Global Game Jam is a yearly event in which participants have forty-eight hours to design a game. These are most typically electronic games, I think, but there’s a movement to promote board game design as well, particularly by Scott Nicholson, a professor of information studies at Syracuse University, which is participating in the game jam this year. In short:

Main goal of Global Game Jam is to bring people together to create digital and non-digital games during a weekend long event. You will be working in groups to quickly draft an idea, design it, create rapid prototypes, and develop the game.  There will be a common theme provided by GGJ on the day of the event. The time given to you may sound short but it is enough to encourage creation of innovative and small games. Some of the games developed in last year’s event became world-wide realized.

Sadly, there are no participating locations in Vermont this year, or I’d ponder taking advantage of the resources available there, both in computers and people. As it is, I’m thinking about taking the initiative to do some board game design that’s been on the back burner since visiting Border Board Games in November. During the drive back, Alex, Rachel and I talked about what a modern Doctor Who board game might look like, taking its inspiration from titles like Battlestar Galactica and Pandemic.

If you were heading out to spend a day designing a game, what would you pack in your tool kit? I’m thinking index cards, markers, dice, scotch tape and lots of tokens.