What is a Game Jam and why should you care?

All over the world, developers, artists, musicians and more use jams to work on their skills, boost their creativity and have fun doing so. Bring that creativity to the classroom by creating your own jam to help your students work on specific skills.

Host a classroom jam where students work in teams to build a game from scratch, or start with an Idea Jam where students simply come up with an idea for a game of their own. Jams should be themed, so why not consider a cross-curricular jam where students create something they’ve learned in another subject?

Want to take it further? Why not host a school showcase where your students are the stars? Treat it like a mini games expo where everyone gets to experience the games built by your class. Players could even vote for their favourite game to add an element of competition!

All this and more will be discussed in this resource pack.

This pack is a work in progress and currently includes a set of worksheets based on planning your own jam, hosting an ‘Idea Jam’ and a precursor activity worksheet that asks students to look at a game and break it down into its core components – ideal for teaching students ‘what makes a game?’ Updated June 2025