Ghost Gaming Announces Build Together Game Jam
•February 12, 2026
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Why It Matters
The jam showcases how gaming can serve as a pipeline for diverse talent, blending technical training with cultural storytelling to strengthen the industry’s future workforce.
Key Takeaways
- •$12,000 prize pool across three award categories.
- •Event targets students, especially HBCU community.
- •Partnerships blend tech, humanities, and empowerment groups.
- •Unreal Editor for Fortnite recommended engine.
- •Multi‑day jam fosters storytelling and inclusive game development.
Pulse Analysis
Game jams have evolved from niche developer meet‑ups into strategic platforms for education and talent scouting. By compressing creation into a 48‑hour sprint, they force participants to prioritize core mechanics, narrative hooks, and rapid prototyping—skills directly transferable to commercial studios. Recent trends show universities and community groups leveraging these events to democratize access to game development, especially for underrepresented demographics, positioning gaming as a viable career pathway rather than a hobby.
"Build Together" amplifies this model by anchoring the jam in Atlanta’s vibrant tech‑creative ecosystem. Partnerships with Ghost Launchpad, Shine A Light Gaming, Georgia Humanities and the National Black Empowerment Council bring together industry veterans, cultural institutions, and advocacy groups. The inclusion of Spelman College’s HBCU Game Jam underscores a commitment to diversity, while the $12,000 prize pool—split among social impact, storytelling, and multiplayer categories—provides tangible incentives. Recommending Unreal Editor for Fortnite aligns participants with a widely used engine, lowering the learning curve for future professional work.
For the broader gaming industry, events like Build Together signal a shift toward socially conscious development and workforce diversification. Companies seeking authentic narratives and inclusive design are increasingly scouting talent from such community‑driven programs. Moreover, the collaboration between tech firms and humanities organizations highlights a growing recognition that compelling games require both technical prowess and cultural relevance. As more institutions adopt this hybrid approach, the pipeline of skilled, socially aware creators is set to expand, reshaping the market’s creative dynamics.
Ghost Gaming Announces Build Together Game Jam
Ghost Gaming announced Thursday the “Build Together: Gaming, Storytelling & Belonging,” a three-day, multi-location event taking place Feb. 20 – 22, in and around Atlanta, Georgia.
The goal of Build Together is to “bring students together across communities through storytelling and game creation, building both connection and technical skills,” according to the announcement.
The multi-day is being facilitated by Ghost Gaming, Ghost Launchpad, Shine A Light Gaming, and Georgia Humanities. Supporting partners include the National Black Empowerment Council, Technorganic, and the Georgia Game Developers Association.
Build Together will feature a number of activities including a panel discussion, ”hands-on” game development workshops, and a 48-hour Game Jam centered on the theme building together. The programming portion of the game jam will take place at Georgia State University and Spelman College in conjunction with Spelman’s HBCU Game Jam.
“Gaming is one of the most powerful storytelling platforms in the world, and when it’s inclusive, it becomes a place where people don’t just play together—they belong together,” said Todd Harris, CEO of Ghost Gaming. “Build Together is about bringing communities into the creative process, blending technology with the humanities, and showing the next generation of creators that their voices matter. When we build together, we create stronger games, stronger stories, and stronger communities.”
The goal of the event is to use the power of gaming to bring people together, provide skills and workforce development with partnered organizations, amplifying positive social impact through collaboration and storytelling with the local community, and encouraging participants to create original games through the 48-hour game jam.
It should be noted that the 48-hour Game Jam is offering some cash prizes—A $12,000 USD total prize pool will be awarded across multiple categories:
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Best “Build Together” Social Impact Theme: $4,000 total presented by Shine-A-Light Gaming.
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Best Storytelling: $4,000 total presented by Georgia Humanities.
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Best Online Multiplayer Experience: $4,000 total presented by Shine-A-Light Gaming.
While participants may use whatever engine they choose, Unreal Editor for Fortnite is recommended.
Registration is open now at Georgia State University CMII (open to anyone age 18+) and Spelman College HBCU (open to any student enrolled at HBCU).
If you aren’t familiar with it, Ghost Gaming is an Atlanta-based competitive gaming and lifestyle organization that operates rosters in Fortnite, Rocket League, Valorant, and Counter-Strike 2. It also focuses on community-based activities and initiatives that support local businesses, schools, and colleges and universities.
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