A Game Jam is a timed creative event where individuals or teams design and build a video game from scratch within a short period—in this case, twelve days (Sept. 17th – 29th, 2025). Participants brainstorm ideas, develop mechanics, create art and audio, and produce a playable prototype, all under one or more unifying theme(s)—up to the participants’ interpretations.

For the Dozen Days Game Jam, here were the event’s following themes:

Threshold
Fusion
Decay
Duality
Evolution

And here are the winners of the Dozen Days Game Jam:

WINNER – BEST GAME DESIGN: “Fatal Frame” by Shadow05Striker

WINNER – BEST THEME INTERPRETATION: “Clamber” by snugpigstudios

WINNER – BEST ART DIRECTION: “Watatsumi’s Ride” by griffy_tries, Tuccibro, Nyeloz, ISC500

Thank you to everyone who took part in the jam—your creativity, dedication, and teamwork made this event a success. Congratulations to all the winners and honorable mentions. If you’d like to explore the submitted games firsthand, you can play them here: https://itch.io/jam/dozen-days-game-jam/entries

ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

This article is in collaboration with The University of Oklahoma’s Esports & Co-Curricular Innovation program, its Crimson Collective Journal media outlet, and The Game Developer’s Association (GDA).

GDA is dedicated to educating Sooners about various aspects of game development engineering, game design, narrative, sound, and visual arts. We break down games in detailed analysis presentations and guide students in creating their own during Game Jam competitions.

If you’re curious about game development—or just want to connect with a vibrant community of creators—we’d love for you to join us. All the ways to find OU GDA are linked below.

Thank you for reading—we hope to see you soon!