“Being an Ally Game Jam” in Support of Anti-Bullying and Ally-Building Behaviors in Game Design Begins Oct. 21

The Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment and the Anti-Defamation League Co-Host Hackathon in Four Cities

OAKLAND, CA – The Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment (The MADE), the first dedicated video game museum open to the public in the United States, together with the Anti-Defamation League(ADL), today announced that they will be hosting the “Being an Ally Game Jam,” a hackathon where video game developers come together to create new games and interactive experiences that teach empathy, and employ anti-bias and anti-bullying themes.

The “Being an Ally Game Jam” events run from 7 PM on Saturday, October 21 until 7 PM on October 22, 2017. The games developed will be due by 7 PM on October 27 on Game Jolt. The event will be held at locations across the United States, including Austin, TX; New York, NY; Oakland, CA; and Santa Barbara, CA.

With America currently as divided as ever and more people being targeted by bias, bullying and hatred, both online and offline, the goal of the “Being an Ally Game Jam” is to reinforce and encourage positive behavior towards others through video games. The games developed as part of this Game Jam will be a tool to help explore and illustrate what it means to be an ally — both for the people developing the games and for the people playing and spreading the word about them afterwards.

During the Jam, developers will find creative ways to incorporate ADL’s six ways to be an ally into video games to illustrate how to be an ally to targeted communities. ADL experts will review the games based on if the behaviors are included, as well as creativity and playability. One chosen team will receive a $2,500 prize, an 8-week course in Unity or Unreal, membership in the International Game Developers Association, and be showcased at ADL’s Never is Now! summit in San Francisco on November 13, 2017. Additional prizes include a Nintendo Switch or SNES Mini.

In addition to the Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment, other partner organizations helping to promote this effort include Game Jolt, Playcrafters, Games for Change, and the International Game Developers Association. At ADL, the effort is being led by its cyber-focused Center on Technology and Society.

WHAT: “Being an Ally Game Jam” (#allyjam)
WHERE: Austin, TX; New York, NY; Oakland, CA; and Santa Barbara, CA
WHEN: Saturday, October 21 at 7:00 PM to Sunday, October 22 at 7:00 PM
WHO: Video game developers can sign up here to participate. Media are also invited to attend.
RSVP: adlmedia@adl.org

Nathan Stevens

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I have always enjoyed playing video games and am a programming team lead for a video game company. I co-founded Gaming Cypher because I enjoy the gaming community and would like to provide the best news service around. Feel free to ask me any questions and I will make sure to get back to you quickly.