Abstract
Abstract Game jams are short-term game creation events for public enthusiasts or special groups such as students or employees of an organization. They are widely organized and studied educational, creative, and social events. Yet, there is a lack of coherent theoretical grounding and a limited understanding of their long-term effects. To address this gap, we followed grounded theory techniques and semi-structured interviews with the goal of exploring how game jam participation influenced professional development over time. Findings revealed that game jams are not only effective learning experiences for students and aspiring developers, but also valuable professional development tools for individuals already in the workforce, both in and outside the game industry. Drawing from a multi-disciplinary theoretical framework, we integrated the emerging insights into a conceptual structure for game jams as bidirectional bridging educational activities that connect formal and informal education with professional contexts. Our insights are organized around three core dimensions of actors, benefits, and controls, which together explain how various stakeholders engage with and derive value from the game jam process. We offer practical implications and recommendations for designing game jams to serve both educational and workplace settings and ensure an inclusive and effective experience for different participants.