The world's biggest gathering of games-makers is coming to Edinburgh

Edinburgh Napier will host the Edinburgh leg of Global Game Jam.

Whether you’re a budding coder, an entrepreneur hoping to launch the next worldwide sensation in gaming or just a keen enthusiast with the skills to compete, this is the event for you.

Hosted by the Games Technology Group within Edinburgh Napier’s School of Computing, the Edinburgh leg of the Global Game Jam will take place over 48-hours within its Merchiston campus from 25-27 January 2019.

The worldwide event is open to all developers, artists, sound designers, musicians, writers and others and is the biggest of its kind in the world.

Edinburgh Napier has hosted the event for a number of years and it sees creatives either work on their own or in teams to design and build a computer game over an intense 48-hour weekend.

Attendees will work in line with a secret theme, which will be revealed at the start of the event, with all items created having to be done so from scratch.

No pre-existing art or work is allowed to ensure that creativity is to the fore and following the friendly competition, a vote is held at the end of the weekend to determine the best game.

Last year, 110 people came together at the Edinburgh leg to produce 25 games. These were then taken and shown at various events including the Edinburgh Mini Maker Faire and the Games Are For Everyone expo.

Organiser Sam Serrels said: “It’s all in the name of fun, but for the students it is a great place to learn as they may find themselves working alongside experts from renowned games studios.

“Building a game in under 48 hours is a near-impossible task – all corners must be cut and it will stretch the skills and endurance of all the sleep-deprived teams. We’re looking forward to welcome the jammers to Merchiston.”

Edinburgh Napier offers a dedicated programme in Games Development that prepares students for the technical end of the exciting digital entertainment industry.

The city is also home to Rockstar North, the British video game developer behind the hugely successful Grand Theft Auto series of games and the recent hit Red Dead Redemption.

Computer gaming – which first emerged in the 1970s – is a global industry worth tens of billions of pounds a year.

Successful creators behind household name games have seen their lives change from working at home or in a cramped studio to banking millions in profits.

Scotland has a global reputation in gaming with some of the biggest success stories in the world being created in Edinburgh and Dundee and the Global Game Jam could be the first step on the way for new starts.

The Edinburgh leg of the Global Game Jam is free to enter and is open to students, professionals and hobbyists.

To register, visit https://bit.ly/edinggj.