The world's largest game jam to be held in the UAE

Game jammers are invited to participate in a weekend of game making and join the world’s largest game jam in the UAE, organised as part of The Global Game Jam® (GGJ). Hosted by SAE Institute in partnership with startup incubator ‘in5’, participants will be challenged to a hackathon lasting from 30th January to 01st February 2020 starting at 5 pm (UAE time) at in5 Media located in Dubai Production City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. 

Participants will be challenged to build games that focus on a secret theme announced on the day. Inspire and be inspired from leading game developers. Create and foster long lasting friendships, and explore the process of development, from programming, iterative design, narrative exploration to artistic expression. The entire programme is condensed into a 48-hour development cycle. 

Everyone from different backgrounds are encouraged to participate and contribute to the global spread of game development and creativity.

Entries will be judged based on various criteria such as the fun factor, completeness, creativity and the potential of growing and scaling the game in future, with the winning teams to receive cash rewards up to AED 15,000 and other valuable prizes. 

The global gaming industry is estimated to be worth $152 billion with an estimate of 45% coming from mobile games. With an average consumer spending more time on mobile devices than television, the game space especially in the entertainment landscape is set to receive increased attention and investment.