From Jan. 25-27, participants will spend the weekend immersed in game development at the annual Global Game Jam (GGJ) at Niagara College’s Welland Campus.
For 48 hours straight, students and alumni from NC’s Game Development program will join forces to design new video and board games. Their creations will help inspire and influence the gaming industry.
Operating in more than 100 countries, the GGJ takes place in hundreds of sites where participants collaborate on teams to design a new game based on a theme, to be announced at the start of the jam.
“The level of commitment and collaboration our students bring to the table to develop innovative and original games – all in such a tight timeframe – is very impressive,” said Game Development program professor Rick Goertz. “Gaming is truly a global community. The game jam allows students and alumni from NC’s Game Development to connect with creative, likeminded game enthusiasts from around the world.”
NC is hosting the jam for the fourth year, making use of computer labs that are well-equipped for gamers to get in the zone and put their classroom skills to use. Fifty participants are expected to form teams for the weekend jam session at NC.
“The Game Jam is a great way for students to test their abilities while studying in NC’s Game Development program. We are fortunate that alumni from the program – many of whom are working in the game development industry at studios like Ubisoft – are coming out to share their experiences with current students,” said Tom Brown, professor in the Game Development program and coordinator of the NC game jam. “This year, I feel even more passion coming from the students and alumni than ever before and I’m excited to see what they come up with.”
For more information on the GGJ, visit www.globalgamejam.org
NC’s three-year intensive Game Development diploma program prepares students for careers in the digital game and interactive media industry. Students learn industry skills such as game programming and scripting, digital art production techniques, game design principles and game production practices.
