Welcome to the first CSD Game Jam!

This jam is all about making something fun, creative, and playable in a short amount of time. Whether you're a programmer, artist, designer, writer, musician, or complete beginner, you're welcome to join.

You can work solo or in a team, build around the jam theme, and submit your project before the deadline. Most importantly: have fun, experiment, and make something you're proud of.

Jam info

Start: 29/04/2026 11:00
End: 30/04/2026 15:00
Theme: Out of Place
Restriction: Retro Graphics
Results announced: 30/04/2026 19:00

Theme

Restriction

Retro Graphics

A celebration of retro 2D classics, where simple mechanics, pixel charm, and addictive gameplay come together to recreate the timeless magic of 90s and early 2000s arcade favorites.

Participation

This is a hybrid jam, so you can participate either:

- Onsite at the Computer Science Department, University of Crete

- Remote from anywhere

Onsite Event

Location: Computer Science Departpent, Univercity of Crete

Check-in: 29/04/2026 10:00

Onsite Schedule

29/04/2026

10:00: Check in

10:30: Welcome event

11:00 Beginning of the Jam and Theme Announcement

14:00 Break

20:00 End of Day 1

30/04/2026

11:00 Start of Day 2

14:00 Break

15:00 End of Jam and Closing of Submitions

16:00 Presentations

19:00 Result Announcement and Closing Event

(The above event program is subject to change)

Workshops

We will host workshops during the event to help participants get started, learn new skills, and improve their projects.

The workshops will take place at the University of Crete on the 21st of April 2026 between 11:00 and 16:00. 

12:00 - 12:15 Welcome

12:00 - 12:30 Talk by Manolis Kamarianakis Professor of the University

12:30 - 13:30 Tutorial: Intro to Gamedev

13:30 - 14:00 Showcase and Q&A | Gortyn Code Games

14:15 - 15:00 Tutorial: Arcweave

15:00 - 16:00 Board games for Finance - Günter Schmidt

Stands / Booths

The event will feature a booth from the Video Game Museum, along with playable game demos showcased by students from the university.

Presentations

More details about the presentations wil be provided soon.

Rules

1. Follow the theme and restriction. Your game should clearly relate to the announced theme and restrictions.

2. Make it during the jam. Core gameplay and main content should be created during the jam period.

3. Pre-made assets are allowed.

4. Team size: solo or teams of up to 5 people.

5. Keep it appropriate. No hateful, abusive, or explicitly offensive content.

6. Be honest. If you use external tools, assets, or code, mention them.

Submission requirements

Please include the following in your submission:

• Game title

• Playable build or playable browser version

• Short description of the game

• List of team members names

• Tools used

• Any external/pre-made assets used

• Controls/instructions for playing

If possible, browser-playable games are encouraged since they are easier for everyone to try.

Judging criteria

Example criteria:

• Theme – how well the game fits the theme

• Gameplay – how fun and interesting it is to play

• Creativity – originality of the idea and execution

• Presentation – visuals, audio, and polish

Community / Communication

If you have questions, updates, or want to find teammates, join our Discord server.

Prizes

1st Place: VR Headset by ORamaVR

2nd Place: Laptop by ORamaVR

3rd: Wireless Charger by ARMAOS

(Eligible for the prizes are only onsite competitors)

Judges

Manolis Varouchas, founder of the Video Game Museum in Heraklion

Manos Kalaitzoglou, co-founder and CEO of Arcweave

Konstantinos Apostolakis, founder of Gortyn Code Games

Michalis Karapiperakis and Spyros Neonakis, students in the Department of Computer Science and coordinators of the Ikarus team

Organizers

This Jam is organised by the Ikarus team, the Game Development team of the University of Crete, that is functioning under the ACM Student Chapter of the University of Crete.

Final note

This is the first CSD Game Jam, so the goal is to create something enjoyable and learn along the way. Don’t worry about making something huge. Small, clever, and complete games are always great.

Good luck, and have fun!

Ikarus Team - ACM UOC