Welcome to MED1 GameJam 2026!

Theme: The Elephant, the Hyena and !Kare

Create a game inspired by the San story “The Elephant, the Hyena and !Kare”, told by !Amace.

Explore the story and reference materials on Moodle, and do some research into the San people. Approach the story and its cultural context with care and respect.

The challenge

Your players may be unfamiliar with conventional game controls. How can you help them understand what to do without using text?

Use visual cues, animation, interaction, and opportunities to learn by playing.

Your game must:

• Interpret the story and theme respectfully.
• Be a side-scroller.
• Use an 8-bit / pixel-art visual style.
• Contain no text.
• Use no AI-generated graphics.
• Include at least one level with a clear start and goal.

What to submit

Upload the following to your team’s itch.io game page and submit the game to this jam by Friday at 12:00:

1. Windows build: A ZIP containing the complete playable build.
2. Gameplay video: An MP4 screen recording. Narration is not required.
3. Presentation slides: Your PowerPoint presentation. Visuals are encouraged!
4. Graphics assets: A ZIP containing your graphics assets.

Test your downloaded build before the deadline and label your files clearly.

Judging and awards

The judges will assess your games on:

• Interpretation of Theme
• Aesthetics
• Game Dynamics

Two awards will be presented: Industry’s Choice and People’s Choice.

Play the other teams’ games and take part in the People’s Choice voting!

Friday’s programme

• 12:00: Submission deadline.
• 12:30: Presentations to the judges and audience — 10 minutes per team.
• 13:30: Judges deliberate; teams play and rate each other’s games.
• 14:00: Award session.
• 15:00: Game jam ends.

Location: Room 5.145a.

Resources and support

Find the story, reference images, and supporting materials on the MED1 Moodle page.

Niko is the teaching assistant and can be reached on Teams, but will not be in the room throughout the week. Ask Kasper about the story and its cultural context.

Remember to take photos during the week and upload them to the shared folder on Moodle!