over a 48-hour period in the library. I’ve also been involved in organising online game jams, including in partnership with colleagues at the British Library and Read Watch Play online reading group. The most successful of these was a gothic themed game-making event held over a month (Gothic Novel Jam), which showcased over 40 fantastic submissions from game makers around the world – some of whom had never made a game before the event.


Factors for success


So, you can see I’ve been involved in a variety of game activities over the past few years. But when did it all work well? When a lot of these factors were in place:


l when it was a collaboration between GLAM organisations, creatives, and the workshop participants;


l when there was enthusiasm for the subject theme of the game;


l when people with practical skills were involved in making it happen. They included people who could use and introduce participants to the game-making software, as well as story- tellers and creatives;


l when participants from the local community were given the chance to shape & create the game;


l when there was space for imagination.


Practical Advice on Getting Started in game-making


When facilitating game-making ses- sions, my primary goal is to empower everyone to make a game, regardless of


March 2024


Selection of games submitted to Gothic Novel Jam.


their programming skills. I believe that accessibility is key, and that’s why I focus on user-friendly, free tools, that don’t re- quire any coding skills. Here are a few I’ve used and would recommend to anyone who wants to explore further.


Twine: This tool allows users to create interactive fiction and hypertext branch- ing stories, reminiscent of Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) stories from the 1980s. It’s focused on a flowchart branch- ing system. Try it at https://twinery.org/


Inklewriter: Similar to Twine, Inkle- writer is another excellent tool for creating CYOA-style games. It provides an easy-to-use platform for weaving narra- tives and exploring different story paths. Try it at www.inklestudios.com/inklewriter/


Pocketcode: This is Ideal for those who want to try out coding without the need for manual code writing. It’s a block- based game-making tool. Users click blocks together to build games or pro- grams, making the process both accessible and enjoyable. Try it at https://share.catrob.at/ pocketcode/


Bitsy: For lovers of old-school retro-style games with narrative gameplay. It enables users to create games with graphics similar to a ZX Spectrum pixel art style. Gameplay is achieved by moving your player character around the screen and interacting with game characters. Try it at https://ledoux.itch.io/bitsy


These tools collectively provide a diverse range of options, ensuring that individuals


with varying interests and skill sets can find a platform that suits them. The aim is to make game creation not only accessible but also enjoyable, allowing participants to focus on storytelling and creativity rather than getting bogged down by tech- nical skills or extensive coding knowledge. The emphasis is on developing a welcom- ing and inclusive space where everyone, regardless of their background or skills, can make digital games.


How do libraries and users benefit? These types of activities allow libraries to share the stories held within them in new ways, especially when employing game-making tools focused on narrative experience, such as Twine, Inklewriter and Bitsy. Maybe those stories are coming from within the collections held at librar- ies, or other GLAM organisations – for example in the form of local histories. Or maybe they are stories participants have within themselves, that they want to share.


Game-making can also help librar- ies promote digital literacy and skills development among their users and staff. And it is a great way to foster connections with the local community and further afield. Whether that community is those attending the game-making events or the creatives partnering in the events. Users, on the other hand, gain the op- portunity to explore library collections in fun and novel ways, discovering that game creation is accessible to all, not just


INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL 43


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