Forge Your Game at the SSU Games Fall 2025 Game Jam!
Mark your calendars for an unforgettable weekend of creativity, food, and pixels! SSU Games is thrilled to host our Fall 2025 Game Jam from October 10-12, and we're excited to be an official part of Shawnee State University's Family Weekend!
For 48 incredible hours, the Advanced Technology Center will become your creative playground. With access to all of our facilities including a VR Lab, Game Studio Labs, Motion Capture Lab, collaboration spaces, and plenty of whiteboards for brainstorming. Join students, alumni, family, faculty, and friends to design, code, and create an entirely new video game from the ground up. It's a marathon of innovation, collaboration, and pure fun.
What is a Game Jam?
Think of it as a hack-a-thon or music jam session for game creators! It’s a timed event where individuals and teams come together to build a game based on a theme, which is revealed during the kick-off. The energy is electric, the ideas are fresh, and the focus is on the joy of making something new together. It's not about perfection; it's about the experience, the learning, the connections you make, and the stories you'll tell after.
Who Should Join? (Hint: You!)
This isn't just for computer science majors or expert programmers. We need all kinds of creators! Whether you're a coder, an artist, a writer, a musician, a designer, or someone who's never made a game before but loves to play them, you have a vital role to play.
This jam is open to:
- SSU Students from every major
- SSU Alumni (We love having you back!)
- SSU Faculty & Staff
- Family & Friends of the SSU community
Never made a game before? That’s the best part! Diving in for the first time is what makes a game jam so special. You’ll be surrounded by a supportive community of all skill levels, including experienced faculty and dedicated mentors ready to answer your questions and help bring your ideas to life.
Event Schedule & Highlights
- Kick-Off & Theme Reveal: Friday, 10/10 at 5:00 PM in ATC 104. The adventure begins! We’ll mingle, form teams, and unveil the top-secret theme that will inspire all our games.
- 48-Hour Creation Sprint: From Friday night through Sunday, claim your spot in the ATC labs (220, 250-259) to build your masterpiece.
- Fuel Up!: On Saturday, we'll be providing you with an assortment of goodies in order to keep your energy high.
- The Grand Finale - Playable Showcase!: The jam concludes on Sunday, 10/12 at 6:00 PM. We'll hold project presentations in ATC 104, followed immediately by the Live Game Showcase upstairs in ATC 250-258. This is the main event where we all get to play the incredible games created over the weekend. Friends, family, and all curious visitors are enthusiastically invited to attend and play!
Ready to Jam? Here’s Your Game Plan:
- Join the Official Jam Page: Click here to sign up on itch.io! This is where you’ll submit your game on Sunday.
- Join the Game Jam Discord!: This is the central hub for all event communication. Find your team, get help, and share ideas: gamejam.ssugames.org.
- Clear Your Weekend: Block off October 10-12 for non-stop creating.
- Start Thinking: What role sounds fun? Designer, artist, storyteller, sound effects wizard, or coder? There’s a spot for you.
This is a celebration of creativity and community. Come be part of the energy, learn something new, and help us build something amazing together.
Let's make something amazing.
SSU Games Fall 2025 Game Jam
Date: October 10-12, 2025
Kick-Off: Friday, 5:00 PM, ATC 104
Showcase: Sunday, 6:00 PM, ATC 104 & 250-258
Official Jam Page: https://itch.io/jam/ssugames-fall-2025-game-jam
Join the Event Discord: gamejam.ssugames.org