Northeastern University recently welcomed more than 100 gamers to campus for this year’s Global Game Jam, the world’s largest game jam event. The first Global Game Jam was held in January 2009 with 1,600 gamers in 23 countries; by 2016, the event grew to over 630 sites in 93 countries with over 30,000 jammers. Northeastern University was proud to be an official site for 2017 — for the sixth year in a row!

“The Global Game Jam is extremely special. Once a year people all over the world come together for 48 hours to collaborate, inspire, and learn. It is a unique opportunity for our students to connect to the vibrant community of creativity across the world but also to connect to people locally at Northeastern by working together with students from other Universities, alumni, and local professionals,” explained Casper Harteveld, Assistant Professor of Game Design at Northeastern. “Every year it is amazing to see what participants can achieve together in 48 hours. Whether it works or not, our students will have an experience that they will never forget and that will set them up for lifelong learning.”

GGJ’s mission is to stimulate innovation, experimentation, and collaboration in games. The annual event typically begins on a Friday afternoon and kicks off with video keynotes and advice from leaders in the game development industry. The jam then formally begins after an announcement of the year’s theme, kept secret until the last second. This year, the theme was “waves.” 

To see the games created at Northeastern’s event click here. To play some of the games, click here.

Check out some photos below: