The Jordan Gamming Lab, an initiative of the King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD), concluded the Nashama Game Jam, held from 23 to 28 June 2026, with the participation of 157 young men and women from across Jordan’s governorates.
Participants were distributed across six branches, resulting in the development of 40 playable video games inspired by the historic journey of the Jordan National Football Team and its qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, under the theme “Nashama Football.”
Dr. Samer Al-Mofleh, Director General of the King Abdullah II Fund for Development, affirmed that the Fund continues to advance a number of strategic priorities, foremost among them the implementation of the development plan for the Jordan Gamming Lab, as part of a strategic direction aimed at transforming it into a specialized hub for emerging technologies and game development, with the objective of enhancing Jordanian youth’s technological skills and preparing them for the jobs of the future.
Al-Mofleh added that the development plan is aligned with the Economic Modernization Vision, particularly under the Creative Industries pillar, while reinforcing national efforts to empower young people and develop their creative and technical capabilities in high-potential sectors.
The Game Jam was organized with the objective of transforming the story of the national team’s achievement into interactive and creative experiences that reflect the talents of Jordanian youth in game development. The event featured a comprehensive six-day training programme combining theoretical training, specialized workshops, and intensive hands-on development, culminating in the evaluation of participants’ projects by a specialized judging panel.
The event commenced on 23 June with a unified training day delivered via live broadcast from the Lab’s headquarters in Amman to all participating branches. During the session, participants were introduced to the fundamentals of game development, the local and global gaming industry landscape, and the competition framework, ensuring that all teams began the challenge with a shared foundation of knowledge.
On the second day, participants attended a series of specialized educational workshops delivered by industry experts. The sessions covered topics including video game character design, User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX) design, game audio, and world-building for video games, further strengthening participants’ technical and creative skills.
The core phase of the event was the 72-hour game development challenge, during which teams across the Jordan Game Lab branches in Amman, Irbid, Zarqa, Aqaba, Karak, and Tafileh worked intensively to transform their concepts into fully playable games. Continuous technical support was provided throughout the challenge to assist participants in addressing issues related to game engines, programming, and final project builds.
A specialized judging panel evaluated the submitted games based on technical, creative, and artistic criteria to determine the top-performing projects.
The competition concluded with Team XYZ from the Irbid branch winning first place, followed by Team Zumbarak from the Zarqa branch in second place, while Team Exomaz, also from the Zarqa branch, secured third place.
Dr. Al-Mofleh further emphasized that the success of the Nashama Game Jam reflects the growing interest in Jordan’s game development industry and demonstrates the ability of Jordanian youth to harness creativity and technology in producing digital content that celebrates national achievements while keeping pace with the evolving digital economy and creative industries.