What and why?

A game jam is a game development event where the participants have a fixed amount of time to create a game.
Usually, the created games are designed around a theme, which is revealed at the start of the jam.
There are also diversifiers; optional subthemes, constraints and ideas, to give added challenge to veteran jammers.

The International College Jam was created as an initiative to boost the co-operation of game development academies across countries, to help students improve their skills and meet new contacts.
We are proud to announce the continuation of this Jam, aiming to keep up a bi-yearly tradition!

For our sixth iteration of the Jam, we have students from:

• Riveria (Finland)
• Careeria (Finland)
• Vuoksi (Finland)
• Sasky (Finland)
  
• Salon seudun ammattiopisto SSKKY (Finland)
• RASEKO (Finland)
• Sataedu (Finland)
• Stadin AO (Finland)
• Omnia Game Dev Workshop (Finland)
• International Professional University of Technology (Japan)
• International Animation College (Japan)
• Galway Technical Institute (Ireland)
• Warsaw Film School (Poland)
• UC Santa Cruz (USA)
• and more!

ICJ is also streaming during the start and finish of the event, more information to come!

For more information, please contact:
Jani Gröhn, jani.grohn@finnishgamejam.com

Schedule?

// NOTE: All times are in the Finnish timezone (EET / UTC +2) //

Starting ceremony on Monday at 10:30 at our Discord server, where the theme will be revealed at the end.
Once it's concluded, the participants will team up on the server and start making their games!

All of the created games will be uploaded here and are publicly available to be played, shared and downloaded.
All uploads must be complete before the final deadline on midnight Thursday at 23:59.

We highly encourage all participants to maintain a healthy lifestyle and schedule throughout the week of jamming for both personal well-being and optimal performance.

FRIDAY

Debriefing, commenting and reviewing of games locally at your own pace

Afterparty Stream at 18:00

POST JAM

Everyone who was a contributor in submitting a game gets to vote!

Voting time ends on 23.12.2025 at 23:59

Results announced on Christmas Eve! 

Speaker Announcement

Discord and Rules?

We use our Discord server as the base of all teamwork and communications during the Jam.
We want to maintain a warm, secure and professional atmosphere for everyone to enjoy!

That’s why we all represent ourselves and our respective organizations in a positive light, using our real names.
We treat ourselves and each other with respect, at all times.

The goal is to have fun together, create interesting games and to forge new bonds of co-operation across schools internationally!

Once you join the server, please check out the rules, change your server nickname, and then write an intro of yourself with the role you want to take in the jam!

Invite link to the Discord server: https://discord.gg/6fdQccwMSU

The Theme: "Cozy Cyberpunk"

List of optional Diversifiers:

• PalSwap
  
  • Swap one asset (music, art, code) with another team’s project during the jam. 

• Got Nothing, Will Travel
  • The player starts with nothing, and progress comes from improvising.

• Hidden Secrets
  • Your game includes secret areas, shortcuts, or hidden paths that players can stumble upon.

• No HUD, No Problem
  • Your game doesn’t use a traditional HUD; all player feedback comes from diegetic cues (ex. sound, animation, color).

• Fragmented Narrative
  • The story is delivered out of order, or in pieces that the player assembles.

• Memory Leak Café
  
  • Your game stores and re-uses some form of persistent memory (ex. saving a value between runs, or remembering a choice).

• Photopunk
  • At least one asset is made from a real-world photo.

• Palette Pact
  • Your game implements the provided jam palette.

• Small Comforts
  
  • Your game implements at least one mechanic dedicated purely to coziness (ex. sitting down, sipping tea, or customizing a space).

• Synthwave
  • Your game takes a more energetic spin on the theme, featuring bright neon visuals, retro-futuristic aesthetics, pulsing music, or fast-paced gameplay.

Thank you and let's have a great jam!