Game jams in the curriculum: a feminist pedagogy

In September 2022, over one hundred first-year BA (Hons) Game Design and Production students at Abertay University embarked on our module Developing Game Concepts, which introduced them to game design theory and practice. As their first point of contact with game creation in an educational context, we were particularly mindful of our responsibility for establishing an inclusive environment and setting expectations for the game design process.

Our students come from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. This includes different routes to Higher Education (joining directly from Secondary Education or transferring from Further Education). At the same time, all our students have varying degrees of familiarity with technology and development tools. For many, the module was their first encounter with working in teams and in-person. This was of particular concern following the disruptions to teaching caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Of note—and in line with trends across games, computer science and technology-oriented degree programs (Women in STEM 2023)—our student cohort was disproportionately comprised of male students.

In this context, we posed the following research question: How can an introductory game design module be redesigned to demonstrate an inclusive design process to a diverse cohort of students?

This case study illustrates how game jams and participatory teaching serve as a feminist pedagogy to support active learning and citizenship.