High-school developers get creative at AIE Game Jam
AIE held a two-day Game Jam during school holidays on Monday 10th and Tuesday 11th July 2023 at our campuses in Sydney, Canberra and Adelaide. This exciting event was held for students from Years 10, 11, and 12 to explore their creativity, develop technical skills, and collaborate on innovative game projects. The event brought together emerging game developers in the spirit of teamwork and friendly competition.
AIE staff and student mentors started the event by guiding them through the Game Jam’s structure and rules for the two days. The ideas were then unleashed with a brainstorming session, where teams came up with unique and innovative game concepts. Teams had to consider the theme of the game jam, which was 'food' for some teams and 'energy' for others. This led to a series of interesting ideas the process of making food or energy, different types of energy and discussions about how we, as humans, think of food which is different to what animals, plants and machines would regard as food.
With concepts in hand, the teams moved on to the development phase. Each group had access to AIE's computers and industry-standard development software and a wide array of design tools. Mentors from AIE's student cohort provided guidance and feedback to help participants overcome challenges and refine their projects.
The Game Jam culminated with team presented their completed games to a panel of judges, consisting of industry professionals, AIE students and AIE faculty. The presentations showcased the diverse talent and hard work that went into creating the games. Judges evaluated the projects based on overall game, level layout, best art assets and best system.
The completed games were evidence of a successful Game Jam. The event not only provided a platform for some very creative expression but also instilled valuable skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, and project management. We're looking forward to seeing these talented continue to pursue their passion for game development.
The Game Jam was held to celebrate the launch of AIE's Bachelor of Game Development, with majors in Game Art, Game Design and Game Programming. Students in Years 10, 11 and 12 that want to started while they are still at school can get started now with our Beginner Courses and Certificate Courses in game development!