Shift Game Jam · 17–18 October 2026
Frequently asked
questions
Six sets of questions, one for each group involved in the Game Jam. If you are coming to build a game, start with Participants. The rest are here for the people around you.
Participants
Coming to build a game
Q1 Who can participate?
Shift Game Jam is a game development event in Abu Dhabi, open to university students and recent graduates who graduated within the past 12 months.
You do not need to be studying game development. Programmers, artists, designers, writers and audio people all have a place on a jam team.
Q2 Do I need game development experience?
No. Beginners are welcome, and Unity experts and mentors will be available during the event.
You can take part while still developing your skills. If you are new to Unity, there is a free Unity crash course ahead of the Game Jam, with its own registration - places are limited.
Q3 How do I register, and is my place confirmed straight away?
Registration for the October Game Jam is open now on the official Luma page, and it is free.
Places are limited to 50 participants, so it is worth registering early. One registration covers both days.
Luma confirms your place as soon as you register. We email your joining details, including timings and the exact hall, before the event.
Q4 Do I need to have a team?
No. You can register individually or as part of a team.
If you attend independently, the organisers will help connect you with other participants so you can form a team at the event.
Teams can include up to eight participants.
Q5 Can I start my game before the event?
No. Your game must be created during the official Game Jam period.
You may use pre-made assets where they are free to use or legally owned or licensed by your team.
Q6 Can I use third-party assets, existing code or AI tools?
Pre-made assets, libraries and code are allowed where they are free to use, or legally owned or licensed by your team. What you may not do is arrive with the game itself already under way. See the answer above.
Keep a note of what you used and where it came from. Unlicensed material puts your entry at risk, and the judges may ask.
You can use AI tools as part of your workflow. You are responsible for the rights to everything you ship, and you should list anything AI-generated in your submission notes.
Q7 When will the theme be announced?
The theme will be revealed at the opening session on Day 1.
Everyone receives the theme at the same time, and your final game must respond to it.
Q8 What do I need to bring?
Please bring:
- Your laptop
- Laptop charger
- Any required adapters
- Any software or development tools you plan to use
Power and internet access will be provided at the venue.
Q9 What will I build?
Your team will create an original playable game using the Unity engine, based on the theme announced at the start of the Game Jam.
Q10 Where do I submit my game?
You build in the Unity engine, on your own laptop, using whichever development tools you prefer.
Every game is submitted through the official Shift Game Jam itch.io jam page, which is open now. Your build must be uploaded there before the deadline announced during the weekend.
Further details will be shared with participants ahead of and during the event. Late submissions are not eligible for judging.
Q11 How will games be judged?
Games will be evaluated on:
- Creativity and innovation
- Interpretation of the theme
- Gameplay and mechanics
- Art direction
- Overall presentation
All five carry equal weight. A clear idea, finished and running, will beat a bigger one that does not.
Q12 Will I get feedback, and how would I know if my entry was disqualified?
Every submission is played and scored by the judging panel, and every team presents its game to the panel on Day 2. That session is where the judges respond to what you built.
If there is a problem with your entry, we raise it with your team directly and hear your response before anything is decided. You will not find out from the stage.
Q13 What prizes are there, and when are winners announced?
Winners are chosen by the judging panel against the criteria above, and announced at the awards ceremony that closes Day 2. Nobody waits for a result after the weekend.
Prize details will be announced here once confirmed.
Q14 Who owns the game we create?
Your team retains ownership of the intellectual property in your game.
By participating, you grant Abu Dhabi Gaming and Unity permission to showcase your submission and related materials for promotional and educational purposes.
Q15 What happens to my personal data, and what if I am under 18?
The details you give when registering are used to run the Game Jam: to confirm your place, contact you about the weekend and organise teams on the day.
Shift Game Jam is open to university students and recent graduates, so participants are normally 18 or over. If you are under 18 and otherwise eligible, contact the organisers before you register: written consent from a parent or guardian is required, and that includes consent for photography and filming at the event.
Your details are held by Abu Dhabi Gaming. They are not sold, and they are not shared with partners or sponsors. You can ask us to remove them at any time at Hello@adgaming.ae.
Q16 What is expected of participants, and how do I raise a concern?
Treat every participant, mentor, judge and organiser with respect. Harassment, discrimination and disruptive behaviour are not tolerated and will lead to removal from the event.
Registering means you have read and agree to abide by these guidelines and the answers above. The organisers reserve the right to make final decisions on all matters related to the event.
If something happens at the Game Jam that you are not comfortable with, speak to any Abu Dhabi Gaming organiser on the floor. They are there for exactly this. You can also email Hello@adgaming.ae, during the event or after it, about anyone present, including a mentor, a judge or an organiser.
Q17 Are there content restrictions?
Yes. Games must not contain:
- Sexual content
- Excessive violence
- Discriminatory or hateful material
Submissions that breach the Game Jam guidelines may be disqualified.
Q18 What do I need to know about the venue?
The October Game Jam runs at Abu Dhabi University across 17–18 October 2026. Doors and check-in open before the Day 1 opening session at 9:00 AM GST. Bring photo ID and your registration confirmation.
Power and internet access are provided at the venue. Bring your own laptop, charger and adapters.
Your joining email covers the exact building and hall, parking, catering and the number to call on the day. If you have an accessibility requirement, tell us in advance at Hello@adgaming.ae so we can arrange it with the venue.
Q19 Do I need to attend both days?
Yes. One registration covers both days, and both are part of the same event: the theme is revealed at the Day 1 opening session, and games are submitted, presented and judged on Day 2.
Both days start at 9:00 AM GST. Finishing times are being confirmed and will be published here and on the landing page before the event; your joining email will carry the full run of show.
You are not expected to stay overnight. If something comes up during the weekend, tell your team and the organisers at Hello@adgaming.ae.
Q20 What if I can't attend in October?
Shift Game Jam will return in November 2026.
Details of future Shift Game Jam events will be announced here.
Mentors and judges
Working the floor, or the panel
Q1 What is expected of a mentor, and what should a mentor not do?
Mentors work the floor across both days. They are there for a technical blocker, a second opinion on scope, a Unity question, and the judgement call a team of students has not had to make before.
What a mentor does not do is build the game. That means no writing or pasting code into a team's project, no making design decisions on their behalf, and no working on a submission. Every entry is judged as the team's own work, and it has to be.
Mentoring and judging are separate roles. A mentor who has worked closely with a team should say so rather than score it.
Q2 How are mentors matched to teams, and how do teams reach them?
Mentors are not assigned to a team. They circulate across the jam floor throughout both days, and any team can ask any mentor. Day 2 also sets aside dedicated mentor check-ins before the final build stretch.
If your team needs a particular skill, ask any organiser and they will point you to the right mentor.
Q3 What are the judging criteria and weighting, and how long does each team present for?
The published criteria are creativity and innovation, interpretation of the theme, gameplay and mechanics, art direction, and overall presentation. Teams present their games to the panel on Day 2, after the submission deadline and before the awards ceremony.
All five criteria carry equal weight. The running order and the length of each slot are confirmed on the day, once the number of submissions is known.
Q4 How are scores approved, conflicts of interest declared, and ties broken?
Judges score every submission against the published criteria, and the panel agrees the results together before the awards ceremony.
A judge with a connection to a team does not score that team. Where two entries tie, the panel decides on interpretation of the theme.
Q5 Do judges give written feedback, and how are disqualifications handled?
Judges provide verbal feedback directly to teams during the Day 2 presentation session rather than issuing individual written reports. As for disqualifications, the published content restrictions are the grounds participants have been given: no sexual content, no excessive violence, no discriminatory or hateful material, and a game that was not built during the jam. Submissions that breach the Game Jam guidelines may be disqualified.
Where a submission may breach the guidelines, the organisers raise it with the team and hear their response before anything is decided. That happens before the ceremony, not on the stage.
Q6 What is the check-in process on the day, and who is my point of contact?
Abu Dhabi Gaming coordinates mentors and judges for the Game Jam. Hello@adgaming.ae reaches the organising team and is the address to use for anything before the event.
We email your arrival time, where to check in, the briefing schedule and a contact number for the weekend before the event.
Guests and visitors
Coming to watch
Q1 Which parts of the event can guests attend?
The jam floor is a working space reserved for registered participants, mentors, judges and organisers. The awards ceremony that closes Day 2 is the part of the weekend built for an audience.
Guest places at the ceremony are available on request. Email Hello@adgaming.ae to ask for one. Capacity is limited, so ask early.
Q2 Where do I check in, and what about parking and accessibility?
The Game Jam runs at Abu Dhabi University on 17–18 October 2026. Everyone entering the event signs in, guests included.
Bring photo ID. There is visitor parking on campus, and we send the exact building and entrance when your place is confirmed. If you have an accessibility requirement, tell us in advance at Hello@adgaming.ae.
Q3 Can guests take photographs, and what conduct is expected?
Personal photographs in the public areas of the event are fine. What is not fine is filming or photographing a team's screens, notes or work in progress without asking them first. That is unreleased work, and some of it is being shown to judges for the first time.
Ask before photographing anyone, and stop if asked to. The jam floor is a working space: keep the aisles clear and let teams work.
Guests are held to the same conduct standard as participants: respect for everyone present, and no harassment, discrimination or disruptive behaviour. Filming for publication or broadcast is a media request, not a guest one. See the Media questions below.
Media
Covering the Game Jam
Q1 Who speaks for the event, and how do I request access or an interview?
Abu Dhabi Gaming speaks for Shift Game Jam, with Unity on anything covering the partnership or the engine. Participants, mentors and judges speak for themselves and are under no obligation to give an interview.
Send media requests to Hello@adgaming.ae, including what you are covering, who you would like to speak to and what you intend to film.
Ask at least a week ahead. Floor access is arranged in advance and escorted, and you are given an on-site contact when your request is confirmed.
Q2 What can be filmed, and how is participant consent handled?
The opening session, general views of the jam floor, the final presentations and the awards ceremony are the parts of the weekend intended to be covered, with an organiser accompanying the crew.
A team's screens and work in progress are not. An unfinished build is unreleased work, and it is filmed only with that team's agreement.
Participants agree at registration that Abu Dhabi Gaming and Unity may photograph and film the event for promotional and educational use. Anyone who would rather not appear can tell us at check-in, and crews are briefed to respect that. Anyone under 18 is filmed only where written consent from a parent or guardian has been given in advance.
Q3 What are the branding rules, and is the theme embargoed?
The theme is embargoed until it is announced at the Day 1 opening session. It is not published anywhere before that moment, and it must not be reported before it. If you are working with footage or images taken before the announcement, check them for a theme reference on screen before you publish.
The event is Shift Game Jam, hosted by Abu Dhabi Gaming in partnership with Unity. Abu Dhabi Gaming is named first in the partnership, in copy and in any logo lockup.
The media pack and approved logo files are issued with your accreditation. Request them from Hello@adgaming.ae.
Q4 Who approves press releases and public content?
Abu Dhabi Gaming approves public content about Shift Game Jam, with Unity signing off anything that describes the partnership, the engine or the crash course.
Send drafts, releases and anything carrying either organisation's name or marks to Hello@adgaming.ae before publication.
Partners and sponsors
Backing the Game Jam
Q1 What sponsorship tiers and benefits are available?
Shift Game Jam is hosted by Abu Dhabi Gaming in partnership with Unity, and runs across October and November 2026.
Sponsorship is arranged directly with each partner rather than sold from a rate card, so it can be built around what you want from the Game Jam. Ask us for the partnership pack at Hello@adgaming.ae.
Q2 What branding guidelines and deadlines apply to partners?
Supply logos as vector files with a clear-space rule and a single-colour version. Abu Dhabi Gaming is named first in every partnership lockup and in copy, and public content carrying either organisation's marks is approved before publication.
Deadlines are set against the event date, not the announcement. Assets that arrive after signage and the site are built cannot be carried. Your agreement carries the exact dates.
Q3 Can partners nominate mentors or judges, or provide prizes?
Yes to both, by arrangement. Nominations for the mentor and judging panel are welcome and are reviewed by the organisers, who confirm the final panel. A nomination is not an appointment, and anyone judging declares a connection to a team rather than scoring it.
Prizes and equipment are coordinated in advance so they can be announced with the rest of the prize pool rather than added on the day. Start that conversation early, at Hello@adgaming.ae.
Q4 What access do partners have, and what is reported afterwards?
Partner representatives attend as guests, with the same rules: the jam floor is a working space, an organiser accompanies visits to it, and teams' work in progress is not filmed or photographed without their agreement.
Participants' personal details are not shared with partners or sponsors. People register for a game jam, not for a mailing list. Anything a partner wants to offer participants goes out through the organisers.
Every partner receives a report after the event: attendance, submissions, the winning games and how the Game Jam was covered.
Q5 Who is the point of contact for partner coordination?
Abu Dhabi Gaming coordinates partners and sponsors for Shift Game Jam. Hello@adgaming.ae is the address for every partnership enquiry.
You are given a named contact once a partnership is agreed.
Hosts and the operations team
Running the weekend
Q1 Who owns which responsibilities, and who decides on the day?
Abu Dhabi Gaming hosts Shift Game Jam and owns the event: registration, the participant experience, the judging process, communications and the final say on the day.
Unity is the delivery partner for everything technical: the crash course before the jam, expert sessions and engine support on the floor, and mentors.
The venue owns the space itself: facilities, power, network, site safety and evacuation.
Decisions on the day sit with the Abu Dhabi Gaming event lead, who is named to the delivery team in the operations briefing.
Q2 What is the escalation path if something goes wrong?
Anything that happens during the Game Jam goes first to the Abu Dhabi Gaming organisers on the floor, who hold the decision on the day and escalate from there. Participant concerns and conduct issues can also go to Hello@adgaming.ae at any time.
A medical or safety emergency goes to venue staff and the emergency services first, and to the organisers immediately after.
The full escalation plan, the on-call numbers and the contingency plans are issued to the delivery team before the event. They are not published here.
Q3 What briefings and close-out documentation are required?
Staff, volunteers, mentors and judges are briefed before doors open on Day 1, and the weekend closes with a written report: attendance, submissions, what happened and what to change next time. October is the first of at least two editions, so the close-out feeds straight into November.
Briefing times and the close-out template are issued to the delivery team with the operations pack.
Still not answered?
Email us at Hello@adgaming.ae and we will answer you directly.