Jamming Together:

Breaking the Gender Barrier in Game Jams

Abstract

Despite the growing number of female gamers, their participation in game jams remains disproportionately low. This research seeks to understand and address some of the underlying barriers that prevent women from fully engaging in these events, often dominated by male participants and shaped by a masculine culture. Building on a 2019 study conducted in Brazil, this research replicates parts of the survey at the 2023 University of Malta Game Jam while incorporating qualitative questions, to further explore participants' motivations, experiences, and perceptions of game jams. The study found that 62% of participants were attending their first Game Jam and the primary motivators for both genders were learning (85%) and taking on a personal challenge (82%). A clear gender disparity was noted in role distribution during game development, with female participants primarily assuming creative, design-focused positions and male participants predominantly leading in the technical programming roles. 55% of the participants, the majority of whom were women, had witnessed or heard of situations where women felt uncomfortable during the event, with many citing hostile environments and technical insecurities as significant deterrents. On the positive side, 85% of all participants perceived the event as a valuable learning experience and 65% enjoyed the competition. However, only 30% of women saw it as a place to foster friendships, compared to 76% of men. Female and Male respondents had similar and diverging suggestions on how to make game jams more inclusive. These results highlight the need for targeted initiatives to foster a more inclusive and supportive environment within game jams. However, this may be challenging due to the differing experiences of women and men.