Former PlayStation indie boss Shuhei Yoshida and TIGSource founder Jordan Magnuson are lending their names to a unique game jam focused on the creation of 'videogame poems.' Organized by the UK's National Film & Television School, the jam runs from September 7th to 8th and aims to explore what the organizers describe as an 'emergent short-form personal expression that challenges traditional boundaries between art forms.'
Jordan Magnuson, known for his shortform games influenced by poetics, is leading the initiative. He has authored a book on Game Poems, detailing principles such as brevity, subjectivity, and ritual performance drawn from the study of poets like Goethe, T.S. Eliot, and Emily Dickinson. The jam's theme will be revealed at the start of the event, following a seminar hosted by Magnuson at 11 am UK time on Monday, which will be available to watch on Zoom. A key stipulation for submissions is that all entries must be playable in a web browser. Winners will be awarded Steam gift cards.
Joining Yoshida and Magnuson on the judging panel are several notable figures from the game development and narrative design industries. These include Cash DeCuir, narrative designer, writer, and voice director for Disco Elysium; John Lau, game designer and lead producer on South of the Circle; Claudio Pollina, game designer and professor at Rome University of Fine Arts; and Jenna Jovi, a screenwriter and narrative designer with experience in both video games and film. The jam encourages participants to explore the intersection of poetic expression and interactive media, pushing the conventional limits of game development.