Not Just Games….

Developers always need time to spend away from computers. Here at JDE, we occasionally take various field trips across Chicago. While JDE is primarily focused on making games, excursions away from games helps to cleanse our creative palates and allow us to come back rejuvenated and ready to look at games from a whole new perspective. After many weeks, the producers decided on sending the team to Chinatown Chicago as a field trip. This past week was spent on reflecting on our current progress into the JDE, as well as determining how we move forward as a group. Therefore, we thought it would be important to take the team to Chinatown and learn about the history of this location, as it would serve to both bring the team together (through bonding exercises) as well as lead the team into a discussion into where they wanted to see use move forward.

“In our Chinatown field trip, we were assigned to look into two leaders that helped create Chinatown. We weren’t inspired with any ideas from learning about the two leaders but it allowed us to start a conversation. The majority of the trip was walking around Chinatown and group bonding. Although we didn’t learn much, it allowed the group to get to know each other more. It created a relaxed environment for us and was a fantastic way for us to go out and get some fresh air. After we returned from Chinatown, we did a mid-mortem reflection on how the program was going. We discussed our issues, concerns, and suggestions in ways to improve the program. I personally enjoyed this field trip and am looking forward to the future field trips.” – Daniel