Students from Digital Arts & Sciences, Computer Science and Computer Engineering participate in worldwide game creation event Global Game Jam
Written by: Ryan Helterhoff (MAMC ‘23)
On the weekend of Feb. 3–5, 11 teams of students came together on campus to each build a collaborative video game from the ground up. The teams were a mix of undergraduate and graduate students from Digital Arts & Sciences, Computer Science, and Computer Engineering, all working to create an original game for the worldwide event Global Game Jam. The worldwide jam occurs each year, allowing groups and organizations to host their own event as part of the larger game jam. Each group or organization then teams up to build a game from scratch in just three days. Submissions from across the world are then shared to celebrate the amazing games that were built.
The weekend began on Friday, Feb. 3 in the PICT, with dozens of students being briefed on how the event would unfold. The event was co-led by Nick Heitzman, Senior Lecturer in Game Development at the Institute, and Professor Jeremiah Blanchard, Director of Computer Engineering at the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering.
Every year, Game Jam participants are tasked with creating a game based on a specific theme. The theme of this year’s jam was “Roots,” and participants were required to create a game based on that theme. With waffles and caffeine for fuel, each team worked day and night all weekend to complete the finished product on time. The games, which ranged from puzzle platformers to virtual reality experiences, were successfully submitted by all 11 teams.
Students from Digital Worlds and across UF can hone their game development and programming skills through collaborative events like Global Game Jam. These events also bring together students from various backgrounds, giving teams the opportunity to learn new things from others while contributing to the team’s efforts.
DevLUp, a game development organization created at UF, helped promote the event to members and increase the number of teams for this year’s jam. DevLUp provides even more opportunities for students to get practice developing their game creation skills through meetings, mentoring, and game building. The organization has helped spark interest in game design and development at UF as it expands to other university campuses.
Teamwork is one of the most important aspects of creating video games. Students were able to practice working together for long periods of time at Global Game Jam, which is common in game studios. Each team had to manage their tasks, project workflow, and deadlines in the same way they would if they were working on a large game project for months or years.
Each team successfully submitted their game after working for three days and hopping between the Digital Worlds Institute and computer science labs. Check out each game below and play them for yourself!
