Nordic Game Jam is an annual game jam that happens in Copenhagen. It was started in 2006 by Gorm Lai and the Danish group of the International Game Developers Association. Jesper Juul from the IT University of Copenhagen and Henriette Moos from Diginet Øresund also helped create it. This event is one of the largest video game-related events in Denmark and among the biggest game jams worldwide. In 2016, 900 people took part. At the start of the event, participants receive a theme or set of rules. They then have about 40 hours to create a game based on those ideas. In 2009, Nordic Game Jam became the main game jam and inspired the Global Game Jam.

Participants

Participants in the Nordic Game Jam come from several Nordic countries and other places around the world. People with different skill levels and from various backgrounds are welcome, including game designers, programmers, sound designers, graphic artists, or those who want to learn how to create games.

Before the event starts, participants have time to meet and form teams, which helps them work with new people. After this, the theme and rules for the year are announced, and the countdown to the start of the jam begins.

Past events

The first Nordic Game Jam was held from January 27–29, 2006, at the IT University of Copenhagen. During the event, 40 participants created 8 games in 48 hours.

In February 2007, the number of participants doubled to 80, and a total of 12 games were created.

For 2008, the number of participants increased to 150, making it the largest game jam in the world at that time. A total of 19 games were made, including Dark Room Sex Game. The main theme was "Taboo," with three rules: games had to loop, use a controller, and be multiplayer.

In 2009, Nordic Game Jam became the main event for the Global Game Jam, which started that year. Susan Gold, chairman of the IGDA Education Special Interest Group, worked with Ian Schreiber and Gorm Lai to create game jams worldwide, using Nordic Game Jam as a model. Heather Kelley was the keynote speaker. A total of 157 participants made about 29 games.

In 2010, Peter Molyneux, the Creative Director at Microsoft Game Studios, was the keynote speaker and a member of the jury.

In 2011, Greg Costikyan was the keynote speaker.

In 2012, Manveer Heir, a Senior Designer at BioWare, gave the keynote speech. A total of 350 participants attended.

In 2013, the Nordic Game Jam moved to Aalborg University in Copenhagen and was held one week earlier than the Global Game Jam. This allowed participants to attend both events. The keynote speakers were Dennaton and Vlambeer. The winning game was Spaceship with a Mace by Nifflas. A total of 470 participants attended.

In 2014, the event returned to Aalborg University in Copenhagen. John Polson was the keynote speaker. A total of 570 participants created 110 games around the theme of privacy.

In 2015, Steve Swink was the keynote speaker. Over 700 people attended, and the theme was "Obvious." The winning game was called The Wuuuuuuu, which was played by shouting into a microphone.

In 2016, the event had over 900 participants and created 182 games. The theme was "Leak," and the keynote speech was given by Kevin Martens and Jesse MacCree from Blizzard. The winning game was Random Access Murder. The event was held at Aalborg University in Copenhagen, and the Award Ceremony took place at Imperial Cinema.

In 2017, the event moved to Docken in Copenhagen. From April 21–23, 700 participants created 144 games under the theme "Not there." The winning game was Baba Is You by Hempuli. Kelly Wallick, founder of Indie Megabooth, was the keynote speaker.

In 2018, the event moved to TAP1 in Copenhagen. From April 13–16, 700 participants created 86 games under the theme "Breaking Point." The winning game was ON-LINE by Peter Witt and others. Robin Hunicke was the keynote speaker.

In 2019, Heather Kelley was the keynote speaker again. The event was held at KADK (The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts Schools of Architecture, Design and Conservation) in Copenhagen.

In 2020, the event was scheduled to take place at KADK but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An online version was held instead during the original weekend.

In 2021, an online version of the event was held through the Nordic Game Jam Discord server.

In 2022, the event returned to Aalborg University in Copenhagen. Four hundred participants attended, creating games based on themes printed on paper flowers. A challenge to make physical-and-digital games using LEGO elements was included. There was no contest, voting, or winners. Alitt Khaliq from Unity Technologies was the keynote speaker.

In 2023, the event returned to Aalborg University in Copenhagen. Five hundred participants attended, creating 87 games. The total number of games created in the history of Nordic Game Jam passed 1,000. The LEGO challenge and no contest from the previous year continued. Osama Dorias from Blizzard Entertainment and Anita Sarkeesian were the keynote speakers.

In 2024, the event returned to Aalborg University in Copenhagen again. Five hundred participants attended, creating 96 games. The theme was based on the MDA Framework, with three subthemes: "Reflection" (Mechanic), "Keeping Secrets" (Dynamic), and "Sense of Belonging" (Aesthetic). Jammers could choose one or combine themes. Mark Brown from the YouTube channel Game Maker's Toolkit was the keynote speaker.

In 2025, the event returned to Aalborg University in Copenhagen. Over 500 participants attended, creating 108 games. The theme was "Eat vs Sleep," marking the 20th edition of Nordic Game Jam since its start in 2006. Asbjørn 'Brackeys' Thirslund was the keynote speaker.