HBCU Game Jam levels up Black creators

Students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the country came together at Spelman College for the fourth annual HBCU Game Jam, a 24-hour competition designed to do more than build video games.

The event brought together creativity, collaboration, and conversations about representation in an industry where Black voices are still underrepresented. More than 126 students registered for this year's Game Jam, with over 85 actively competing. Participants represented 10 HBCUs and worked in teams to create original video games from scratch many for the very first time.

According to organizers, more than 62 percent of student participants had never made a video game before. 

"This is the fourth annual HBCU Game Jam," said Trinity Royal, a Spelman College senior and co-chair of the event. "Students from different HBCUs such as Spelman College, Dillard, and Lane College, they're all here."

Teams developed storylines, coded gameplay, designed visuals, and pitched their finished products to judges. By the end of the competition, students produced 20 original video games. Organizers say the goal goes beyond competition. "The gaming industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry, but there's only about five percent of professionals that are Black," Royal said. "Our skin tone is not seen. Our hair texture is not seen."

Jaycee Holmes-Nguyen, creator of the HBCU Game Jam, says that lack of representation has real consequences.

"If we don't have Black designers, Black engineers, Black game developers, we're missing such a big part of our population's voice," Nguyen said. Volunteer instructors worked alongside students throughout the event, offering guidance and mentorship. 

Beth Nguyen, one of the instructors, says the transformation is powerful to watch. "Sixty percent of the students here have never created a game," she said. "And by the end, they have something to deliver." In addition to experience and exposure, students competed for prizes. A total of $10,000 in cash awards was distributed among the top teams.

Winners included:

• 1st Place: Famished — Howard University

• 2nd Place: Erika & Me — Alabama A&M University, Clark Atlanta University, and Spelman College

• 3rd Place: Lost Souls — Spelman College

Organizers say events like the HBCU Game Jam are about building pipelines and creating access, helping students see themselves not just as players, but as creators shaping the future of gaming. 

"At Spelman, the goal isn't just to play the game," Nguyen said. "It's to change who gets to build it."