The Global Game Jam (GGJ) community is rallying behind Venezuela following the recent earthquakes, launching a global charity game jam to support relief efforts. Led by GGJ organisers across Latin America, including teams in Venezuela, the initiative invites developers worldwide to come together for a common cause.
Teaming up with World Food Program USA to launch a global online game jam that will raise funds and awareness for communities affected by the recent earthquakes in Venezuela.
Juntos: Game Jam for Venezuela Earthquake Relief, the three-day virtual event will run from 24 to 26 July, inviting developers from across the globe to create games while backing humanitarian relief efforts. Organised by GGJ’s Latin American community, including site organisers in Venezuela, the initiative aims to unite game creators for a cause far bigger than game development.
The event is being held in partnership with World Food Program USA, which is supporting the UN World Food Programme’s emergency response in Venezuela. The organisation is delivering food assistance and humanitarian logistics to affected communities on the ground.
The jam will be hosted on itch.io and the Global Game Jam Discord server, with all activities available in both English and Spanish. Participation is free, while donations remain entirely voluntary, meaning anyone can contribute, whether by making games, donating or both.
The schedule includes a virtual kickoff on 24 July, followed by the online game jam from 24 to 26 July, before culminating in a showcase of submitted games on 5 August.
“Those of us who make video games know that no project comes together on its own: it always takes a team,” said Venezuela GGJ organiser in Zulia Denyam Noguera. “Today, Venezuela needs its one. As a Venezuelan and an organiser of the Global Game Jam, I’m thrilled to see how many of my colleagues across the country are coming together for this cause, and how the global community responded immediately. This jam is proof of something I’ve always believed: video games bring people together to create things of value, even especially in the darkest of times.”
“Global Game Jam has always been about what our community can create together,” expressed GGJ executive director Maria Burns Ortiz. “This initiative, brought forward by our local jam organisers, shows that the same drive and talent that brings jammers together to make games can also bring jammers together to support each other in times of crisis.”
“What we’ve seen in response to the devastation in Venezuela is that everyday people want to help in any way that they can,” added World Food Program USA president and CEO Barron Segar. “We’re incredibly thankful that the Global Game Jam community has stepped up to create this unique platform that brings together creativity, passion and impact in support of WFP and the people of Venezuela. Humanitarian work is as much about community as it is logistics, and this new model of support is a great example of that.”
Beyond fundraising, the organisers hope the jam becomes a global show of solidarity for Venezuelan developers, their families and communities while shining a spotlight on the continuing humanitarian challenges following the earthquakes.
Sometimes the biggest power-up isn’t found in a game, it’s a community pressing start together.
