Game Jams on Jiwe IO

The Jiwe Community Game Jams is the final celebration of a two-month journey exploring game development, creativity, and innovation across Africa. We’re bringing together 50+ developers for a hybrid 48-hour event designed to produce 25+ playable prototypes. This is more than a game jam—it’s an acceleration launchpad for Africa’s next generation of interactive experiences.

Format: Hybrid (Discord + physical hubs across Africa) - Nairobi, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa Goal: Build 50 high-quality game prototypes by end of 2025

Game Jam Themes: Music driven Games Hyper Casual Web Games Anti-Slavery Games

Prizes for winners includes incubation and cash prizes!

Event Schedule - Under Resources Tab

Friday Event Schedule

Theme: Bringing African Creativity to Life in Global Games Doors Open — 4:00 PM Kick off with early activities, meet-and-greets, and gaming zones.

Fireside Chat — 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM Special Guests: 🎙️ Estelle Mwangi – Valorant Music Creator 🎮 Eyram Tawia – Co-creator of Astra (Valorant), Leti Arts, Ghana Leads: James Ahere & Immaculate Session Format: 5:00 PM – Guest Talk 1 (30 min)

5:30 PM – Q&A Session (15 min)

5:45 PM – Break (10 min)

5:55 PM – Guest Talk 2 (30 min)

6:25 PM – Q&A Session (15 min)

6:40 PM – Final Remarks & Transition

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Highlights: Eyram will share the story behind Astra, the African Valorant agent.

Estelle will discusses composing music for Valorant and how she brought its sonic world to life.

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Pop-Up Cosplay Showcase — 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM Celebrate cosplay from African-themed games, especially: ✨ Riziki ✨ USAWA Showcase starts at 8:00 PM, but come early to catch the buildup, photos, and community hype! Rewards for the best dressed cosplayer will be available!

🤖 Workshop: How to use Unity AI tools in Games

📅 Thursday, 29 May 2025 🕖 7 PM – 8 PM EAT, 6 PM – 7 PM SAST, 5 PM – 6 PM WAT

📍 Hybrid Session – live on Discord & in-person at Santuri Salon, Basement, The Mall, Westlands, Nairobi Kenya

Join Manuel from Unity for a hands-on dive into Unity AI tools – Muse, Unity’s powerful suite of AI tools designed to supercharge your workflow creating games.

Whether you're a solo dev or part of a team, learn how to prototype faster, generate assets on the fly, and test gameplay ideas with AI assistance.

🎮 Workshop: Visual Game Design – A Hangman’s Perspective📅 Thursday, 22 May 2025 🕖 7 PM – 8 PM EAT 6 PM – 7 PM SAST 5 PM – 6 PM WAT📍 Hybrid Session – live on Discord & in-person at Santuri Salon, Basement, The Mall, Westlands, Nairobi KenyaSharpen your artistic edge and learn how the “hangman’s view” can transform the way you frame characters, craft suspense, and guide a player’s eye through a scene. Perfect for game developers, concept artists, level designers, and anyone curious about the storytelling power of visuals.We will explore:* Framing & composition tricks that hook players instantly* Using light, shadow, and negative space to build tension* Rapid blocking methods for cinematic level layouts* Possibly direct case studies from iconic titles

🎵 Workshop: Using Music to Animate 3D Environments
📅 Thursday, 15th May 2025 | 🕖 7 PM – 8 PM EAT
📍 Hybrid Session – Online (Discord) & In Person at Santuri Salon, The Mall, Westlands

Dive into the mesmerizing fusion of sound and visuals! Join us for an immersive workshop exploring how music can breathe life into 3D environments. Whether you're a game developer, animator, musician, or just passionate about interactive art, this session will unlock creative techniques to sync audio with dynamic 3D worlds.

🎶 What to expect:

• Techniques for procedural animation driven by music
• Tools & workflows for real-time audio-reactive environments

Don’t miss this chance to blend rhythm and motion bring your creativity and let’s animate the soundscape together!

🎮 Developer Talk: Hyper-Casual Games & Cross-Platform Publishing 📅 Thursday, 8th May 2025 | 🕖 7 PM – 8 PM EAT 📍 Hybrid Session – Online (Discord) & In Person at Santuri Salon, The Mall, Westlands

We're thrilled to invite you to a deep-dive session into the fast-paced world of hyper-casual games and the realities of cross-platform publishing!

Join us this Thursday for an exciting talk with Evans Kiragu, CEO of Mekan Games, as he unpacks what makes hyper-casual games click, how to scale across platforms, and the behind-the-scenes journey of “The President”, a chart-topping hit that made it into the Top 10 in 13 countries on Google Play!

Whether you're a game dev, designer, or just curious about the industry—this is your chance to learn, connect, and level up your game.

Don't miss this opportunity– bring your questions and curiosity!

We have an exciting event coming up this Thursday, 1st May! We have the Unity team joining us to discuss opportunities, the Unity Road Map and getting started with the Unity AI tools (Muse)!

Do not miss out on hearing directly from the Unity Team!!

🗓 Thursday, May 1st, 2025
🕖 7:30 PM EAT | ⏱ 1hr 📍 Online | Hosted by the Jiwe Game Jams Community Register now at: (https://jiwe.io/game-jams)

The developer talk will be led by Manuel Sainsily from Unity-- Artist, Futurist, and Unity Advocate, he talk about the opportunities and the Unity Roadmap as well as he showcasing Unity’s latest AI capabilities for game development. Discover how tools like Unity Muse can help you turn ideas into prototypes faster, making your development process smooth and efficient.

If you're passionate about the future of AI in games, you don't want to miss this!

🚗 Workshop: Developing AI-Driven Cars in Unreal Engine Presented by Ian Okinda

Join us for an exciting and immersive Unreal Technical Workshop where you'll learn how to build AI-driven cars and dynamic gameplay using Unreal Engine. This hands-on session is perfect for game developers and tech enthusiasts looking to enhance their skills in AI and game development.

🗓 Date: Thursday, 25th April 2025 🕖 Time: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM EAT 📍 Location: Hybrid – Join via Discord or in-person at Westlands The Mall, Basement, Santuri Salon

In this workshop, you’ll:

1. Hear about Ian's work on the games he has worked on

2. Explore the power of Unreal Engine for vehicle simulation

3. Get step-by-step guidance on implementing AI behaviors in vehicles

4. Engage on how to develop stunning matatu-style designs

5. Engage with an expert developer and network with the game dev community

This event is powered by Unreal Engine, the Nairobi Game Development Center, and Africa Comicade.

🎮 Workshop: Building Social Impact Games 🗓 Thursday, April 17, 2025
🕖 7:00 PM EAT | ⏱️ 1 hour 📍 Hybrid Event: Live on Discord and Physically location at Jiwe Studio at The Mall, Westlands 🎤 Hosted by the Jiwe Game Jams Community

Dive into the art of crafting games that drive change! This workshop focuses on designing meaningful narratives and amplifying community voices in game development. Learn from local innovators shaping impactful African stories through games like Death Valley, Taji, and HIRU.

Discover how culturally grounded design and social themes can turn gameplay into a powerful storytelling tool.

#Letsbuildgamesthatmatter #JiweGameJams #AfricanGaming #IndieDevAfrica #FolkloreInGames #GameDevCommunity #StorytellingThroughGames #JiweCommunity

🎮 Developer Talk: African Folklore in Games 🗓 Thursday, April 10, 2025 🕖 7:00 PM EAT | ⏱️ 1 hour 📍 Live on Jiwe’s Discord 🎤 Hosted by Wesley Kanyeria

Join us for an exciting Developer Talk featuring a panel of leading African game developers who are weaving rich folklore into interactive experiences. We’ll explore how oral traditions, ancestral myths, and local legends are being reimagined through games—why these stories matter, and how they come to life in code, art, and gameplay.

Panelists: 🇰🇪 Arnold Mwanjila (Kenya) – African Legends 🇿🇦 Khumo Moerane (South Africa) – Khamani and the Arena of the Gods 🇬🇭 Robertson Nortey (Ghana) – Sweave by Leti Arts

Expect case studies, storytelling insights, and a behind-the-scenes look at the creative and technical process of building folklore-based games.

Let’s build the future of African storytelling in games!