The GVSU Computing club continues to foster creativity, community, and experimental learning through events that bring students together beyond the classroom, most recently through its week long Game Jam from November 13-20.

The GVSU Computing Club is a student organization dedicated to helping students grow socially, academically, and professionally within the computing field. The club creates opportunities for students  to explore new technologies, connect with peers who share similar interests, network with industry professionals, and learn from faculty members who regularly visit meetings to share their research and professional experiences. Open to students of all experience levels, the Computing Club serves as a welcoming space for anyone interested in pursuing or exploring computing related careers.

The Game Jam is one of the club’s signature hands-on initiatives, designed to give students a creative, collaborative environment to apply their skills in a short, intensive timeframe. During the most recent Game Jam, nearly 30 students, ranging from first year students to seniors and transfer students participated, bringing a wide range of experience levels and perspectives to this event.

This year’s Game Jam centered around the theme “Collect,” challenging participants to design and build games that incorporated their concept in creative ways. Students were free to choose the tools and platforms that best suited their ideas, resulting in projects developed using technologies such as Unity, Roblox Studio, PyGame, Godot, and other game development frameworks. Over the course of the week, students collaborated through the Computing Club’s Discord server, sharing progress updates, troubleshooting challenges, and supporting one another throughout the development process.

In total, seven teams submitted completed games, with several additional groups presenting partial projects and prototypes. Rather than a competitive format, the Game Jam emphasized collaboration and celebration. The final presentation session highlighted the diversity and originality of the games created and provided students with the opportunity to showcase their work in a supportive environment.

According to the organizers, the Game Jam offers valuable learning opportunities that extend beyond traditional coursework. Students gain practice in managing cohesive projects under time constraints, collaborating effectively in teams, and presenting their work to an audience. Game development  also exposes participants to complex challenges in user interface design, graphics, and application logic skills that translate directly to a wide range of computing and software development careers.

The event was organized with support from the Computing Club’s executive board- Marcos Sanson, Darren Fife, Elijah Morgan, Diego de Jong, John Chikwe, Marcus Abad-Dominguez, and Tapanga Witt along with faculty support from Erik Fredericks, Austin Ferguson, and Ira Woodring. To further highlight student work, the club created a dedicated website to showcase the submitted games, providing participants with a public portfolio they can share beyond the event.

Students interested in getting involved with the GVSU Computing Club or participating in future Game Jams are encouraged to attend weekly meetings held every Wednesday from 6-7 p.m. in MAK A-1-105, join the club through Suitable, or connect through the club’s Discover server. Through events like the Game Jam, the Computing Club continues to build a vibrant, inclusive community where students can learn, create, and grow together.