Hampshire Hosts Local Branch of a Worldwide Game Jam

Game design is interdisciplinary, combining work in computer science, literature, and the social sciences, and it’s wildly creative, so it’s unsurprising that there’s a lot of interest among Hampshire students. As Visiting Assistant Professor of Game Design Jess Erion noted in a 2025 interview, “The flexibility and modularity of the academic structure here really lends itself to a playful (and even gamified) pedagogy.”

Erion teaches a combination of studio classes focused on strengthening students’ game design skills and discussion-based courses centering on media analysis and the culture of game development. They also served as faculty advisor for the recent Global Game Jam, hosted by the College January 30 through February 2 with the theme “Masks.”

Emmy Lafer-Kirtner F25 is studying game design and literature “with,” she says, “a little side of computer programming.” She’s currently doing an independent study creating a story and system for a table-top role-playing game, with Erion as her advisor.

Says  Lafer-Kirtner, “A game jam is an event that happens over the course of a few days in which people can come together to make a short game (analog or digital) with a small team of either friends or strangers.” The Hampshire teams were local participants in a jam held around the world that weekend, during which those who took part created 10,000 games in just 48 hours.

The Global Game Jam was Lafer-Kirtner’s first such event, which she called “very special and exciting,” saying she loved her small team and the amount of fun they had together, even though they were working under a time crunch. “The video game space can feel pretty hostile and unapproachable, particularly for young women and other minorities,” she says. “But I think the inclusive vibe of the Hampshire community made the game jam feel like a really welcoming and supportive space.”

Zach Fischer F23 is a Div II studying game design and programming. He’s currently working on a friend’s game project as well as his own game, both as independent studies. “I didn’t come into the jam planning to participate, only to help organize — I was completely swamped with my other projects,” they said. “But once I heard the theme, the ideas started rolling in my head and I couldn’t resist.”

Fischer led a team in creating what they call “a deductive-puzzle game that draws inspiration from Blade Runner for its setting and Return of the Obra Dinn for its gameplay.” The team included Hampshire and other Five College students, as well as community members. Like Lafer-Kirtner, Fischer loved the sense of community that pervaded the jam:. “Though we formed teams, each working on a different project, there was a wonderful collaborative energy throughout the entire jam space,” they said. “Everyone kept the space clean, joked, lifted one another’s spirits, and there were always people going around from team to team to share updates and ask how they could help each individual project shine.”

Game design student Oakley Powell F22 didn’t attend the jam, but he’s hard at work on his own impressive project. For his current independent study, he has assembled a team of 18 volunteers and is leading them in making a full-scale game from scratch. “Our project is a 2D side-scrolling combat platformer with emphasis on player mobility and stylish gameplay,” he says. “With support from Jess Erion and Assistant Professor of Animation, Creative Arts, and Visual Culture Sarah E. Jenkins, my team has mentorship that enables us to operate close to industry standards. This support has been integral not just to my Hampshire team members, but also to the team as a whole as we guide and shape our project around the conversations held with faculty.”

“With the help of Jess Erion, we’ve been steadily growing a community of game developers within Hampshire College and the Five Colleges with organizations such as Hampshire College Interactive Design and The Shire,” says Fischer. “If there’s any college that suits the artistic, collaborative, weird, and self-driven field of game development, it’s Hampshire.”