Game Jam - UTS Tech Festival 2024

Tech Fest Game Jam

Unleash your game design and development skills at the 2024 Student Game Jam.

This 2-day hackathon is your chance to let your creativity run wild and create a game from scratch. No grades, no job expectations – just a chance to have fun, meet new people, learn new skills!

***Hackathon Details***

Date: Monday, 17 June - Tuesday 18 June 2024
Time: 10:00am - 5:00pm
Location: Building 11, Level 04, Room 102 
Additional Info: The above location is the primary meeting point for the Game Jam but participants are free to work from any location on or off-campus that suits them. The location will be open from the time period above for both days and organising staff will be present during these times.  

Who is invited: All UTS students from all faculties. There are only 80 spots though so make sure you register quick! (and please only register if you are certain you will come on the day)

Event Organisers: Playmakers Student Society, UTS Games Studio Research Lab and the UTS Faculty of Engineering and IT.


***Program Details***

Monday, June 17 (Day 1)

• 10am - 10:30am: Registrations and group formations
• 10:30am - 11:00am: Theme announcement
• 11:00am - 12:30pm: Work on your game
• 12:30pm - 1:30pm: Lunch
• 1:30pm - 4pm: Work on your game
• 4pm - 5pm: Wrap up

Tuesday, June 18 (Day 2) 

• 10am - 12:30pm: Continue working on your game
• 12:30pm - 1:30pm: Lunch
• 1:30pm - 3pm: Finalise your game before submission
• 3pm - 5pm: Final submission of entries, judging, afternoon tea and prizes

Prizes: Prizes will be awarded in various categories, recognising outstanding games and other quirky achievements. Winners will also be invited to attend the Tech Fest Awards Night to acknowledge their achievements and receive a certificate.

Team Sizes: There is no minimum or maximum team size, however we recommend teams of 2-5 people. You can come with a pre-made team but there will also be time to form new teams and recruit new team members on the first day. 

Theme: Core topics will be provided on the day of the Game Jam for teams to design and build their game around. This ensures that all teams come to event with a blank canvas, ready to collaborate on any creative design ideas that are inspired by the themes of the day.

Food: A light lunch be provided on both days, as well as afternoon tea on day 2, but participants are also encouraged to bring their own food and plenty of water.

What to bring: Some recommended resources are:

• A laptop
• Appropriate software installed (Unity, Unreal, Photoshop, Blender, etc.) 
• Favourite assets from past projects or asset stores (3D models, 2D textures / sprites, scripts, particle effects, audio, etc.)
• Discord and Itch.io accounts for communication and submissions.

Skills: To facilitate team formations on the day, we encourage participants to think about the skills they have or want to work on during the Game Jam, such as programming, game design, art, narrative writing, audio design, or project management.

What if our game fails?
If your team doesn't reach its goals, don't worry! Game Jams are about creativity and experimentation. Use it as an opportunity to learn new skills and have fun along the way.

Examples? Take a look at itch.io (https://itch.io/jams) to see some Game Jams currently occurring online. You can also watch footage from our past Student Game Jams (https://www.gamesstudio.org).

Be sure to register your attendance by Friday 14 June 2024.

Contact Jaime.Garcia@uts.edu.au if you have any questions about this event.

To enable a safe, comfortable and enjoyable experience for all attendees, security measures are in place to ensure the smooth running of our events.

UTS Tech Festival