This weekend, Adanian Labs and Animation SA (ASA) are collaborating to bring South Africa its first-ever Game Jam event. The event starts today, 8 April, and runs until Sunday 10 April, at the ASA Incubation Hub at Constitution Hill in Braamfontein.

Adanian Labs and ASA are hoping to expose game development to the wider public. The event will promote jobs that focus on a passion for making games while outsourcing other gamification work. The idea is to get more young Africans involved in the gaming scene, with an eye on international development domination.

Bendon Murgor, co-founder of Adanian Labs said, “This event is one of a few partnerships we are working on, including hosting an event in Cape Town, and the Game Jam will be an annual event in Joburg and Cape Town. It will also travel around Africa every year”.

If the event receives a decent reception, fans can expect an even bigger and more specialised event in the future.

Spreading some Game Jam

Game Jam will host twenty up-and-coming game dev interns from all around Johannesburg. The interns are being given the opportunity to show off their ability to design games. Over the course of the weekend, participants will create their own educational game. The game must be designed to engage a younger audience, using techniques shown off at the event itself.

Participants will be judged during the creation of their final product. Assessment is based on the participant’s ability to balance game design principles with the needs of non-entertainment clients.

The event will hopefully inspire gamers to join the industry. The Game Jam intends to offer attendees support to develop or sharpen skills. Various small businesses at the ASA Incubator will find themselves with a new batch of interns following the event. All attendees are, basically, showing off their skills this weekend.

Source: Joburg.org.za