The CDC & HHS Health Game Jams

Executing and evaluating 48 hour event where game developers competed to prototype – and for the winners, eventually launch – games that focused on the primary

Executive Summary

Game development challenge events known as “Game Jams” bring game developers together to address a specific theme in a competitive, collaborative atmosphere, constrained by location and time frame (i.e. single venue and 48-hour duration) to produce prototype games.

Between 2013 and 2015, two “game jams” were launched to help spur the use of games to address public health challenges. In the 2013 CDC Health Game Jam, this team demonstrated that the game jam concept can be used to rapidly and inexpensively develop health education games, and promote interest in public health careers. It also at the time was the largest health-related game jam in the world.

In the 2014 HHS Health Game Jam, the effort focused on building games to address HIV/AIDS. The goals were to replicate the 2013 results and then to conduct a study to test whether the games made at the game jam can also be effective health education tools.

At the HHS Health Game Jam, 41 games were produced in the 48 hour period. 291 people and 25 Subject matter experts participated in the event. The event attracted many first time participants (56.6%) with most being enrolled at a university (79.4%) and most being under the age of 25 (73.7%).

A project supported by the: HHS Ignite Accelerator, HHS Secretary's Ventures Fund

Team Members

Dan Baden (Project Lead), CDC
Peter Jenkins, CDC
Leigh Willis, CDC

Milestones

July 2013: Project selected into the HHS Ignite Accelerator
August 2013: Time in the Accelerator began
November 2013: The CDC Game Jam takes place
February 2014: Time in the Accelerator ended
July 2014: Project received support from the HHS Secretary's Ventures Fund
November 2014: The HHS Game Jam takes place
July 2015: Completed the HHS Secretary's Ventures Fund
December 2016: Estimated end date of evaluative study

Project Sponsor

Kristin Brusuelas, Senior Liaison Officer, Office of State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Public Health Professionals, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Contributing Partners:

Stephanie Bogan HRSA/HAB
Susan Robilotto HRSA/HAB
Marlene Matosky HRSA
Jennifer Couch NIH/NCI
Susannah Allison NIH/NIMH
David Miller NIH/OD
Michael Stirratt NIH/NIMH
Jon Preston, Southern Polytechnic State University
Andrew Greenberg, Georgia Game Developers Association
Abby Joslin, Georgia Game Developers Association

Projects