Overnight Game Jam: Begins Saturday, January 28, 2017, at 10 a.m., Game Innovation Lab
Panel Discussion: Sunday, January 29, 2017, 2 p.m., The Ray Stark Family Theatre, School of Cinematic Arts 108

Reception to follow.

ADMISSION:
Admission is free. Reservations required. RSVP for the panel discussion at the links below beginning Wednesday, January 11, at 9 a.m. 

USC Students, Staff, and Faculty: RSVP
USC Alumni: RSVP
General Public: RSVP

The Overnight Game Jam is open to USC students only. Applications are required. To apply, go to tinyurl.com/minecraft-usc.

DESCRIPTION:
Since its release in 2011, the Swedish game Minecraft has captured the attention of a generation. Despite no commercial advertising, Minecraft—which is less a traditional game than a form of building blocks for the digital age—quickly became one of the best-selling video games of all time, with more than 100 million registered users for whom Minecraft is a vast virtual springboard for the imagination. We will celebrate Minecraft and the curiosity and creativity of the USC community with a game jam and a panel discussion of expert educators and game designers.

At the Minecraft overnight game jam, USC students will work in teams, selecting “blocks” to help them imagine—and build—their vision for USC’s future.

Then on Sunday, panelists including Connected Camps’ Summer of Minecraft founders Mizuko Ito and Katie Salen Tekinbaş, as well as USC's Francois Bar, Craig Keys, and Dean Varun Soni, will discuss how Minecraft can be used as a tool for imagining future worlds and promoting diverse ideas in learning communities. The panel will also highlight the best games from the game jam.

Additional Links:
Minecraft Twitter
Mimi Ito Wikipedia

Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative. Organized by Amanda Ochsner (Education), Tracy Fullerton (Interactive Media and Games), Erin Reilly (Annenberg Innovation Lab), and Zoe Corwin (Education). Co-sponsored by the USC Game Innovation Lab, MEGA, the Pullias Center for Higher Education, and the Annenberg Innovation Lab.

*This is not an official Minecraft event and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Minecraft.

Image: Lucas Peterson