Welcome to a 48 Hour public game Jam Hosted by the Interaction Design department at Anant National University.

Who are we :

The Interaction Design program at ANU creates and studies relationships between the material and digital worlds. Our students explore a variety of media and interfaces that exist at the junction of the social, ecological, and technological layers of our lives, including games in various forms that can confront complex societal problems and become tools of genuine change.

This is the second edition of JamPacked. The inaugural version of this game jam was organized in 2023, with a lecture by Dr. Lindsay Grace. This first edition hosted 75 participants who created more than 15 games ranging from VR simulations to intricate board games and text adventures, all culminating in an exhibition at the end of the 48 hours.

This year we seek to continue this legacy of building and exploring games together. Join us for a wonderful and collaborative 48 hours of creation!

Theme : Games for Change :

Games for Change, invites participants to explore how games can become tools for reflection, empathy, and transformation. Games can simulate complex systems, make hidden structures visible, and help players engage with pressing questions about the world around them. They can address issues such as inequality, gender, climate, war, labour, health, and belonging, or focus on smaller, personal experiences that speak to broader social realities.

Participants may approach the idea of “change” in multiple ways. Some may design games that raise awareness about social, cultural, or ecological issues. Others may focus on imagining alternatives and new futures, or on transforming relationships between players through empathy, cooperation, and dialogue. Change can be outward, addressing a community or cause, or inward, encouraging self-reflection and emotional growth. 

Games created for the jam may be digital, analog, experimental, or hybrid. They might tell a story, simulate a system, or create an experience of negotiation or care. They could respond to real-world issues, reinterpret everyday objects, or challenge the very assumptions of what counts as a 'game'.

A few well-known works that illustrate this range include:

Papers, Please (Lucas Pope): a border checkpoint simulator that reveals the moral and bureaucratic pressures of migration.

That Dragon, Cancer (Numinous Games): an intimate narrative about illness, grief, and hope.

This War of Mine (11 bit studios): a survival game that foregrounds the civilian experience of conflict.

Beecarbonize (Charles Games): a strategy game about managing policies and technologies to combat climate change.

Bury Me, My Love (The Pixel Hunt): a text-messaging narrative following a Syrian refugee’s journey to safety.

Registrations : 

The jam is open to both In-person and Online participants.

In-Person: We are hosting 75 people on campus for the full 48 hours of the jam, converting our design studios into temporary jam arenas where we will all work together to build games.

Online: For those who cannot travel to Ahmedabad in December, you are welcome to join remotely! Stream your development, connect with on-site participants through video calls, and contribute to the final collection of games produced.

All participants must register for the jam using the button at the top of this page and by logging in with an itch.io account.  In-person participants must also complete additional details using this : Google Form.

Solo developers are welcome, as are teams of any size. Team participation: All team members must register for the jam individually on itch.io. When submitting your game, one team member can upload the project and add the others as collaborators.

JAM Resources :

An exhaustive list of Game JAM resources : https://github.com/kobitoko/Game-Jam-Tools-Resources compiled on GitHub by Kobitoko.

End of Jam Exhibition : 

The jam concludes on the 12th of December. On the 13th of December join us for an exhibition of all submitted games, followed by a panel discussion featuring renowned game scholars and indie developers who will discuss Games for Change.

Panel details to follow.

Up to five projects from those submitted during the jam will be selected for further mentorship and development support. Selected creators will receive: Six months of mentorship from ANU faculty and renowned game designers. Access to digital and material resources. Support for exhibition, display, and publishing of completed projects along with guidance to bring their projects to full fruition.

Selection criteria and announcement date to follow.

You own your game! Participants retain full intellectual property rights to games created during JamPacked.

However, game prototypes and itch.io uploads will remain available to the university for documentation and future showcase purposes. And any subsequent publication of games created at JamPacked must credit and acknowledge that the original project was incubated at the jam. There is no expectation of sharing IP or proceeds from future publication.

A Resource library of shared Tools and Games to be added soon and a Q&A section. In the meanwhile you can direct all your inquiries to: Dhruv Jani  dhruv.jani@anu.edu.in

We can't wait to see what you create! Welcome to JamPacked 2025.