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Earlier in the Spring 2025 semester, students from ��򽴫ý��򽴫ý�s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems joined forces with peers from Parsons School of Design for an unforgettable game jam experience themed around scientific phenomena. The two-day event, named ��򽴫ý�Phenomenal,��򽴫ý� was run by Seidenberg��򽴫ý�s Game Development program Director Carmine Guida and Brad MacDonald from Parsons. They challenged 24 student developers and designers to create arcade-style games that explored the wonders of science��򽴫ý�while also fostering meaningful cross-campus collaboration.

The game jam kicked off on Saturday at Parsons, where students from both schools met for the first time. Icebreakers and introductions laid the groundwork for interdisciplinary collaboration. ��򽴫ý formed small teams of three to four participants, blending talents from both institutions.

��򽴫ý�While many of the students at both schools can do code and art, our students mostly focused on coding while the Parsons students focused on design,��򽴫ý� said Carmine Guida.

��򽴫ý made their own art and even music for these projects.

On Sunday, the event moved to ��򽴫ý��򽴫ý�s New York City Campus. As teams dove into development, using the ��򽴫ý�Phenomenal��򽴫ý� theme as inspiration to bring scientific ideas to life through gameplay, the students worked to transform their ideas into creative yet functional, playable games.

��򽴫ý�The students really got into the developing of their games and we started to see prototypes emerge,��򽴫ý� Guida noted. ��򽴫ý�By the end of the day, the students had completed games which can be seen on itch.io.��򽴫ý� And you can give these games a try yourself at the link below!

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In line with the jam��򽴫ý�s arcade-style directive, all projects were designed to be playable on a custom arcade machine located in the Design Factory space on the ninth floor of 15 Beekman. Some of the completed games are already featured on the machine��򽴫ý�and can be played by anyone who wants to try them out!

What made ��򽴫ý�Phenomenal��򽴫ý� particularly special was not just the quality of the work produced, but the spirit of collaboration it cultivated. According to Dr. Guida, the event surpassed all expectations. ��򽴫ý�This event was even better than expected!��򽴫ý� he said.

Everyone worked so well together. They were great at dividing up the work and everyone was constantly working and doing things.

Perhaps even more exciting is what��򽴫ý�s coming next. ��򽴫ý�These kids are staying in touch with each other and want to do more collaborations,��򽴫ý� Guida added.

Events like ��򽴫ý�Phenomenal��򽴫ý� show how powerful experiential learning can be when paired with curiosity, creativity, and community. By stepping out of their comfort zones and collaborating across disciplines, students didn��򽴫ý�t just build games��򽴫ý�they built lasting connections and new ways of thinking. And for many of them, this jam was just the beginning.