunless Sea and Fallen London. Currently, she is working on Where the Water Tastes Like Wine a forthcoming game from Dim Bulb Games that describes itself as a "bleak American folk- tale." Mike Cook is a Research Asso- ciate in Goldsmiths' Department of Computing and is research- ing ways in which software can design meaningful, intelligent An international initiative, the Maltese 'chapter' of the Global Game Jam takes place at University each year