Join the Gwinnett County Public Library Learning Labs for our fifth all-ages Game Jam! 

This game jam is unranked and open to everyone worldwide. But if you live in Gwinnett County or the surrounding areas, you can enter to be featured with your work at our GameDev Showcase event on May 3rd at the Free Comic Book Day event in downtown Lawrenceville.

We will be giving out prizes to selected winners. To win, a representative must attend the GameDev Showcase at the DTL Conquest event to be eligible.

The official theme for the jam is Growth and Decay! What does that bring to mind? The beautiful cycle of nature, a thriving city slowly crumbling to dust, mechanics that build up only to break down, or something else entirely? There's no single "correct" way to interpret it, and we're excited to see how this theme inspires you to create. Good luck!

We are the Gwinnett County Public Library's Learning Labs. We are a community makerspace that provides the means to create, collaborate, and share digital content. If you are a videographer, graphic designer, creative professional, hobbyist or artist, the Learning Lab has the software and equipment to turn your vision into reality.

In the Learning Labs, you can create and share music, podcasts, video and photography content with our collection of audiovisual equipment. You can design digital and printable graphics for your business with our digital drawing tablets and the full Adobe Creative Suite. Make your cosplay dreams and product ideas a reality with our 3D printers, sewing machines, CNC machines and laser cutter. Your imagination is the architect in the Learning Labs.

1. Almost any game engine, tool, or game-making website is allowed. The exception is no AI-generated artwork. 
2. Your game must be SFW (safe-for-work). This is an all-ages jam, so avoid nudity, drug use, profanity, slurs, or extreme violence. We will remove any games we deem inappropriate.
3. Games must be made playable for the web only. 
4. Games must be free to play.
5. If you want the chance to be selected for our May 2nd Showcase at DTL CON-Quest at the Lawrenceville Arts Center, please fill out this form.

What ages can participate?

This is an all-ages Game Jam! To publish games on itch.io, you must be 18 years old (or have a parent or guardian publish it for you). More information on the itch.io Terms of Service is located here. If you have a child who wants to participate but doesn't know how to use an engine like Unity or Unreal, they can use the Scratch website and submit a link to their game through itch.io using a free tool like TurboWarp Packager.

Do I need to live in Gwinnett County, Georgia, or have a library card?

Absolutely not! One reason we chose to host on this website is so that anyone can participate!

What tools can I use?

You can use almost any tool available to you. No AI-generated artwork may be used. Entries from any engines will be accepted.

How do we know the winners?

While we consider everyone who made a game a winner, we will be awarding prizes to the top entries in various categories. We will announce the winners at our Game Jams Award Showcase on May 2nd, 2026 at DTL Con-Quest. Winners will also be notified and then listed on our pages. 

Who owns the game I created?

You will own all the rights to your game. If you consent and we select your game to be featured in a highlight reel or Showcase, all credits go to the creator(s).

Do you have any tips for entrants?

Yes, remember that you can upload your games to itch.io as you work on them to check for errors, such as resolution issues, and to ensure you know how to upload properly. 

Any other Questions?

If you have any other questions, please reach out to us at learninglabs@gwinnettpl.org. Good luck!