A Model of Project Continuation in Game Jams and Hackathons

Abstract

Game jams and hackathons are events where individuals design and build new technology prototypes in a short timeframe. Prototypes made at hackathons are often abandoned after the event and are never finished or used by their intended audiences. Though continued work on prototypes is not the only goal of hackathons, many expect that some hackathon projects will continue to be developed to fulfill the civic, educational, or entrepreneurial goals of hackathon organizers and attendees. To assist hackathon organizers in running hackathons that produce continued projects, I present in this document a model of project continuation in online hackathons and a tool that directs conversations that develops the necessary components of continuation. This model was developed through three studies: a design study that generated the design for a bot to be used in an online game jam that directs users in breaking the boundedness of their game concept, a deployment study where the bot was deployed and used in an online game jam, and a longitudinal study that followed the continuation practices of individuals who used the bot during the jam. In the presented continuation model, I highlight how recent personal interests generate an extended development context that reduces the boundedness of game jams and show how regular sharing and discussion of progress creates social investment in the success of projects that contributes to continuation intention and support. This continuation model requires a resting period post-hackathon, which sometimes generates conceptual continuation where a project is abandoned but the major project concepts are explored in later projects. Taking this idea of concept continuation further, I offer suggestions on how to gain continuation in hackathons by reducing their time-boundedness and making the events more permeable to allow for prior-existing projects to be accepted and further developed at these events.