Jamming as a design approach. Power of jamming for creative iteration

Abstract

Game jams are constrained game creation events that have been rapidly growing over the last decade. With the space and restriction acknowledging the iterative design process, the sweet urgency and playfully creative nature of game jams enable a concert across several disciplines with the participation of various people in the creation of impressive designs and artefacts. Considering the productivity of these events, the approach of jamming can be a powerful design model for both research through design and design for social innovation. As a collaborative environment with the potential of purposefully creating curiosity, learning and awareness, the design approach of game jams can be the future of design within several multidisciplinary contexts. In response to questioning design for next, this work looks at jamming as a unified design approach that is collaborative and speculative in nature, with similarities to participatory design and speculative design.