our inaugural event
at SXSW 2024
Health Justice
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Spiritual Justice
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Technological Justice
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Post-Colonial Justice
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Narrative Justice
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Economic Justice
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Community Justice
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Ecological Justice
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Health Justice 〰️ Spiritual Justice 〰️ Technological Justice 〰️ Post-Colonial Justice 〰️ Narrative Justice 〰️ Economic Justice 〰️ Community Justice 〰️ Ecological Justice 〰️
games for a more just world
Our inaugural game jam, Just Play: A Game Jam for Justice, produced by Cinereach and Anima Interactive, celebrated its winners at an official SXSW 2024 event. This global games competition is on a mission to challenge video game developers to explore themes of justice in creative ways to open minds and inspire new perspectives.
Developers’ toolkit
EXPLORING THEMES OF JUSTICE
How do we define justice? What are some of its forms? What makes interactive media so perfect for the topic? What are some examples of games that explore ideas of justice in unique and compelling ways? This primer and toolkit from Cinereach and Anima Interactive provides inspiration for justice-themed game ideas.
SXSW 2024
JUST PLAY BOOTH AT THE SXSW Creative industries Expo
Just Play SXSW Panel - Rewriting Reality: Narrative Change In Entertainment
AWARDS CEREMONY
Award Winners
Design Achievement & grand prize Winner
Pip Pepper Park Planner
"We should never underestimate the impact games can have in our lives, especially for players and developers facing challenges, games offer a beacon of hope, connection, and a platform to ignite the spark for positive change. The Just Play Jam embodied this perfectly, motivating us creatively to connect social justice with game development. Grateful for all these lessons!"
—Jose Luis
audio Achievement Winner
Are you listening?
“I'm so grateful that I was able to participate in Just Play Jam! It's been amazing to be part of a community of like-minded developers and seeing my game available to play at the SXSW Creative Industries Expo was a dream come true. Experiences like this help motivate me to keep creating and I'm grateful to Anima Interactive and Cinereach for all their support.”
— Eloise Best
narrative Achievement Winner
Crossing Lines
"The Just Play Game Jam was an inspiring experience that left a lasting impact on us. We were immensely grateful for the opportunity to stand alongside such talented developers, all passionately working on addressing difficult subject matters through their games. This initiative highlighted the transformative power that video games possess, not just as entertainment but as tools for social change and empathy-building."
— Mike Ren and Leah Churchill
artistic Achievement Winner
Drawing up dust
Technical Achievement Winner
In the Shadow of the Sun
best integration of theme
Um Al-Zaytoun
“This win means a lot for the team as the Palestinian struggle is an immensely sensitive topic, especially now more than ever, and we wanted to tell the story of Palestine in a gentle and considerate way while blending its history and culture into an educational and bite-sized game.”
— Rafif Kalantan
Want to learn more?
Check out our gallery on itch.io to play prototypes of each of the winners’ games!
Jurors
he/him
Vik Agarwal
Product Leader, Meta
Vik Agarwal is a PM at Meta where he helps connect creators with their fans. After grossing billions of dollars across 35+ gaming titles, Vik knows what truly drives player AERM funnel. It's all about the players and providing them with an experience they truly value.
he/him
Ryan Douglas
Chairman, DeepWellDTx & NeuFluent
I am a therapy designer funding and creating immersive medicine, neuro-prosthetics and minimally invasive neurosurgical robotics.
she/her
Leanne Loombe
Vice President, External Games, Netflix Games
Head of External Games at Netflix. Been making games over 20 years from Indie development to AAA and publishing. Loves Cats, Cars and Games.
she/her
Kim Belair
CEO, Co-Founder, Sweet Baby Inc
Kim is the CEO and Co-Founder of Sweet Baby Inc, as well as a writer and narrative designer with a decade of industry experience. Along with her team, she's worked on nearly 70 project and aims to help games tell better stories.
she/her
Jennifer Estaris
Game Director, ustwo games
Jennifer Estaris (she/her) is a climate activist and game director at ustwo games. A Filipina-American immigrant in London, Jennifer is involved with UN’s Playing for the Planet, the IGDA Climate SIG, and Extinction Rebellion, and knows games can positively transform the world.
she/they
Logan McLaughlin
Director of Research and Consulting, SpaceTime Strategies
Digital anthropologist specialized in understanding gaming communities and online spaces.
she/her
Sarah Brin
Strategy Director, Good Afternoon
Sarah Brin is an award-winning futurist and consultant for creative technology, immersive entertainment and playful experiences. She's developed creative programs for Sony, Rolls-Royce, Meow Wolf and others. You can learn more about her work at sarahbrin.com.
she/her
Elaine Gómez-Sanchez
Senior Gameplay Designer, Worlds Untold
Elaine is a DominiRican game designer with 8+ years experience in gameplay and systems design. She is active in her free time as indie developer under her studio, Midnight Hour Games, and as an advocate in DEI, most notably as cofounder and Vice President of Latinx in Gaming.
he/him
Johan Toresson
DevRel/Scout, Raw Fury
Finding things for Raw Fury since 2018, indie incubator work before then, bad at overwatch since launch
he/him
Leonardo Colón Pagán
Associate, Premack Rogers P.C.
Video Game Lawyer / Computer Engineer. I like Oreos, movies, heavy metal, and video games.
he/him
James Lewis
ID@Xbox Developer Acceleration Program Lead, Xbox
In his 11 years with Xbox James has been advocating for developers of all sizes and spearheading initiatives to help make the games industry more inclusive. He currently leads the ID@Xbox Developer Acceleration Program with a goal of empowering underrepresented developers.