Boomsatsuma college and degree students got stuck into the Global Game Jam 2026, the world’s biggest game making event, joining thousands of creators across the world.
We were officially registered as a Global Game Jam site, welcoming 60+ students from our Game Design and Development and Game Design and Production courses, alongside our digital heritage studio team for an intense six hour challenge. Working individually or in teams, students were given an open brief to create anything connected to game design. That could mean game environments, game art, physical games or full playable prototypes. The only constant was the theme ‘Mask’.
Some students built inventive platformers where putting on different masks changed how the game worked, unlocking new abilities or opening up hidden areas. Others explored the idea of masking emotion, creating games where players had to wear masks representing different emotions in order to move through doorways and progress.
Not all the creativity stayed on screen with one attendee choosing to work with physical materials. Others focused on 3D modelling, creating masks in a range of visual styles that could sit within games or exist as standalone digital artworks. The open nature of the brief meant students really ran with their ideas and pushed them in a range of directions.
The jam was a chance to experiment freely, collaborate with new people and try tools or approaches they might not normally use. The time pressure of just six hours, added to the excitement, encouraging quick thinking, problem solving and a little bit of risk taking!
This year’s Global Game Jam was the biggest yet, bringing together creators from more countries than ever before. Taking part gave students a real insight into how ideas move quickly from concept to playable in the games industry. The enthusiasm and outcomes from the day mean the Global Game Jam is now set to become a yearly fixture at Boomsatsuma.
Photo credit: Phoebe Stephens
Explore our Game Design and Development and Game Design and Production courses.
