Spelman College is set to host their third HBCU Game Jam, an event created to help introduce game development to HBCU students.
Scheduled to be held from March 28 to March 30 this year, the HBCU Game Jam is a 24-hour competition in which students create their own video games from scratch to earn industry-sponsored prizes. Supported by tech companies and nonprofits such as Microsoft and CodeHouse, this year’s edition marks the first time that it has been planned completely by students.
The HBCU Game Jam will begin with an HBCU Game Jam Day Conference, which is set to feature seminars, workshops and a career fair for those interested in video game development. The competition will commence on March 29 and will last until March 30, when each participant will have to present their creations at the Game Jam Expo.
The event is predicted to draw in students from multiple HBCUs. According to Spelman College, last year’s iteration of the competition drew in more than 120 students from six different HBCUs. Almost half of them reportedly had no prior knowledge of video game development before the HBCU Game Jam.
The event’s main purpose is to address the lack of representation in the video game development field.
According to the Entertainment Software Association, approximately 8% of the 215 million gamers in the U.S. are Black. However, when it comes to representation in the makings of these games, companies are failing Black video game developers.
Per the latest Game Developers Association survey, only 5% of game developers in the U.S. are Black. The 5% mark has been a goal for some nonprofits, but the rate still marks a slow increase in representation; in 2021, just 2% of the video game industry was made of Black video game developers.
Through events such as the HBCU Game Jam, HBCUs and students are looking to ensure that anyone interested in the field has the tools and experience needed to succeed in the business.
“We at Spelman Innovation are excited to champion our amazing HBCU game development community and continue to break barriers for what it means to be a game developer in the gaming industry,” said the assistant professor of art and visual culture at Spelman and co-director of Spelman Innovation, Jaycee Holmes, per a statement. “I am especially proud of the leadership demonstrated by our student co-chairs and organizing committee, and I cannot wait for everyone to see the magic they’ve created.”
