University of Tartu Pro Game Jam 2026

The University of Tartu Institute of Computer Science, CGVR Lab, and the Estonian National Museum came together to organize the University of Tartu Pro Game Jam 2026. This game jam was designed especially for professional and experienced game developers.

The event brought together over 100 participants, who formed 26 teams. Their shared goal was simple but demanding: create a fully playable game in less than 48 hours. It was both a challenge and a competition, pushing teams to work fast, think creatively, and collaborate under pressure.

Patterns Across an Intense Weekend

The theme of UT Pro Game Jam 2026 was PATTERNS. During the opening ceremony, Agnes Aljas spoke about the meaning and importance of patterns, especially from a cultural and historical perspective. Diana Fehr introduced the iGame platform, which participants were able to try out during the game jam. Teams were also given a special challenge: use something from a shared assets folder, created from museum collections. The idea behind the theme was deeper than visual design. Ethnographic patterns are not just decoration. They are systems that carry memory, identity, and ways of thinking. Long before modern code, people used patterns with rules, repetition, and variation to pass on knowledge. In game development terms, these patterns can be seen as algorithms from the past. They can shape game mechanics, progression, worldbuilding, AI behavior, visuals, or storytelling. Teams were invited to explore questions like:

Can a pattern be learned, broken, or changed?
What happens when cultural memory becomes part of a game system?
How can heritage be turned into play?

For this challenge, teams used patterns from the Estonian National Museum collections, giving traditional designs new digital meanings.

UT Pro Game Jam 2026 was an intense and inspiring weekend. It combined fast-paced game development with cultural heritage, showing how old patterns can find new life in modern games. The result was a diverse set of creative and playable games.

The Best Games

I PLACE – Patterns Please

by Liisa Leit, Ott Saar, Raigo Kõvask, Kevin Kelus, Aurelija Artsimovitsute

Patterns Please is a folk-inspired puzzle game about weaving meaning into Estonian national belts. Listen to people’s wishes and worries, combine symbolic patterns and colors, and craft belts that may guide their future – for better or worse.

II PLACE – Don’t Beat Carpets

by Semilla Tuberg, Veronika Kukk, Oskar Unn, Alo Ailt, Joseph Mattias Tomp

Don’t Beat Carpets is a quirky folk-inspired game built around small mini-games where you carefully tend, clean, and restore carpets. Play as a determined grandma juggling her new carpet-cleaning job and take care of the carpets.

III PLACE – Patternless Behavior

by Patrick Tiit Raal, Kaaren Tenson, Trevor Mäe, Anete Ainjärv, Eneli Tollimägi, Marten Peljo

Patternless Behaviour is a folkloric ritual-combat game inspired by Estonian traditions. Ancient artisans have hidden their mastery within living patterns, teaching only through trials. Face them in symbolic combat, unravel their designs, and prove yourself worthy to inherit their craft.