Register for Game Jam
BUILD A GAME

UAE Game Makers Competition

In May 2024, Endless Studios, Tawazun, and Space 42 launch the UAE Game Makers Competition, celebrating local talent with bi-annual winners, focusing on UAE's cultural heritage.

Why Join this Competition?

Key Features

Teamwork

Join as a team, with friends or peers, and create your Game with like-minded people. Build together and make magic happen!

Game Industry Leaders

Endless studios prides itself in bringing together some of the game industry's best. Get feedback and work closely with incredible leaders with backgrounds from Ubisoft and Activision.

Unlock your skills

Creativity, Art, Storytelling, Coding, and Project Management are just some of the exciting skills you'll develop as you work with our team, and your peers, throughout the competition.

Prize Pool

100K AED

Entry

Free

for UAE youth aged 17-27

Duration

May 2024

May 2025

ENROLLMENT FOR

1,000

students & developers

Join Competition

The Competition

Emirati Cuisine Quest
Create a game where players embark on a culinary adventure to discover and prepare traditional Emirati dishes. Gathering ingredients, following recipes, and competing in cooking challenges, providing a fun and interactive game to learn about Emirati cuisines.
UAE Landmarks
Create a game driven by famous UAE Landmarks where players solve puzzles, mini-games and trivia-like challenges while learning about inspiring historical and cultural sites.
Heritage Crafts
Create a simulation game teaching traditional Emirati crafts such as weaving, pottery, or Sadu weaving. Take it further and allow Players to sell their creations in a virtual marketplace or showcase them in an online gallery, promoting the preservation of these traditional crafts.
Pearl Diving
Deep routed in the UAE's heritage, pearl diving is central to the country's journey. Create an underwater adventure where Players dive, collect pearls, avoid hazards, and uncover hidden treasures, all while learning about the history of pearl diving in the UAE.
Falconry Flight
Bring the thrill of falconry into gaming and get players to train and fly virtual falcons. Competing in races, hunting prey, or participating in falconry exhibitions, highlighting this prestigious and ancient sport.
Arabic Calligraphy
Teaching players about the incredible world of Arabic calligraphy. Create an experience involving the art, techniques and history through writing in various calligraphic styles.
Emirates Lunar Mission
Space exploration and the Emirates Lunar Mission has become integral to the incredible adventure, science and technological ambitions of the UAE. Create a game with interactive play focused on the astronauts’ exploration, tasks, and objectives on the moon.
UAE’s AI Vision
Build a game that showcases the potential of AI in the UAE. Encourage participants to develop a game focusing on perfecting customer services in the UAE using AI, aligning with UAE’s AI Vision 2031.
Abu Dhabi 2030 Imagination
Choose one aspect of the UAE capital and envision how it will be in 2030. Develop a game that utilizes this aspect with engaging gameplay, encouraging players to imagine the future development of Abu Dhabi based on its current plans and aspirations.

Our Activities

Launchpads

Learn basics in design competency, project management, and production pipeline understanding. With focuses on Art, Programming...

Game Jams

The Mini Game Jam is designed specifically for students to unleash their creativity and technical skills by building games on the...

Tech Sessions

Technical Sessions are designed to provide students with focused and guided learning opportunities in key areas of game development.

Mini Game Jam

The Mini Game Jam is designed specifically for students to unleash their creativity and technical skills by building games on the Endstar platform.

Game Criticus

The Game Criticus is a focused workshop where students are guided by an experienced game designer to choose a game, deconstruct it, and...

Our Partners

Tawazun Council is an independent government entity that works closely with the Ministry of Defense and security agencies in the UAE.


Space42 (ADX: SPACE42) is a UAE-based AI-powered SpaceTech company that integrates satellite communications, geospatial analytics and artificial intelligence capabilities to enlighten the Earth from space.

Empowering a Generation of Game Changers

Unleashing Creativity & Building 21st Century Skills

Registration Launch

May 15, 2024

Join Competition

At Pixoul Abu Dhabi

5th to 7th October

Register for Game Jam

Awards Categories


1

High School

Student Team

This category is for teams of high school students. It recognizes the collaborative efforts and creativity of younger students working together on game development projects..
Student Solo

This category is for individual high school students who develop games on their own. It highlights the skills and creativity of solo developers at the high school level. utilize it in their game creation.
2

College/University

Student Team

Teams of college or university students compete in this category. It's designed to showcase the advanced technical and creative abilities of higher education students working collaboratively.
Student Solo

Individual college or university students participate in this category, allowing them to demonstrate their personal capability in game design and development action.
3

Indie Team

Indie Team

This category is for independent developer teams not associated with educational institutions. It encourages small studios and independent groups to showcase their innovative game development skills.
Indie Solo

Solo independent developers enter this category. It's aimed at individuals working outside the academic framework, highlighting their creativity and individual talents in game development.
4

Endstar

Endstar Category

This unique category is for individuals or teams that use Endstar to create their games. It focuses on the innovative use of specific development tools provided by Endless Studios, promoting both the tool and the developers who best utilize it in their game creation.
Register for Free now
ionicons-v5-e

Frequently Asked Questions

You must be a student currently enrolled in a high school or university in the UAE, or a recent graduate, to participate. This competition is open to everyone aged 15-27.

Yes, many students who participated in our programs had never created a game before. Now, with the support of Endless Studios, they are developing games.

We encourage participants to have a laptop. If you don't have a laptop at home, please let us know after you register.

It's free, the only thing you need to pay with is your passion, dedication, and time.

You will not be able to take part in the competition. Participants will require to pick one of the following UAE related diversifier:
- Traditions and Beliefs
- Folklore or Fable
- Architecture
- Geometric Arts or Calligraphy
- Food

Absolutely! There are different prizes for various levels. The total prize pool is AED 100,000. You can compete in different award categories such as High School or University.

You can join as an individual and have the opportunity to become part of an existing team, or you can participate as a fully formed team of 3-5 people. This competition is unique in the UAE and is open to everyone aged 15-27.

Endless Studios is a youth-centric game-making studio where budding creators collaborate with professionals to develop games. Endless Studios is a US based company, now focusing their programs across the world, and currently have a licensed business setup in the UAE.This event is free, thanks to our partners, Tawazun Council and Space 42.