The second annual University of Aberdeen GameJam 2026 was a success with 13 student teams taking part
Sponsored by ABVentures, Common Profyt Games and SICSA, this year’s event was co-organised and co-sponsored by the Departments of Computing Science and History, led by Dr Miles Everett.
The theme for 2026 was ‘Traces of the Past’. Teams were challenged to create a game inspired by any historical period, event, or context of their choice. The only requirement was that each game had to be grounded in a historical source, such as a written record, a material object or building, or a visual artwork. Teams could consist of between one and four members.
The theme was announced on 21 January and participants had one week to develop their games. All 13 teams presented their games to a panel of five judges on 28 January, competing for four prizes, each carrying a £100 award:
- Best Adherence to Theme (Best Historical Game)
- Best Pitch/Demo
- Best Technical Implementation
Best Overall Game
Dr Miles Everett, lecturer at the Department of Computing Science, said: “Organising the GameJam has become a highlight of my year. Seeing the quality that students are able to produce, as well as the enjoyment that they get from the event, makes all of the hard work worth it. Growing from a small event held within the computing science department, to now collaborating with the School of DHPA, ABVentures and SICSA, the future of the GameJam is exciting. Next year the main goal will be to maintain the popularity in CS while also attracting more students from the wider university and externally.”
Professor Jackson Armstrong, Chair at the Department of History, said: "There was such a thoughtful mix of submissions by all the teams. The winners of the best adherence to theme, ‘Senet’ richly deserved their prize for their story-driven puzzle game navigating the Ancient Egyptian afterlife. Historical characters were in focus for the games about Ashoka the Great (304 – 232 BCE), and the Kazakh hero Er Zhanibek (1711–1792 CE).
"Historical groups inspired a number of submissions, like the women of Bletchley Park, and the records of those persecuted in the Scottish witch hunts. Other games were framed by episodes in the Wars of Independence. ‘Traces of the Art’ took this theme from a different angle, building a suite of three mini-games about aspects of visiting historical art and objects in galleries and museums in Aberdeen.
“Some of the most playful story and character elements came through in the Lascaux Cave, where the player-character (one of the boys who discovered the cave) are chased by the painted animals, come to life. Well done to all in taking on this challenge in such interesting ways.”
Dr William Hepburn, lecturer at the Department of History, said: "I was hugely impressed with what the teams were able to do with graphics and audio in their games. Every team had put thought into the presentation of their game. The winners in each of the categories stood out for their crafted visuals, such as the GBA-inspired pixel art of Senet, complementing its bespoke ambient soundtrack, and the PS1-era aesthetic of the brilliantly bizarre Bygone Bargains.
“The characters and music in Station X: Scrambled Files added playful accessibility to its Bletchley Park-inspired theme, while The Lascaux Cave brought art from the famous cave to life with a giant animal drawing chasing the player. Other highlights included a collection of mini games presented as framed pictures in Traces of the Past, and a pixel art world depicting the horrors of early modern witch-hunting in Witch One.”
Ijeoma Obiagwu, Enterprise Executive, ABVentures, said: "What really stood out for me at GameJam 2026 was how creatively teams made learning and exploring history exciting and entertaining through games. Participants designed interactive tools that brought the past to life, with real potential for commercialisation and for historical stories to reach new and diverse audiences.
“As one of the sponsors, ABVentures is delighted to support this event that so clearly demonstrated how games can be powerful tools for learning as well as entertainment. The level of creativity and ambition on display was particularly impressive given the intense one week timeframe of the competition. I thoroughly enjoyed the event and I'm already looking forward to GameJam 2027!”
Dr Aleksi Peltonen, lecturer at the Department of Computing Science, said: "The technical quality of the games was outstanding. Despite only having a week to design, develop, and test their games, all groups were able to produce fully functional, working prototypes, which we were able to play on the final day of the event.
“One thing I found particularly impressive, was that several groups had not only managed to complete their games in time but had designed them in a way that provided a clear path forward for future development and expansions. While judging the technical achievements of the games, we paid special attention to complexity and to good software engineering practices, which due to the overall high technical quality, made the task of rewarding a single game extremely difficult.”
Dr Rafael C. Cardoso, lecturer at the Department of Computing Science, added: "GameJams are not just about writing code, designing art, or building game mechanics. They are also about teamwork, creativity under pressure, problem-solving, and turning ideas into something real that is fun to play and engage with.
“The games spanned a wide range of genres, including puzzle, 2D platformers, shop simulators, typing, strategy, fishing, driving, and bullet-hell games. What impressed me most was that the teams did not just build technically sound games, but also playable, engaging, and fun ones. All 13 teams produced outstanding work, and they should be genuinely proud of what they achieved in such a short amount of time.”
The teams
The Lascaux Cave
(Best Overall Game Award)
The Lascaux Cave in France is an over 17,000 year old archaeological site full of prehistoric art. In our game the player moves through a 2D platformer, designed to mimic the art in the cave. Dialogue appears narrating the events of the discovery, the countless stories found inside, and the degradation of the art. Our aim was to bring the history lost to time in the Lascaux Cave back to life.
Konrad Rejmanowski (MEng Computing Science, 4th Year)
Oliwier Kaminski (MEng Computing Science, 4th Year)
Mario Damean (BSc Sports and Exercise Science, 3rd Year)
Bygone Bargains
(Best Technical Implementation Award)
Bygone Bargains sees you run a pawn shop where thieving time travellers bring historical artifacts and try to sell them. Your job is to use the tools at your disposal to determine whether the artifact is genuine or not to ensure maximum profits and achieve the most prestigious goal of all...employee of the month! The game focuses on humorous dialogue and storytelling to give the player a casual but fun experience. Our game is downloadable online at https://ugumoo.itch.io/bygone-bargains
Joshua Britain (BSc Computing Science, 4th Year)
Ben Greenidge (BSc Computing Science, 4th Year)
Izzy Beetschen (BSc Computing Science, 4th Year)
Alexander Miles (BSc Computing Science, 4th Year)
Station X: Scrambled Files
(Best Game Pitch Award)
Station X: Scrambled Files is our WWII inspired typing racer game where you step into the role of a codebreaker under pressure. Words rush across the screen and you must type them before time runs out, with limited lives and increasing speed. It’s fast, tense, and dynamic in the best way. We also included a searchable logbook of real historical terms, so you’re learning while you play. The result is challenging, thrilling, and addictive.
Chikayma Nnaji (BSc Computing Science, 3rd Year)
Crystal Atsegoh (BSc Computing Science, 3rd Year)
Adefolami Olawuyi (BSc Computing Science, 3rd Year)
Gillian Lartey (BSc Computing Science, 3rd Year)
Senet
(Best Historical Game Award)
Senet is a story-driven puzzle game inspired by the ancient Egyptian board game of the same name. Guide your soul through its perilous journey to the afterlife before it gets lost in the dark. Meet important characters from ancient Egyptian mythology as you solve a series of increasingly complex puzzles that will test your foresight and logic. Experience beautiful pixel art, engaging dialogue and ambient music in this retro dungeon crawler. Available for macOS, Windows and Linux at: https://poliiilop.itch.io/senet
Rebekah Leslie (BSc Computing Science, 4th Year)
Caitlin Thaeler (BSc Computing Science, 4th Year)
Fariha Ibnat (BSc Computing Science, 4th Year)
Holly Sinclair (BSc Computing Science, 4th Year)
Scottish War of Independence
The “Scottish War of Independence” is a 2D action-adventure game that recounts the key events leading up to the 1st Scottish War of Independence. Players control various historical figures as they fight enemies with swords and arrows while exploring stories and learning history from a different perspective. The goal of the game is to defeat opponents and progress through 5 levels, each separated by cutscenes that feature historical references and set the context for the next scene.
Tyler Miller (Master of Arts in History)
Chia Chen Wu (MSc in Information Technology)
Raoul Amisial (MSc in Information Technology)
Traces of the Art
The theme Traces of the Past inspired our game, Traces of the Art. Museums are rarely devoted to an individual artist, instead, they gather a collection of works that together form a lens through which we view history. We wanted to capture that same sense of emotion and collaboration. Each developer chose a single artwork that resonated with them personally, then built a game shaped by their own interpretation of that piece. The developers created a speedrunning platformer focused on the history of illegal rum importation within Scotland, a reimagining of Taxi based on a 1970's map of the University of Aberdeen, and a meditative fishing game based on a 1790's landscape of Aberdeen.
Ethan Burke (BSc Computing Science, 4th Year)
Oliver Japp (BSc Computing Science, 4th Year)
Ben Brown (BSc Computing Science, 4th Year)
Ilya Waywell (BSc Computing Science, 4th Year)
Flammendämmerung is a grand strategy game set in the Weimar era of Germany. Starting in the New Year of 1920, you play as the German government struggling to keep stability by balancing the national budget and a variety of different political factions. You make decisions through a live events system that lets you play through the historical timeline of inter-war Germany and explore the various decisions and pathways available to you.
Lazo Jelal (BSc Computing Science, 1st Year)
Witch One
Witch One is a history inspired detective game, set in the period of the Scottish Witch Trials. The player is a witch hunter tasked with uncovering witches in a Scottish village. By exploring the area and questioning the residents of the village, the player can collect clues and gossip about suspicious activity and use these to accuse villagers of being a witch. Is there a witch, we don't know, but people's lives are in your hands.
Alan Fleming (BSc Computing Science, 4th Year)
Rozy Markova (MA Computing Science, 3rd Year)
The Great Emu War
Created using Godot our game "The Great Emu War" was based on the event in Australia from 1932 of the same name. You play as "John Emu" in this top-down puzzle arcade game where your goal is to progress through each level after eating all of the wheat. The farmers and soldiers attempt to halt your progression and prevent you from winning the war. Complete all 5 levels and the war is yours.
Nathan Douglas (BSc Computing Science, 4th Year)
George Dick (BSc Computing Science, 4th Year)
Finlay Burr (BSc Computing Science, 4th Year)
Adam Ballantyne (MSci Computing Science with Industrial Placement, 4th year)
Traces of the Past: Colachel 1741
The game is based on the Battle of Colachel, a historically significant event where the Kingdom of Travancore in Kerala, Southwestern India defeated the Dutch East India Company during the inception of European Colonialism. It places the player in the role of a Travancore commander making strategic decisions under limited resources, uneven weaponry, and challenging terrain. Rather than rewriting history, the game demonstrates how geography, morale, and leadership contributed to the outcome of the battle. The historical trace at the core of the game comes from written VOC records, Travancore chronicles, and surviving fortifications in the region.
Dany Mathew (BSc Physics with Astrophysics, 1st Year)
If you are interested in being involved in future editions of the GameJam, please contact Dr Miles Everett.