University of Tartu Game Jam 2025

University of Tartu Institute of Computer Science and the CGVR Lab organized another game jam titled University of Tartu Game Jam 2025. It had over 100 participants who formed 26 teams with a shared goal: to create a fully playable game in less than 48 hours. Designed especially for newcomers, the event offered a collaborative environment, making it an excellent introduction to game development.

By joining Ludum Dare 58, one of the world’s largest international game jams, participants also became part of the global game development community. The hybrid format allowed both on-site teams at the Delta Building and remote developers on Discord to take part seamlessly.

The Three Day Journey

The game jam brought together developers, artists, writers, and musicians to make their games. The event began on Friday (03.10) with an opening talk, setting the tone for an exciting experience ahead. The evening featured multiple insightful presentations. Agnes Neier opened with “The Quest for Story: Narrative in Games,” sharing valuable thoughts on how storytelling shapes the player experience. Raimond Hendrik Tunnel followed with “How to Make a ~~Metal~~ Video Game Band,” offering a lively look how the participants need the best team to create their games. The final talk of the day came from Aet Ella-Maria Hiedel, who spoke on “Level Up Your Skills (Not Just Your Game),” encouraging participants to use the jam as a chance for personal growth as well as creative expression.

After the talks, participants formed teams and began planning their projects. By early Saturday (04.10) night, all teams were ready and at 01:00, the theme Collector was revealed. From then on, the jam truly began. In the evening participants had also access to the Computer Graphics and Virtual Reality Lab. Timo Jairus held there a contest for the participants of his game Eleball and it was also possible to play Bootstrap Island. Throughout Saturday (04.10) and well into Sunday (05.10), teams worked tirelessly to turn their ideas into playable games, experimenting, coding, designing, and refining their creations.

On Sunday afternoon, submissions closed. Afterward, participants had the chance to play and vote for each other’s games. Before the game presentations, game streamer Marek Pihel entertained everyone by playing and commenting on several of the submitted games live. The weekend concluded with the award ceremony, where the three best teams were recognized for their outstanding work.

The event main focus was to grow creativity, learning, and community spirit. Every participant contributed to an atmosphere of enthusiasm and collaboration making this year’s game jam not only productive but also memorable.

The Best Games

One of our supporter Ruutu10 chose the game they thought was the funniest in the game jam which was Parmu Elu. However, the main winners of the jam were picked by the jammers themselves.

I PLACE – Hackerman: Return to the Mainframe

by Joseph Mattias Tomp, Kaur Samuel Kannel, Markus Männil

Hackerman: Return to the Mainframe is a fast-paced 2D retro action game where you dive into a neon cyberspace to recover stolen data files. Navigate through grids, dodge viruses, and outsmart firewalls as the legendary Hackerman. Collect files, avoid system traps, and restore order to the digital mainframe in this nostalgic pixel-art hacking adventure.

II PLACE – Organ Harvest

by Innar Raudsepp, Rasmus Lille, Adeliina Pärn, Jan Kristjan Kodasma, Arabella Matilda Ling

Organ Harvest is a darkly humorous 2D game where you collect, and combine organs in a chaotic biomedical lab. Use quick reflexes and precision to harvest organs from specimens.

III PLACE – Vacuumy

by Oskar Unn, Robyn Tomson, Otto-Cristofer Vanasaun, Diana Keller, Nadiia Frei, Dmytro Oshmarin

Vacuumy is a 3D cleaning simulation game where you play as a diligent dust collector on a mission to tidy up a cluttered apartment. Race against time as you navigate around furniture, sucking up dust, crumbs, and debris. Plan your route carefully — let the mess pile up in the corners, and you’ll risk running out of time!