2014 Summer Game Jam presented by Jennifer Ann's Group, Southern Polytechnic State University, Теплица социальных технологий, and Georgia Game Developers Association.
Jennifer Ann's Group logo

2014 Summer Game Jam

Emotional Health and Wellness Video games for adolescents. Presented by Jennifer Ann's Group.
Jennifer Ann's Group presents the winners of their first game jam
in partnership with Southern Polytechnic State University Теплица социальных технологий and Georgia Game Developers Association

Atlanta

Support | The Support Group

Moscow

Hackspace | Hackspace

The focus of the 2014 Summer Game Jam was the creation of games that address emotional health and wellness issues facing teenagers, such as teen dating violence, bullying, depression, and suicide. Professional game developers and subject matter experts will judge the games. Winning games were eligible for prizes and recognition!

21 и 22-го июня 2014 года в Москве пройдёт хакатон «Этика – молодежи Summer Game Jam», посвященный разработке игр, мобильных приложений, анимации и других интерактивных образовательных материалов, связанных с проблемой детского насилия (буллинг, задирание, травля, насилие в юношеских взаимоотношениях). Мы приглашаем разработчиков игр, педагогов, родителей и детских психологов принять участие в хакатоне, на котором будут созданы прототипы образовательных игр для профилактики между детьми и подростками. Хакатон проходит параллельно с Summer Game Jam 2014 в Атланте, США.

2014 Summer Game Jam Sponsors

Organizational Sponsor

Helen of Troy

Executive Producer

Child's Play

2014 Summer Game Jam Rules

Frequently asked questions for the 2014 Summer Game Jam.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where is the 2014 Summer Game Jam?

What is the cost to register for the Game Jam?

  • The registration fee in Atlanta is $25. This covers Dinner on Friday, breakfast/lunch/dinner on Saturday, and breakfast/lunch on Sunday!
  • For details and to register for the Moscow location please visit http://te-st.ru/2014/06/09/game-jam-2014/

Who is eligible to compete?

  • All participants must be 18 years of age or older.

What are the Prizes?

  • You mean being the pride and envy of your peers isn't enough?!?
    (To be announced!)

Where can I learn more about health and wellness issues affecting adolescents?

Information including online resources is available below for sample topics teen dating violence, bullying, and suicide prevention.

Atlanta: 2014 Summer Game Jam Details

Moscow game jam details available at http://te-st.ru/2014/06/09/game-jam-2014/
  1. Participants must be 18 or older
  2. Attendees should gather around 5:00 pm on Friday for opening ceremonies (Arriving later is okay, but the Jam ends at 5pm on Sunday)
  3. Entries cannot contain on-screen violent content or have a pervasive theme of violence and should be age-appropriate for ages 13 and up
  4. All types of participants are welcomed! You don't have to be a college student or affiliated with SPSU to participate
  5. Invite friends and anyone you think might be interested in joining and contributing
  6. Participants can come with teams already established, but we encourage you to join a team once you arrive so that you can meet new people. You don't have to have a team already formed to participate
  7. No massive coding/programming skills needed to participate. People of all skill levels can contribute. We need designers, programmers, artists and audio people of all capabilities
  8. The Jam features digital and non-digital game development tracks ~ use the weekend to develop a computer/digital game or a board game, if you'd like!
  9. Dinner on Friday, breakfast/lunch/dinner on Saturday, and breakfast/lunch on Sunday are provided. Bring extra water/drinks/snacks for yourself to ensure you stay well hydrated and fed
  10. Couches and chairs (and a quiet, dark room) will be available; you are welcome to bring pillow/blanket/sleeping bag/etc. Rest well during the event; don’t attempt to stay awake the entire time! You will be more productive with some sleep
  11. Experts on health topics like dating violence, bullying, depression, suicide prevention, and more will be made available to advise and inspire teams
  12. Registration is required to participate and there are a limited number of spaces for participants, but we will allow walk-up registration if spaces are available. The Jam will be first-come/first-served, based on date of registration
  13. Come to J202 in the J/Atrium building between 4:00–5:00 pm on Friday, June 20, 2014 to begin the weekend. Driving directions and a campus map are available at www.spsu.edu/visitspsu/campusmaps/

Atlanta: 2014 Summer Game Jam Registration

Participation in the 2014 Summer Game Jam for emotional health and wellness issues affecting teens is limited to the first 300 registrants for the Atlanta location. We will allow for walk-up registration if spaces are available but it is advised that you register online in order to confirm your participation. Walk-up registration will accept cash only. The registration fee is $25 and can be paid online through our EventBrite event page by clicking on the game jam logo below. The fee covers your meals plus a super nifty 2014 Summer Game Jam t-shirt.

Moscow: 2014 Summer Game Jam Registration

Research material for emotional health and wellness issues affecting teenagers.

Teen Dating Violence Statistics

44% of all college students will have been in an abusive relationship by the time they graduate from college.
  • Forty-four percent of college graduates have been in an abusive relationship.
  • Teen dating violence is related to health problems in adulthood.
  • In the U.S. alone almost 1.5 million high school students are physically abused by a dating partner every year.
  • Nearly 40% of male and female adolescents have been physically or sexually abused by a dating partner.
  • More than 1/3 of women and 1/4 of men experience rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner.
  • Teenage females who experience dating violence are 4x - 6x more likely to become pregnant.
  • Teens who have been in abusive relationships are more likely to feel hopeless and attempt suicide.
  • Adolescents who have experienced dating violence are more likely to experience violent relationships as an adult.
  • Teenagers in abusive dating relationships are more likely to smoke, binge drink, and use drugs.
Online Teen Dating Violence Resources

Bullying Statistics

Bullying infographic from The Bully Project
  • It is estimated that 20 to 30 percent of school-age children are either perpetrators or victims of bullying.
  • Types of bullying include physical, verbal, emotional, and cyber.
  • Effects of bullying include depression, suicide, and drug or alcohol use.
  • As kids become more popular, their chances of getting bullied often increase.
  • 25% of teachers see nothing wrong with bullying and will rarely intervene.
  • One in ten students drop out of school because of bullying.
Online Bullying Resources

Suicide Prevention

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
  • Suicide is the third leading cause of death among people between the ages of 10 and 24.
  • If you can recognize the risk factors for suicide early, you may save your life - or that of a friend or family member.
  • Peers should tell a parent, teacher, or school psychologist of a friend's thoughts of suicide.
  • More adolescents survive suicide attempts than actually die.
  • Approximately 157,000 youth between the ages of 10 and 24 receive medical care for self-inflicted injuries annually in the U.S.
Online Suicide Prevention Resources

Recent TDV News

Games for Health Journal
May, 2014

Gaming Against Violence: A Grassroots Approach

Teen dating violence is a pervasive problem that affects millions of adolescents worldwide. Although there have been various approaches to addressing this problem, using videogames had not been employed before 2008, when Jennifer Ann's Group, an Atlanta, GA–based nonprofit organization, created an annual competition. The Life.Love. Game Design Challenge rewards game developers for creating videogames about teen dating violence without using any violence in the games themselves. The resulting videogames have increased awareness about teen dating violence and provided educational information to assist adolescents, parents, and teachers in identifying abusive relationships.
Read the full article at Games for Health Journal

2014 Trailblazer Award
February, 2014

Top 10 Trailblazers

Across the country there is exciting and innovative work being done to address teen dating abuse! This summer, our National Youth Advisory Board sifted through dozens of nominations and selected the top 10 Trailblazers. These Trailblazers are programs our NYAB found to resonate with youth experiences of relationships and were innovative in their approach, outreach, or youth activism. Each week of TDVAM we will feature programs that deserve recognition for this work, and encourage you to share these ideas with your own organizations or local activists. This spring, submit your local program on Break the Cycle’s website for our National Youth Advisory Board’s selection of a second year of Trailblazers!
Read the full article at Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month from Break the Cycle

November, 2013

Call of Moral Duty - Making Games for Change

We've been making newsgames with the aim of engaging people with real world issues such as the war in Syria and the War on Drugs in Mexico. But games have become a diverse tool that is impacting on more that just the political arena - they are also going for the personal too. Into this interesting space comes 'Love in the Dumpster' - a game billed as a 'serious game about teen dating violence'. This unusually titled game comes from a design challenge asking games developers; "Can you design a game about Teen Dating Violence without using violence itself?"
Read the full article at The Huffington Post

July, 2013

Games shine light on Teen Dating Violence

The sixth annual Life. Love. Game Design Challenge, aimed at increasing awareness of teen dating violence, has announced its winning entries. Overall winner is Love in the Dumpster by Jean Hehn of Belgium, followed by Janie's Sketchbook by Guts Rodsavas and Piti Yindee of GPTouch in Thailand. In third place is YourSpace by Paul McGee, Sam Gross, Lyndsey Moulds, Ross McWilliam and Kayfaraday in Ireland followed by What Kind of Monster is your Boyfriend? by 99Uno in Argentina.
Read the full article at Polygon

February, 2013

A Spark for Games to Stop Teen Dating Violence

Earlier this year it was announced that for work done by Games for Health Project co-founder, Ben Sawyer, in serious games and games for health that he will be a SxSW Dewey Award Winner. The award is given to 10 people each year by SxSW Interactive as a memory to one of the original organizers of the event, Dewey Winburne. It is used to honor people who have used technology to try and improve the lives of others. As part of the award which he will receive on Sunday March 10 in Austin SxSW is donating $1000.00 to the charity of his choice. The decision is to donate the funds to Jennifer Ann’s Group.
Read the full article at Games for Health

Spotlight on TDV

The use of Technology in Abusive Relationships

TechnoLaw Guy

According to a 2009 study by the CDC, 10% of teens report having been physically abused within the past year by a dating partner. By the time students have graduated from college 44% of them will have been in an abusive relationship.

Technology is often leveraged against people in abusive relationships and because teenagers and college students are heavy users of technology they are disproportionately affected by these abusive practices. According to a 2007 study 67% of teens own cell phones, 93% use the internet, and nearly half visit social networking sites daily . . .