The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) and The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in concert with Games for Health, will launch “game jams” in six U.S. cities, including Boston, Seattle, Atlanta, Orlando, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Albany, and Fairfax, on May 21st.
The jams are designed to leverage the capabilities of game developers in support of the Apps for Healthy Kids competition, which is part of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign. Developers, artists and local youth will gather to make game prototypes in just 48 hours.
IGDA Board Chair Gordon Bellamy said, “This unique partnership provides a fun way for our members to focus their creative energies towards the goal of the Apps for Healthy Kids competition. We’re looking forward toward generating some amazing entries for the contest.”
The resulting prototypes will be showcased at the Games for Health Conference in Boston, which runs May 26-27, polished a bit more post-conference and then submitted into the Apps for Healthy Kids contest. The top three entries, as voted on by Games for Health Conference attendees, will also be awarded cash prizes.
Games for Health co-founder Ben Sawyer added, “Together we want to respond to the call to the creative development community issued by the USDA and the White House to play a part in battling the epidemic of childhood obesity. The best games for health come from a dynamic mix of expertise in game development, health and health care, research, and the subject at hand. The game jams will bring these forces together at large-scale.”
