32 IT students work all night in 45 hour, non-stop Game Jam competition

The “Game Jam,” organised by MITA, the Department of Intelligent Computer Systems, Faculty of ICT at UOM, St Martin's Institute of Higher Education and the Google Developers Group, Malta, requires 32 students to produce 9 educational games in 45 hours 

Student-participants in the Game Jam competition
Student-participants in the Game Jam competition
Student-participants in the Game Jam competition
Student-participants in the Game Jam competition
Student-participants in the Game Jam competition
Student-participants in the Game Jam competition

32 students from various educational institutions will be working through the night to programme 9 educational computer games in a 45 hour period.

Friday saw the launch of an educational programming competition, known as a “Game Jam,” organised by MITA, the Department of Intelligent Computer Systems, Faculty of ICT within the University of Malta, St Martin's Institute of Higher Education and the Google Developers Group, Malta Branch.

The 45 hour-long event brings together 32 students from different institutions, with the intention of testing students' collective knowledge in a high-pressure environment. The event, which ends at noon on Sunday and the students will work tirelessly throughout the weekend (including the night) in order to produce 9 educational games in a short period of time. 

The aim of the competition is to bring together students from different creative fields in order to develop a digital serious game during a limited amount of time. The competition is designed to test the students’ fortitude, their ability to work under pressure and within a team. 

Opening the event, keynote speaker Alexander Pfeiffer from Donau University in Austria gave a speech about game development, before Dylan Seychell from the Google Developers Group and St Martin's Institute, together with educators from the St Margaret and St Thomas More Colleges, guided the students in designing their game.

The winning team will be flown to Austria to attend several lectures on game development at the Donau University.