Ready to Jam? Thriving videogame development culture feeds highly anticipated Global Game Jam event this weekend
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 24, 2025
UW-Green Bay’s Center for Games and Interactive Media hosts the largest event in the state
Green Bay, WI — Beginning at 5 p.m. Friday night, January 24, 2025, gamers from around the state will gather for Global Game Jam (GGJ), where developers and enthusiasts of all skill levels collaborate to make original games over a 48-hour timeframe. Hosted at the Urban Hub in downtown Green Bay, UW-Green Bay’s Center for Games and Interactive Media (CGIM) is a sponsor of the event.
The GGJ is an annual event that invites participants to create games at one of hundreds of sites across the globe. ‘Jammers’ are given a loose theme (ex. “waves”) and a 48-hour timeframe to work with. Beyond that, jammers can create any type of game they are interested in. It helps to have some basic skills in art, music, coding, or writing but approaching the jam as a chance to expand those skills is also key.
The nationwide phenomenon is making a significant mark in the greater Green Bay region, partly because of the culture created surrounding videogame publisher Midwest Games, started by UW-Green Bay alumnus Ben Kvalo; and according to UW-Green Bay Assistant Professor Kris Purzycki, his colleague UW-Green Bay Lecturer Ben Geisler’s connections to the Green Bay community, including the region’s renowned DIY and punk subcultures. “This ethos resonates throughout the 48-hours of the jam: all are welcome so long as there is a desire to make games,” says Purzycki in this blog post. “Those games may not be complete. They might not be pretty. But neither completion nor looking good is the goal.”
Not only do participants create new and exciting games, but they build community. Collaboration, support and the sharing of ideas is inherent in the spirit of the event. Inspired to work on creations of all kinds, jammers can develop digital, tabletop role-playing or board games. The sky is the limit. “The only requirement is that you have to want to make a game,” said Purzycki. After being the largest GGJ site in Wisconsin last year, organizers expect an even larger turnout in 2025.
About UW-Green Bay
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is a school of resilient problem solvers who dare to reach higher with the power of education that ignites growth and answers the biggest challenges. Serving 11,118 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students as well as 85,800 continuing education learners annually, UW-Green Bay offers 200 academic degrees, programs, and certificates. With four campus locations in Northeast Wisconsin, the University’s access mission welcomes all students who want to learn, from every corner of the world. Championing bold thinking since opening its doors in 1965, it is a university on the rise – Wisconsin’s fastest growing UW. For more information, visit www.uwgb.edu.
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