Help protect and preserve our past - and potentially attend GDC 2022!
Cultures throughout history and around the world today have created amazing art, artifacts, traditions, and places that are priceless for their cultural and historical value. But these cultural legacies, which are often the cornerstone of many local and regional identities, are under threat and risk disappearing forever - as recent news has demonstrated. Looting, theft, trafficking, and destruction of art, antiquities, and other cultural objects - collectively identified as "cultural heritage" - benefit international criminal organizations and terrorist groups, and erode the legal art market. The loss of cultural heritage also contributes to the breakdown of a community's social identity, coexistence, and economic livelihood.
In partnership with the Cultural Antiquities Task Force (CATF), part of the U.S. Department of State's Cultural Heritage Coordinating Committee, the Global Game Jam is hosting a very unique game jam to engage and challenge our community to use their powerful skills to create games that:
- Celebrate diverse cultural art, artifacts, traditions, and places - Help disrupt cultural heritage looting, theft, trafficking, and destruction - Reinforce the importance of protecting and preserving cultural heritage - Educate about the effects of climate change on cultural heritage
THE DETAILS How: Gather your team and register at THIS LINK and sign up on the Itch page for the latest news.
When: 5 to 21 November 2021 (the jam officially starts on 5 November but participants are welcome to join anytime after this date).
What: Create and submit a game with the cultural heritage themes above by the end of the day (Pacific Time) on 21 November.
Where: This jam will take place online on the GGJ Discord server in the Cultural Heritage Game Jam category and at local sites around the world. Join our Discord, choose the "Jammer" role and then look for the #chgj-looking-for-group channel to find other jammers to work with.
THE OUTCOMES - Itch.io: All games created for the Cultural Heritage Game Jam will be promoted on the GGJ's itch.io page for public viewing and play.
- Dubai World Expo: The talent of the jam teams will also be highlighted via an online broadcast from the jam's closing ceremony taking place at the Dubai World Expo in December 2021.
- GDC 2022: A special session to summarize the Cultural Heritage Game Jam will occur during the Game Developers Conference on 21-25 March 2022. And as determined by an international panel from CATF and GGJ, the team with the game that most creatively captures the themes around cultural heritage protection and preservation will be selected to attend GDC and participate in the panel. The team's travel expenses (including passes to GDC) will be covered!
- Game Development Grants and Mentorships: The top games will receive financial support and mentorship for further development of the games beyond a jam prototype.
Don't miss this opportunity to explore this critical theme through games and educate the world about your unique culture(s). It's also a great warm-up activity for GGJ 2022 (late January). We hope you will join us!
About Global Game Jam: The Global Game Jam (GGJ) is the world's largest game jam that provides a common theme where amateur, professional and hobbyist game creators can join in, creating video games in physical locations around the world. It brings together creative minds to share experiences and express thoughts, ideas and sentiments through the medium of video games. The weekend stirs an international, creative buzz in the industry, exploring the process of game development in every aspect, including programming, iterative design, narrative exploration and artistic expression. Condensed into a 48-hour development cycle, the GGJ encourages people of all backgrounds to participate and contribute to the spread of game development and creativity in an open, non-competitive atmosphere. For more information, please visit: http://globalgamejam.org
