STUDENTS and staff from Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) will once again take part in a world-wide digital games-design event this weekend.

The Global Game Jam is the world's largest game-creation event, which takes place over a 48-hour period.

Participating ‘jammers’ are given a theme at the beginning of the event, late on Friday afternoon, and have until Sunday afternoon to complete a game based on it.

The Global Game Jam will take place between Friday, January 20, and Sunday, January 22.

Last year, 36,164 participants created 6866 games in 93 countries over one weekend.

GCU’s Saltire Centre will host 200 jammers, a mix of students, industry professionals and keen amateurs.

David Farrell, GCU Lecturer in Games Design, said the Global Game Jam invites students to explore new technology tools, try new roles in development and test their skills.

He said: “The Global Game Jam is one of the highlights of the gaming year.

"The event is a celebration of the game-development process and highlights the amazing work that can be completed by talented and passionate people in such a small period of time.

“For GCU students, this gives them an excellent opportunity to practice game creation in an environment that is geared towards making something interesting and fun.

"They will receive support from the other jammers who come from other universities or industry and, during the course of the Jam, they will be able to receive guidance and feedback from industry mentors.”