Berlin Students and Applicants Come Together for Games Jam
By MetStudios, Berlin
28 March 2025
On the first weekend of March, students and applicants in Berlin came together for their very first Games Jam. With the support of lecturers, they worked together to create new games and develop their growing portfolios.
Students at MetStudios in Berlin belong to the wider creative community of BIMM University, alongside BIMM Music Institute and MetFilm School. For this Game Jam, students from BIMM Music Institute also took part as active participants, contributing their specialist expertise in music and sound production to the projects.
Dr. Enrique Pérez, Head of School at MetStudios Berlin, organised the Games Jam alongside Games Design and Development Course Leader Mischa Wasmuth, and shared this recap of how the event unfolded.
A meeting of creative minds
Throughout the weekend, I was thrilled to see that everyone remained engaged and energised, clearly enjoying themselves. Not once did I sense a drop in motivation or mood, which was great to see! The participants were welcomed with open arms by the whole group, quickly coming out of their shells and becoming integral members of the games jam.
One applicant flew in from Latvia specifically to attend the event. She fully immersed herself in the experience and enjoyed getting to know current students and finding out more about their studies and life at BIMM University Berlin.
Transdisciplinary collaboration and skill exchange
The weekend was a fantastic showcase of transdisciplinary collaboration. The BIMM Music Institute students who joined the jam created some amazing audio assets for the projects, as well as contributing to the visuals. Our Games students greatly valued this cross-disciplinary input, appreciating resources that they don’t typically produce themselves. Observing students from these separate disciplines connecting reinforced the collaborative spirit that’s so integral to the BIMM University Berlin ethos.
Participants also had access to our high-spec digital drawing tablets and explored various techniques for creating 2D game visuals, using game engine technologies and generative tools to develop and code their projects.
Lecturer insights and inspiration
Students and applicants arrived at 10am on Saturday, beginning with introductory presentations from myself and our team of talented lecturers.
I shared my experiences in creating animated films, amusement park attractions, and board and mobile games for international markets. Mischa discussed his successful HUXLEY VR Escape Rooms project, which was fascinating for all of us to learn about.
Kerstin Schütt spoke about her journey launching her game, Duru, and founding a company with friends. She shared advice on overcoming setbacks, how she secured funding for her own enterprise, and her mentoring work for female developers.
Leo Appel showcased his game, Lose Ctrl, winner of Best Gameplay at Deutscher Computerspielpreis, and shared insights from his industry experience with his company, Play From Your Heart.
Embracing strengths and weaknesses
To kick off the weekend, we invited everyone to introduce themselves and talk about their gaming interests. Then, we went around the room sharing areas in which we each felt less confident. This wasn’t an activity about dwelling on our weaknesses, but to highlight the importance of teamwork – finding peers who complement your strengths and help you overcome your limitations.
I had initially suggested pairing participants with similar perceived weaknesses, but the students had their own ideas. They organically formed two harmonious groups, showing the natural teamwork and mutual support that we love to see here.
Tackling the theme of ‘Ageing’
We picked the theme ‘Ageing’ for the game jam, to align with this year’s A MAZE Festival’s online game jam. A MAZE Berlin is an international festival that celebrates indie and arthouse games, immersive media, and digital culture. It’s a great place for our students to network, gain inspiration and ideas, and learn from industry pros and creators, so our goal was to give our participants a head start on developing games that they could potentially submit to the festival.
Once we announced the theme, participants eagerly dived in. Current students shared their ongoing classwork and assisted applicants by demonstrating the skills and techniques they’d learnt on their course. This was brilliant for the applicants: they really got to see what skills they’ll be mastering once they start their degree with us while also getting ahead with developing those skills themselves in advance.
I was really impressed to see that the participants developed their games entirely from scratch. Though Mischa had prepared asset files, they all showed their independence and creativity by opting not to use these provided resources and doing it all themselves. Mischa and other lecturers were on hand to offer coding assistance, but we were pleased to see that most participants confidently navigated coding challenges independently.
Creative games and innovative ideas
By Sunday afternoon, following our final pizza break, each team proudly showcased their playable prototypes. Witnessing their ideas materialise into playable games was a real highlight for me and the other lecturers, as much as it no doubt was for the participants.
One of my favourite concepts involved a character laying eggs to create spawn points. Another explored the intriguing theme of Bryan Johnson’s fight against ageing, while a third game creatively depicted transitioning through different time periods.
Delicious food and relaxed atmosphere
Participants thoroughly enjoyed pizzas served both evenings, and the ice cream I provided on Sunday afternoon added a pleasant addition to the relaxed atmosphere. The informal yet focused environment certainly contributed to the overall positive experience.
A successful weekend
The game jam proved to be an extraordinary success – uniting students, applicants, and lecturers for a weekend filled with creativity, collaboration, and the spirit of innovation that’s core to the BIMM University Berlin and MetStudios experience.
