Knox Game Jam 2026 – Kickoff

When: Friday April 3, 2026 at 7pm (EDT / UTC-4)

Where (kickoff meeting): Panera Bread on N. Peters Rd, Knoxville, Tennessee

Kickoff for ideas, brainstorming, and game development discussion

Goal: Make a game in 48 hours
Use any game engine or library
Unity, Godot, Unreal, GameMaker, MonoGame, SDL, Allegro, etc
Your game is your prize

Join and submit your games at https://itch.io/jam/knox-game-jam-2026

During the kickoff meeting, we will put the themes on a virtual gameshow wheel.  The theme will be selected by spinning the wheel.  The theme is completely optional.

All are welcome to attend, even if you don’t plan on making a game.  Any show and tell for game development projects in progress is also welcome.

Note – There will not be space for developing games at the kickoff event.  However, forming teams at the event is welcome and encouraged.

We have announcement cards for Knox Game Jam 2026.  If you want one, let me know your mailing address and I will send it in the mail as a post card (USA addresses only, while supplies last).  We should have some to give away at the kickoff meeting as well.  

10 Year Podcast – Knox Game Design, January 2026

Commemoration of 10 years of the Knox Game Design podcast, with Jacob, Colin, Levi, and RollyMusic.

Jacob talks about the GameMaker game he has been creating called Stormbound. https://scrangican.itch.io/stormbound

We also talk about the new chat channel for collaboration. James (Lil Snug/locksmitharmy) has a signup for a community game development project. https://discord.com/channels/596076724068941858/1458951461152231629

Attendees

Links

Knox Game Design
Knox Game Design
10 Year Podcast - Knox Game Design, January 2026
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Knox Game Jam 2025 – Kickoff

Knox Game Jam 2025

Kickoff meeting

When: Friday April 4, 2025 7pm EDT

Where: Panera Bread on N. Peters Rd, Knoxville, Tennessee

Kickoff for ideas, brainstorming, and game development discussion
Goal: Make a game in 48 hours
Use any game engine or library
Unity, Godot, Unreal, GameMaker, MonoGame, SDL, Allegro, etc
Your game is your prize

Submissions

Submit your games here:  https://itch.io/jam/knox-game-jam-2025

Theme

Here are some suggested themes.  Make a game based on one of the following themes, or make something completely different!

  • Creation And Destruction
  • One Item, Two Actions
  • Night
  • A Small World
  • Symmetry
  • Dig Deeper
  • Alternative Reality
  • Running Out Of Space
  • After The End
  • Unusual Magic

During the kickoff meeting, we put the themes on a virtual gameshow wheel.  We spun the wheel and it landed on Alternative Reality, which is the official theme for Knox Game Jam 2025.

Knox Game Jam 2024 Recap – Knox Game Design, April 2024

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Knox Game Jam 2024 kickoff!  Seven great games were created by the group for the game jam.  Great job everyone!

Minu by Dustin

Minu by Dustin

Claws and Conundrums by James and PandaPuffsForBreakfast

You are somewhat of a know-it-all. Your good friend has reached out for help in a murder case. It is up to you to figure out what summoned creature has killed someone in your village.

Soviet Necromancy by Jacob

You play as a state-sanctioned summoner that summons forth fallen comrades who perished in defending the new-motherland. A colony of Rogue War-Automatons has taken refuge in an ancient service tunnel in the new-motherland’s bowels. Destroy them all.

Save the Mothership by Mike

The Mothership is outnumbered and has taken refuge in an asteroid field.  There are only 5 defense drones left.  Can you stop the enemy drones from destroying it before our fleet arrives to chase off the attackers?

Grayson Alpha by Ethan

Untitled Robot Card Game by Colin and Dogwood

Pick a bot and try to win until the game breaks!

Worker Bees by Levi

Enemy bugs are attacking the bee hive. Spawn worker bees to attack the enemies and protect the hive. Worker bees will orbit around the hive at a constant distance. The bee meter in the upper right corner shows the amount of time remaining until another bee can be spawned. How long will your bee hive last?

Other games recently released by Knox area developers

Impact Zone by Chad

A warp-gate malfunction has landed you smack-dab in the middle of an asteroid field… and a time-space anomaly has you stuck there! Equipped with blasters, a tractor-beam and an energy shield, how long can you survive the Impact Zone?

A Weekend at Camp Oostanaula by Dylan

A 90’s scout camp TTRPG horror setting

Knox Game Design
Knox Game Design
Knox Game Jam 2024 Recap - Knox Game Design, April 2024



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Fall ’21 Game Jam Entries and More – Knox Game Design, October 2021

This month, Knox developers Allen, Jared, and Levi show off their games developed for Fall ’21 and more.

Links and Notes

Knox Game Design
Knox Game Design
Fall '21 Game Jam Entries and More - Knox Game Design, October 2021



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Spring ’21 Game Jam Entries – Knox Game Design, May 2021

Knox Game Design had two great entries for Spring ’21.  The theme was Deeper and deeper.  Let us know if we missed your game entry and we will add it to the list!

Delve Inc. by Jacob

You play as a dwarf in a hastily constructed drillship delving deep into an abandoned mining plot to search for much needed metals. However, the new inhabitants of the plot are not to keen on you invading their territory.

Digmania by Levi

Help Mr. Digger dig as far as possible into the earth. Pick up the shovel to start digging. Pick up additional shovels to speed up digging speed. Avoid the enemies as you dig. Get hit three times and the game is over. Enter your name for the online leaderboard.

Links and Notes

Knox Game Design
Knox Game Design
Spring '21 Game Jam Entries - Knox Game Design, May 2021
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Fall ’20 Game Jam Recap – Knox Game Design, October 2020

A recap of the Fall ’20 game jam plus a post mortem. Also what others on the Knox Game Design Discord have been developing.

If you are interested in attending a Knox Game Design meeting either virtually or in-person, let us know!

Links and Notes

Time lapse development videos

Hosted by Levi D. Smith

Knox Game Design
Knox Game Design
Fall '20 Game Jam Recap - Knox Game Design, October 2020
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Spring ’20 Game Jam Entries and Leaderboard Security – Knox Game Design, May 2020

This month we show off our games created for Spring ’20. Levi D. Smith also talks about leaderboard security.

0:58 – News – BitBucket discontinues Mercurial, migration to GitHub
9:43 – Raising Cerberus by James
15:54 – Machina by Jacob
23:50 – Potted Plant Simulator by Dylan
46:02 – Chicken Little by Levi
52:33 – Leaderboard Security presentation

Hosts

Jacob ldjam.com/users/jacobturn/games gamejolt.com/@Big_Ol_Tom
Dylan Wolf
www.dylanwolf.com @DylanWolf dylanwolf.itch.io
Levi D. Smith levidsmith.com @GaTechGrad gatechgrad.itch.io

Links and Notes

Knox Game Design
Knox Game Design
Spring '20 Game Jam Entries and Leaderboard Security - Knox Game Design, May 2020



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