Event Oveview

SOFEA Gameathon 2026 is a 5‑week game development event for those who've been wanting to try make their very first game and university students! There will be three optional beginner friendly workshops to help you learn game development to help you! This gameathon will be centered around a secret theme revealed at the opening ceremony, so you are invited to come!

Mission: Develop a fully playable digital game within 5 weeks—individually or in teams of up to 5—using any engine or framework.

Key Dates

• April 14, 2026 – Opening Ceremony + Workshop 1: Game Dev for Beginners
• April 21, 2026 – Workshop 2: Intro to Unity
• April 28, 2026 – Workshop 3: Pixel Art for Games
• May 23, 2026 – Showcase at UTMKL

Q: How do I make a game?

A: Lucky you! We have workshops lined up to teach basic game development and a discord ready so you can discuss with everyone

Q: Why is it 5 weeks and not the regular 48hrs or so?

A: We aim to help you create your first game that you can be proud of and also it's so that you have time to work on this whilst having other commitments like studies!

Q: What if i don't have enough team members?

A: Feel free to find some friends on our discord! Also its fine if your team count isn't maxxed out

Q: What's the final showcase?

A: We're inviting all participants to show off what they made to the community at UTMKL which is a great opportunity for your portfolio and to bring attention to what you made

Q: What if I can't make it to the opening ceremony?

A: That's okay! we will update our relevant channels to show the theme reveal as well.

There will be a judging panel but also community voting!

• Creativity – Originality of concept
• Enjoyment – Fun and engaging gameplay
• Artwork – Visual style and quality
• Bonus – Original (non‑AI)

• Open to all university students
• Teams up to 5 members
• Game must run on Windows PC (keyboard/mouse only)
• Original work only; pre‑existing assets must be credited
• AI permitted but non‑AI receives bonus marks
• Submit on itch.io with project description and screenshots