Unpacking the Influence of Game Jams on Women's Careers

Abstract

The game industry is currently the largest segment of the entertainment sector, representing a vast field of possibilities for women to thrive professionally. However, persistent reports indicate that the environment remains marked by toxicity, sexism, and inequality. This scenario hinders women from fully seizing the opportunities within the sector and limits both diversity and innovation in game content and development environments. Time-bounded collaborative events, such as game jams, have proven to be promising spaces for fostering inclusion, skill development, and professional affirmation. This paper presents a qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with nine experienced women game jam participants, investigating how they perceive the influence of these events on their professional trajectories. We found that women use game jams in various ways: for career discovery, professional growth, simulation of challenges, motivation to stay in the field, and, in some cases, as a step toward leaving the industry. We argue that although these events can sometimes reproduce negative industry practices—such as the normalization of crunch or the perpetuation of gender inequality—they also have the potential to offer safer, more inclusive, and even transformative environments. Based on our findings, we discuss the feedback loop between game jams and the game industry, suggesting that inclusive practices developed in these events have the potential to inspire broader organizational changes. In this way, mutual influences between game jams and the industry might contribute to strengthening the gender inclusion debate and supporting structural transformations in the sector.