📆Game Jam: October 2 - October 16, 2026
🎨Theme Reveal & Kickoff: Friday, October 2
🕹️Godot Demo: Jose Coronado will introduce the basics of game development using Godot.
🏁Final Showcase: Friday, October 16
👥Format: Solo or teams
✨Who can participate: All skill levels!
You should join this Game Jam if you want to…
- try game development for the first time
- learn how to use a game engine
- build something playable for your portfolio
- collaborate with other students
- have fun and be creative!
Getting Started
More information about registration and participation will be posted soon.
You will need a GitHub account to collaborate and submit your game.
You are also encouraged to join the UTC ACM Discord server for announcements, questions, team formation, and Game Jam updates.
🎮 What is a Game Jam?
A game jam is a short, time-limited event where developers, artists, designers, writers, and other creators come together to create a video game.
Participants usually work around a shared theme. The goal is not to create a perfect or fully polished commercial game. Instead, game jams encourage creativity, experimentation, rapid prototyping, and learning by doing.
For beginners, game jams are a great way to get started with game development. You don’t need to be an expert!
You can work:
- Solo
- With a team
- On programming
- On art
- On music and sound
- On writing
- On game design
You can also use existing tools, tutorials, libraries, and assets where allowed. The goal is to learn something, finish something, and have fun!
Some well-known games that originated as game jam projects include:
- Baba Is You
- Celeste
- Superhot
- Hollow Knight
- Surgeon Simulator
🚀 Kickoff — October 2
The Fall Game Jam officially begins on October 2!
During the kickoff, we will:
- 🎨 Reveal the Game Jam theme
- 🕹️ Introduce the Godot game engine
- 👨💻 Learn the basics of creating a game in Godot
- 💡 Discuss ideas and game development tips
- 👥 Allow participants to find teammates
- 🚀 Get started on the Game Jam!
Jose Coronado will demonstrate the basics of game development using Godot, making this a great starting point for anyone who has never created a game before.
You do not need previous Godot or game development experience to participate.
📅 Schedule
October 2 — Kickoff & Theme Reveal
- Game Jam kickoff
- Theme announcement
- Introduction to Godot
- Godot basics demo by Jose Coronado
- Team formation / idea brainstorming
- Begin developing your game!
October 2–23 — Game Development
- Work on your game
- Experiment with the theme
- Collaborate with your teammates
- Playtest and improve your game
- Ask questions and share your progress with the ACM community
Don’t worry about making everything perfect. Focus on building something playable and learning along the way!
October 16 — Final Showcase 🏁
The Game Jam concludes with a showcase where participants can share their games with the ACM community.
Each team or individual will have an opportunity to:
- 🎮 Demonstrate their game
- 💡 Explain their idea and development process
- 🗣️ Talk about what they learned
- 👥 Let others play and experience their game
Additional information about the showcase format and awards will be announced closer to the event.
📜 Rules and Guidelines
- You may participate solo or as a team.
- Teams of 2–4 people are encouraged, but not required.
- Participants from other departments are welcome to join your team.
- Your game should be created during the Game Jam period.
- You may use existing tools, libraries, tutorials, and assets where appropriate.
- Limited use of AI tools is allowed as long as you disclose their use.
- Do not submit a preexisting or previously completed personal project.
- Keep your game appropriate for a general audience.
- You may use any game development tool or engine you are comfortable with, although Godot is recommended for beginners.
- Ask questions! The goal is to learn and have fun.
🛠️ Making Your Game
You can use any game development tools you are comfortable with.
Godot
Godot is a free and open-source game engine used to create 2D and 3D games.
It includes tools for:
- Graphics
- Physics
- Animation
- Audio
- Input
- Scene design
- Scripting
Godot is especially beginner-friendly because its visual editor makes it possible to build games without needing to write everything from scratch.
Godot uses GDScript, a scripting language that is easy to learn and has syntax similar to Python.
Jose Coronado will provide a beginner-friendly introduction to Godot during the October 2 kickoff.
More tutorials and resources will be shared during the Game Jam.
Other Tools
You are welcome to use other game development tools and engines if you are comfortable with them.
Some examples include:
- Pygame
- Unity
- Unreal Engine
- GameMaker
- Godot
- Other frameworks or libraries
If you are new to game development, don’t worry about choosing the “perfect” tool. Pick something manageable and start building!
💡 Game Design Tips
Keep Your Scope Small
A tiny finished game is better than a huge unfinished game.
Good examples:
- Click to stack blocks
- Dodge falling objects
- Rhythm tapping game
- Simple puzzle game
- One-screen platformer
- Short arcade game
Probably too ambitious for a Game Jam:
- Open-world RPG ❌
- Online multiplayer game ❌
- Massive story-driven adventure ❌
- Complex MMO ❌
If your idea sounds like a full commercial game, consider making a much smaller version of it.
Game = Goal + Obstacle + Feedback
A simple game can often be built around three basic components:
- Goal: What is the player trying to accomplish?
- Obstacle: What makes the goal challenging?
- Feedback: How does the player know what is happening?
Example:
- 🎯 Goal: Survive for as long as possible
- 🪨 Obstacle: Falling rocks
- 🔊 Feedback: Sound, animation, and score
That’s enough to start building a game!
Start Small
Don’t spend the entire Game Jam planning.
Build a basic playable version first.
Then improve it.
A useful approach is:
Idea → Prototype → Playtest → Improve → Polish
🤖 Using AI
AI tools may be used in a limited capacity during the Game Jam.
You can use AI to help with:
- Brainstorming game ideas
- Learning programming concepts
- Generating or explaining code
- Debugging
- Writing documentation
AI-generated media assets should not be used in submitted games. This includes AI-generated images, sprites, artwork, music, sound effects, or other media assets.
However, you should understand and take responsibility for the code and content you submit.
Please disclose any significant use of AI in your submission.
🎮 Ready to Build?
Whether this is your first game or you’ve been developing games for years, the UTC ACM Fall Game Jam is a chance to learn, experiment, collaborate, and create something fun.
🎨 Theme Reveal: October 2 🕹️ Godot Introduction: October 2 🏁 Final Showcase: October 16
Come to the kickoff, find out the theme, and start building!
We can’t wait to see what you create! 🎮