Students Created Games in Two Days – Inspiring Young People’s Interest in Technology
Winning team behind Garage Lab.
Seven games were produced by game development students from the University of Skövde during this weekend’s Game Jam. These games were designed to spark interest in new technology and innovation among young people aged 11–14. On Monday, the winning game, Garage Lab, created by students Albin Näckmark, Alexander Freij, Amanda Laggeby, Wu Mingmin, and Pierre-Benjamin Monaco, was announced.
“It was an amazing opportunity to create something that made an impression on the youth, and we hope they had as much fun playing it as we did developing it,” says Alexander Freij.
Studies show that interest in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is declining among younger generations. To address this, Volvo Group, together with Drivhuset Skaraborg, Science Park Skövde, the University of Skövde, Balthazar Science Center, and the gaming association Ages, organized a Game Jam for the University of Skövde’s game development students. The goal of the seven games created was to spark curiosity and interest in new technology and innovation among youths aged 11–14.
“We want to increase young people's interest in STEM and are constantly testing new ways to communicate and reach them. This inspired us to use games and collaborate with game development students from the University of Skövde,” says Niclas Hermansson from Volvo Group.
On Monday, the seven games developed over the weekend were presented and first tested by seventh-graders from Helenaskolan in Skövde. Later, each team pitched their game to a jury, which included Ben Clarke from Green Tile Games, Emil Kvarnström from IUS Innovation, Anna Nilsson from Drivhuset Skaraborg, Niclas Hermansson from Volvo Battery Mariestad, Linda Pettersson from Volvo Group, Max Björk from Ages, and Henrik Ahlström from Balthazar Science Center.
“It’s a tough process to deliver something playable in such a short time, but the students did an amazing job. I’m very impressed,” says Henrik Ahlström from Balthazar Science Center, who was one of the coaches supporting students throughout the weekend.
The students also received guidance and advice from game companies within Science Park Skövde’s startup program, Sweden Game Startup, who provided valuable tips during game development.
Taking the Prototype Further
Ultimately, the team behind Garage Lab emerged as the winners of the Volvo Game Jam. The game involves building a car in Volvo’s Mariestad factory, with the goal of overcoming all the obstacles on the route between Skövde and Mariestad. The car is designed to perform optimally under these conditions.
“Both the jury and the young students from Helenaskolan who play-tested it agreed. The game was fun, educational, and based on a creative, exciting idea. The prototype was enjoyable to play, and the team’s pitch was very impressive,” says Niclas Hermansson.
The next step for the winning team and Volvo is to explore the potential to develop the prototype further.
“Now we’ll evaluate what we can achieve together with our partners,” says Niclas Hermansson.
Kajsa Quist Phalén from Drivhuset Skaraborg was also pleased with the weekend’s Game Jam.
“There’s been a great atmosphere, and the students were highly engaged, creating fantastic games over the weekend. Our next step is to motivate and inspire the teams to continue developing their games. We want to bring these teams into guidance with Drivhuset and equip them with entrepreneurial skills, so they’re prepared to take their ideas forward through Science Park Skövde’s startup program,” says Kajsa.