IGDA’s upcoming eJam— a virtual game jam pairs students with professional game developers to jam out game projects in just 48 hours– will be featured on Twitch as part of its Summer Game Fest. Student teams and their projects will be highlighted as part of the front-page Twitch coverage, celebrating their creativity, efforts, and teamwork.

The eJam also provides unique networking, mentorship, and recruitment opportunities, by connecting students with professionals and showcasing their efforts to the sponsoring studios and the 30,000 professional game developers that make up IGDA’s network. This jam is being generously sponsored by Obsidian Entertainment, Manticore Games, Riot Forge Games, and Unity.

“This game jam is the perfect opportunity for students to get a leg up starting their careers within the game industry,” commented Renee Gittins, the Executive Director of the IGDA. “The eJam provides high school students with the rare opportunity to explore game development for the first time with the help of professionals, and gives college students a opportunity to expand their portfolio and make up for cancelled internships– all while expanding their important game industry network.”

The eJam will run for 48 hours from 3pm PDT June 26 to 3pm PDT June 28, 2020. A keynote and introductory talks will be presented on June 26th at 12pm PDT.

Teams will consist of up to 5 student members and at least one professional game developer mentor. You can sign-up to mentor a team here.

The core goals for eJam are:

1. Promote the academic and social benefits of game development, particularly in STEMs
2. Teach students about tools and technology to advance their game development and general skills
3. Provide students with important game development practice and knowledge
4. Connect students with a valuable network of mentors and peers for a career in game development
5. Help students build their portfolio for game development careers
6. Alleviate stress and social isolation fatigue by providing students with an interesting and socially interactive experience