Gamebadges - Skill Mapping and Micro-Credentials for the Game Industry

Gamebadges-project aims to design, pilot and implement a first of its kind, a European wide competence-based open badge ecosystem targeted at game industry and game education use in Europe. The project aims to dissect all game industry related professions into competence goals and create micro-credentials that can be utilized at all competence levels. The ecosystem will be transparent, public, and the competence goals base on solid needs of the industry. The badges will be tested by game students, game educators and game professionals and implemented in those organizations.Despite the growing success of game companies, the game industry is a relatively new sector that is lacking any formal standards even on national levels. This has led to a situation where titles, terms and tasks can be very different even in neighboring companies. Also, game education is still fairly new - first degree programmes started in the beginning of the 2000. When the sector is fragmented, it is difficult to prepare students for specific jobs.The project creates a standard frame for game development related professions and their needed skills and competences. The results are public and will be marketed and disseminated across Europe. At the same time the project, like the Council Recommendation to micro-credentials, aims to support “the building of trust in micro-credentials across Europe among all those involved, whether providers or beneficiaries.” Therefore, Gamebadges does not only serve the game industry - it also serves the European micro-credential ecosystem by creating one, coherent model for competence-based open badges.The project will produce a European wide badge ecosystem that has three main outcomes:- One Competence map - an online tool- Appr. 300 Competence-based open badges - bronze, silver and gold degree badges;- Six Pilot courses for silver badges - for young professionals and game educators.