The 2011 Global Game Jam takes place January 28 to 30. This is the third time the UCSC campus is taking part in the worldwide affair.

A kick-off event will start at 4:30 p.m. in the Simularium (Room 180) of the Engineering 2 Building. LOLGames Creative Director Brenda Brathwaite, GRL Games CEO Graeme Devine, and freelance board-game designer Tom Lehman will speak on game design.

More than two dozen participants, many of them UCSC students, are expected at the Santa Cruz site for the jam, during which they will create their own board or video games. Registration is open to the public, and participants are asked to register in advance at ggj.soe.ucsc.edu.

Wi-fi and camaraderie will be provided at the jam location, Baskin Engineering Room 368, but participants must bring their own laptops. The site will be open for the entire 48 hours.

At the end of the jam, games will be uploaded to the Global Game Jam servers and made available for public play. Participants retain ownership of their creations and are encouraged to keep developing their games after the event ends.

For additional information about the UC Santa Cruz jam site, visit ggj.soe.ucsc.edu.