Sumo Digital’s One Button Game Jam has launched!

Here at
Sumo Digital, we’re proud supporters of SpecialEffect and firm believers that the importance of accessibility in video games is paramount. As we continue our
ongoing commitment to making games enjoyable for all, we are always looking for
new ways to promote accessibility and this year’s One Button Game Jam is our
latest plan to do exactly that.

We’ve
invited teams from across Sumo Digital and the wider Sumo Group to take part in
a One Button Game Jam as part of this year’s One Special Day celebrations on 1st
October.

Games with
reduced inputs can make it easier to pick up and play a game without having to
spend time learning controls, but also makes gaming more accessible for players
with disabilities who may not be able to use a standard controller.

Accessibility
can take multiple forms and for this year’s Game Jam in support of
SpecialEffect, our teams will be developing around this one specific area. This
approach encourages all teams to apply their knowledge and expertise in a focused
and creative way and we can’t wait to see what they produce.

The Sumo Game
Jam invites our teams to collaborate, flex their game design muscles and bring
sparks of creativity to life. We’re proud to be able to use this much-loved internal
event to raise awareness of the work SpecialEffect do and the individuals they
work with, whilst creating new experiences with the potential to be distributed
in support of their work.

David Dino, Business Development Manager at Sumo Digital, said: “As we’ve been a long time partner of SpecialEffect and have been running studio game jams for quite some time now, it only made sense to team up on One Special Day.

“As games continue to grow and thrive, it’s important to keep accessibility in mind, which is why the One Button Game Jam makes sense. We hope the projects created by our talented developers help increase awareness of SpecialEffect’s overall mission of making gaming more accessible for those with disabilities while providing a creative and fun outlet to reinforce that goal.”

The One
Button Game Jam runs internally across Sumo Digital until 13th
September and we’ll be showcasing entries as part of One Special Day on 1st
October. In the meantime, we’ll be sharing updates on how our people have risen
to this exciting challenge and you can follow along using #OneButtonGameJam21
and #OneSpecialDay.

The Game
Jam at Sumo Digital is an annual event open to all of our teams where they can
bring their game ideas to life as part of a group and have the opportunity to
pitch them to our studio heads.

Previous
titles to come out of the Game Jam include: Snake Pass, Pass the Punch and
Spyder, which all went on to receive a full product release.

Sumo
Digital are also the headline sponsor for this year’s One Special Game, a charity art competition in support of the
annual One Special Day fundraising drive. The art competition is accepting
entries until October 1st and you can find full details here.