Dialog Axiata launches Game Jam+ to promote local game development

From left: Dialog Axiata Product Manager – Gaming Services and Content Services Amith Perera, Dialog Axiata Head of Marketing Ashani Senaratne, Dialog Axiata General Manager Viranga Seneviratne, Game Jam+ Sri Lanka Chief Organiser Lahiru Rajapaksha, and Le Fantastical Holdings Chairman and Dialog Game Jam+ Asia Executive Director Ravihans Wetakepotha

Accelerating local game development and gamification while helping to foster the developer community of Sri Lanka, Dialog Axiata PLC, Sri Lanka’s premier connectivity provider, will be powering the Sri Lankan edition of Game Jam+, a global movement by Google promoting entrepreneurship in the creative industry.

Aiming to help transform games into businesses, the fifth edition of this local game development and gamification marathon will feature 100 cities worldwide with more than 50,000 participants, 4,000 projects (100 incubated over two months), and 1,000 volunteers, in addition to companies such as Google Games, Epic Games, Sebrae, Nuuvem, Unity and Wild Life.

Dialog Game Jam+ series, spanning four months, is set to kick off on 9 October at three locations simultaneously (Trace Expert City, Peradeniya University and Jaffna University) in a 48-hour game development immersion. 

Developers are invited to register for the first stage via www.gamejamplus.lk. During this first stage, over 200 participants from each city will receive mentorship from 10 industry professionals. In the second stage, two finalist teams per city will be accelerated by renowned international experts and regional professionals. 

Finalists from the second stage will proceed to meet in five major events to compete for continental first place, where two representatives from each continent will get the opportunity to compete in the World Grand Final. 

Dialog Axiata Group Chief Executive Supun Weerasinghe said: “We are pleased to host the local extension of the globally renowned Game Jam+ (Dialog Game Jam+) to bring together creators from all over the country and help build a sustainable local industry by providing access to industry mentors, creating opportunities within the region and enabling global exposure through this program. 

“This endeavour is in line with our mission of fostering innovation and technology entrepreneurship through the Ideamart platform and its 30,000-strong local developer community, as we strive to be the main agent of change to help advance and transform the highly promising local developer ecosystem while improving the adoption of eSports in Sri Lanka which is being accepted as a mainstream sport.” 

“We are delighted to bring a massive international event such as Dialog Game Jam+ to Sri Lankan soil, together with Dialog Axiata. Digital Gaming Industry is the world’s fastest growing sector in technological entertainment and new media and this event will put Sri Lanka firmly on the world map as a destination for game development and esports events. 

“Moreover, this monumental event shall mark Sri Lanka’s first ever global leap and foray into digital gaming and thus we see countless opportunities and new doors for Sri Lankan IT industry and BPO sectors get open in digital gaming,” said Le Fantastical Holdings Chairman and Dialog Game Jam+ Asia Executive Director Ravihans Wetakepotha. 

“Le Fantastical, Game Jam+ and Dialog Axiata share the belief that technology could uplift people and economies,” added Game Jam+ Sri Lanka Chief Organiser Lahiru Rajapaksha. “Working with Dialog Axiata we are embarking on a true global mission to showcase and uplift Sri Lankan interactive media and gaming talents globally and we couldn’t be happier to do that with a strong partner such as Dialog Axiata.