Inaugural Triangle Game Jam Highlights Intercollegiate Innovation

Ideathons, codefests and hackathons: innovators across all disciplines host their own generative evens marked by exciting challenges and intense time constraints. And game developers are no different.

In February and March of 2025, Duke University’s Master of Engineering in Game Development, Design & Innovation cohosted the inaugural Triangle Game Jam in collaboration with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Department of Computer Science and NC State Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Over the course of two consecutive weekends, participating teams gathered across all three campuses to develop and test their games, attend keynote addresses delivered by thought leaders in game design and ultimately present their final products in a showcase judged by a panel of industry experts, including leaders from Epic Games and Unity.

The event was organized by a diverse team of student representatives from each of the three host universities. Among them was computer science undergraduate John Schappert, founder of Duke Programming, Arts, and Design (DPAD).

“It was amazing to learn from leaders of other game development clubs about how we could better cater to students across the Triangle,” Schappert shared. “We incorporated ideas about solo verses cross-university teams and checkpoints for structured feedback to create an incredible experience that we hope to build on next year.”

The Triangle Game Jam officially began on February 22 on Duke’s campus with an opening keynote and continued with a full work day at UNC-Chapel Hill on February 23. After the first weekend concluded, participants gathered at NC State from March 1–2 to refine their games and take part in the final showcase. More than 130 attendees joined to playtest the finished projects.

The event’s appeal extended beyond the three hosting universities, attracting student participants from neighboring learning institutions, including Wake Tech Community College, William Peace University and UNC Charlotte.

Collaborative game jams of this scale offer significant opportunities for student developers. Participants gain exposure and form interdisciplinary networks, which prove to be critical advantages in the competitive game development industry. The connections formed at these events inspire creativity and encourage skill development.

“I was thrilled by how the event seemed to run itself,” said organizer Amy Xu, a junior at UNC-Chapel Hill studying computer science. “Everyone was meeting, talking, developing, connecting and creating all on their own. The more variety that we have in participants’ backgrounds, the more likely people are to step outside their comfort zone and be able to find peer developers that complement them.”

Throughout the jam, game development clubs from each university worked closely with faculty and gained valuable insights into the complex logistics involved in organizing large-scale events. Key responsibilities included food and catering coordination, transportation management and the timely communication of rules and updates. Drawing on their prior experience running game jams through their respective clubs, the event organizers designed fair, audience-friendly judging criteria.

The final showcase featured awards for both Judge’s Choice and the overall Triangle Game Jam winner. One of the winning teams consisted of six first-year Duke students:

• Avrick Altmann, Electrical & Computer Engineering
• Carlos Mallet, Computational Media
• Claire Chang, Biomedical Engineering
• Ixa Sigler, Computer Science & Sociology
• McKenna Adams, Computer Science & Visual Arts
• Vivek Chandy, Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science

Their game, OCEAN, is a first-person, story-driven experience loosely based on the five-factor model of personality (Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism). Each level served as a vignette with its own unique aesthetic and minigame, framed by the narrative of a scientist conducting an experiment on the player. The game employed a hybrid 2.5D art style, integrating 2D assets into a 3D environment.

“I think the team’s collaboration allowed us to have a lot more breakthroughs in creative insight and brainstorming when it came to designing the game,” said McKenna Adams, an executive member of DPAD studying both computer science and visual arts. “Ixa, Avrick and Vivek are all great at the programming and design aspects of game development, Carlos made some incredible dialogue and storylines and Claire and I had so much fun working on the assets.”

Like any creative endeavor, the process came with its challenges. The team behind OCEAN faced setbacks that forced them to refine the scope and direction of their project.

“Our game had—somewhat fittingly—several identity crises throughout its development, and to be honest, there were multiple points where after playtesting I just felt like it wouldn’t go anywhere,” said Ixa Sigler, a freshman studying computer science and sociology.

Ultimately, the persistence of Ixa and his teammates paid off. The OCEAN development team received the Judge’s Choice award, recognizing both their innovation and tenacity.

With the success of its inaugural year, the Triangle Game Jam has set a precedent for continued collaboration among North Carolina’s academic institutions. Plans for future iterations are already underway, aiming to expand student participation, deepen industry partnerships and further cement the Triangle as a hub for game design innovation.

“This is only the beginning and a great start to our collaboration,” shared Ernesto Escobar, Executive Director of the Master of Engineering in Game Design, Development & Innovation. “Next year, we hope to do it with more students, more mentors, more universities, more sponsors and more games.”