Short report: 2. Archaeogaming Hackathon Darmstadt
A few weeks ago I announced that I would be organising the second Archaeogaming Hackathon. This time in Darmstadt. Well, time flies and it is already over. Like last time, there will be a more detailed report on the DiKopA project website in the coming weeks, but today I will give you a short summary of what happened.
Two groups
This time we created two groups of students, each of whom created their own game. We had an online meeting a few days before the face-to-face meeting at the TU Darmstadt. In the pre-meeting we discussed the technology and tasks for the hackathon and everyone introduced themselves. Each participant also presented their individual ideas for a game and I tried to group these ideas together.
During the time in Darmstadt, the groups really grew together and although most of them did not know each other, they quickly found a common goal and the fun that comes with it. A dinner together on the first day helped to strengthen this bond and both groups worked really hard over the three days. The last two hours of the hackathon were dedicated to group presentations.
Archaeogaming Hackathon in Darmstadt
This time the venue was the Department of Architecture at the Technical University of Darmstadt, where the DiKopA project (the initiator of the hackathons) has its financial roots. The architects’ building was under renovation and it was a bit chaotic. But the nice people from the IT department offered us a small PC room where we could stay for the three days (Friday-Sunday).
The second day was a bit more chaotic. The fire alarm went off twice and we had to evacuate the building very quickly. The fire brigade came and quickly turned off the alarm, which was probably just a malfunction. However, it was very cold in Darmstadt and it was not easy to wait outside. Luckily we had some other buildings where we could wait.
Two games
We ended up with two games. Group one decided to make a game about coins and their value. Their idea resulted in a game where we had to learn about the value of different coins and how to trade them in a Roman market. However, the game started in a modern museum where we, as students, had to help with the excavation next door. Somehow we were transported back to Roman times, where we had to learn all we could about coins in order to return.
The second game was about the Bronze Age. The group introduced into the world of the Bronze Age and how an architect might have built a central temple. Again we start in the present where we listen to a lecture about the Bronze Age and fall asleep. We wake up in the Bronze Age and have to complete several quests to start our building project. A fun game!
Like last time, the games will be published on the DiKopA website, where we have a special Hackathon subpage. The three games from the last hackathon in Cologne are already there and you can play them directly in your browser. Have a look!
