College game development club hosts the third-largest game jam in Canada

Forty-eight hours of interaction, teamwork, game conception and development is what students can expect from Global Game Jam 2018.

Focused on game creation, the event happens on the same day around the world and it is co-ordinated by Global Game Jam Inc. an international non-profit corporation based in California.

Sabrina Page, the chair of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) club at George Brown College (GBC), said the the game jam in Toronto is the third largest in Canada and has been hosted by the club since 2015.

In 2017, there were more than 700 game jams in 95 countries.

“This is a fantastic way to meet other developers, find people you want to work with and possibly land yourself a job by impressing the industry’s leaders.” said Page.

Joseph Zettler, the former chair of IGDA at GBC, helped to organize the event last year and expects that around 300 of students from GBC, the University of Toronto, Sheridan College, and Ryerson University will attend the Global Game Jam in January.

“It’s a free event. Anyone is allowed to come, but most students come from game development, game design and other game programs,” said Zettler.

To bring the Global Game Jam to George Brown, the IGDA got help from the Student Association (SA) who is co-sponsoring the event. The SA also funds The Dialog.

SA clubs co-ordinator Russ Adade said that it’s very important to support these kind of initiatives.

“When the proposal came to us, we knew that it was something that we would definitely be on board with,” said Adade. “We like what this club is trying do in regards to this event. Trying to create a community when it comes to the development of games. It’s something that’s really a part of student culture.”

The Toronto Global Game Jam 2018 will happen from Jan. 26 to 28, at GBC’s St. James H building located at 341 King St. East.