A recent survey conducted by the International Game Developers Association found that Black people hold only 5% of jobs within the gaming industry. Spelman College hopes to change that by introducing emerging Black talent to the gaming sector through its third annual HBCU Game Jam. 

Hosted by Spelman’s Innovation Lab from March 28-30, 2025, the HBCU Game Jam is a weekend-long event that includes an overnight hackathon for students to expand their coding and video game development skills. For the first time since its start, the HBCU Game Jam will be planned entirely by Spelman students. 

Also new this year, the Game Jam will kick off on Friday, March 28, with the inaugural HBCU Game Jam Day Conference in the College’s brand-new Center for Innovation and the Arts building. The conference will feature workshops, seminars and an industry career fair for students to learn about game development. 

WHO:  

Spelman College Innovation Lab 

The Innovation Lab is a campus-wide resource for creative inquiry, unconventional research, experimental pedagogy, and exploratory play. The lab is a makerspace that engages the intersections of art, science, technology, and engineering.   

This year, the HBCU Game Jam is sponsored by Zynga, Microsoft, Unity, Boeing and CodeHouse.  

Jaycee Holmes, C’2016, is an assistant professor of interactive media at Spelman College and co-founder of CodeHouse, a nonprofit that prepares students of color for the technology industry. Holmes was recognized as a Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2023 and AFROTECH Future 50 in 2024.  

WHEN:

March 28, 2025 

Inaugural HBCU Game Jam Day Conference featuring workshops, seminars, and an industry career fair. 

March 29, 2025 

The Hackathon Begins! Students spend 24 hours in the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library building video games to compete for industry-sponsored prizes. 

March 30, 2025 

The Hackathon continues into Sunday morning. Students will then present their creations to the judges at the Game Jam Expo and receive their awards and prizes.  

WHERE: 

March 28 

Spelman College’s Mary Schmidt Campbell Center for Innovation and the Arts (Navigational Address: 440 Westview Drive Spelman Lane Atlanta, GA 30314).  

March 29-30 

Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library (Navigational Address: 111 James P Brawley Dr SW, Atlanta, GA 30314) 

RSVP:  

Media interested in covering HBCU Game Jam should RSVP here by emailing [email protected].