America's Largest Global Game Jam Site Returns to Times Square Jan. 26th

Playcrafting has announced that they’ll once again partner with Microsoft in 2018 to bring the largest Global Game Jam site in America back to Times Square. The weekend stirs a global creative buzz in games, while at the same time exploring the process of development, be it programming, iterative design, narrative exploration or artistic expression. It is all condensed into a 48 hour development cycle. The GGJ encourages people with all kinds of backgrounds to participate and contribute to the spread of game development and creativity. This family-friendly event will run all weekend with free workshops, refreshments, demos, prizes and more. See why this site became legendary last year with the official 2017 recap video.

Playcrafting Founder and CEO Dan Butchko commented on what makes this event so special. “We’ve been blown away at how much enthusiasm the Global Game Jam has ignited in New York. What started in 2016 grew to an epic scale in 2017. Over 1,200 attendees and almost 500 official jammers – student and professional, young and old, newbie and veteran – joined us for a full weekend making over 70 games. We wrapped up with a public expo and demo showcase with judges and prizes that had folks cheering all Sunday long. We’re so excited to grow and evolve this one-of-a-kind weekend for our community in 2018.”

Playcrafting provides developers - from novice to veteran - with the tools required to get their games off the ground. The organization hosts everything from local gatherings like Expos and Demo & Play Nights to industry-recognized annual events like Play NYC and The Bit Awards. A commitment to community and in-person support has helped elevate Playcrafting to now serve communities across 5 U.S. cities. The organization offers over 200 courses and events annually in support of game developers.

The Playcrafting and Microsoft Global Game Jam site will be operating Jan. 26th - 28th at Microsoft located at 11 Times Square across the street from Port Authority and easily accessible via the A/C/E/N/Q/R/W/B/D/F/M/7. This event is free to the public and tickets can be reserved at bit.ly/GGJ-2018.