Over 100 game developers, designers, artists and programmers traveled to DePaul’s Loop campus for the inaugural Junction Jam, a two-day game jam held earlier this month. Participants from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana and Illinois attended the Midwest US event, with many out-of-town attendees arriving in Chicago via Amtrak, reinforcing the event’s unique train-inspired theme.

DePaul students and alumni, as well as independent developers and game enthusiasts, arrived with heavy duty laptops, art supplies, and even transportable sound mixers to work on their games. Some chose to connect in teams while other daring developers challenged themselves to create games solo within the two-day period. Regardless of how they chose to participate, all who attended could be found sharing ideas, making new connections and swapping stories over their train commutes and marveling at the many train-based activities woven into the event.  

Led by CDM faculty Ross Hersemann and supported by his organizers, known as “engineers,” and volunteers, known as “conductors,” the team wore railroad hats and used train whistles and playful railway puns to make announcements and keep energy high throughout the weekend.   

"The technological revolution of the railroads brought this country together with Chicago at its heart," says Hersemann. "Junction Jam uses that legendary infrastructure to connect this generation of innovators so they can pioneer our next generation of groundbreaking technology and art."

Junction Jam has already created lasting ties in the Midwest game development community. The game jam was brought together in co-organization with DePaul University’s Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media (CDM), Global Game Jam, the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), the Nice Games Alliance, and Amber Waves of Games. Local organizations, including Indie City Games, also participated by tabling at the event and demonstrating their support for the Midwest game development community.  

Games created during Junction Jam are now available on itch.io. Many of the participants plan to showcase their projects at Midwest gaming conventions in the upcoming year, including the Chicago Indie Game Showcase, MDEV, GDEX, and the Midwest Gaming Classic, extending the impact of the event well beyond the jam weekend.

Recognized nationally for its game programs, CDM provided the perfect backdrop to the event. Junction Jam was a pilot for what Global Game Jam hopes to become an annual event, bringing regional game developers together to engage, create, and play.

To learn more about game programs offered a CDM, visit DePaul Games.