This past weekend, we hosted the Kilele Fest Game Jam: Sound Design for Games, and it turned out to be an amazing experience beyond our expectations! We anticipated a certain number of participants, but to our surprise, we saw double the expected turnout. The event was a unique fusion of music and gaming, drawing in an audience that was 80% from the sound industry—sound designers, engineers, and producers—while only 20% were game developers. This dynamic mix led to a fascinating creative process that pushed the boundaries of traditional game jams.
A Sound-Driven Game Jam Experience
Unlike typical game jams, this event focused heavily on music, sound effects, and foley. For four intense hours, participants worked in teams to craft immersive audio experiences for various game projects. The outcome? Mind-blowing soundscapes that brought these games to life! We had six teams working on diverse projects, including:
- Mzito (Mobile)
- Nano (PC)
- Night of the Undead (PC)
- Recce Squad
You can check out the game submissions here.
Celebrating the Winners
To honor the incredible work done by the participants, we awarded the top three teams with a cumulative cash prize of 10,000 KES and Ableton subscriptions to help them continue their creative journey. A huge congratulations to our winning team:
🏆 1st Place - Team Musketeers
Members:
1. Jude
2. Jelimo
3. Mwagee (Mwah-Jee)
Top placing teams
Gratitude to Our Judges & Partners
A heartfelt thank you to our expert judges, who took time to provide insightful feedback:
- Josephine Beth
- Joseph Wamae
- Mercy Barno
And a special shoutout to Santuri for hosting the incredible Kilele Festival! Their platform continues to be a game-changer in merging sound and technology. Learn more about the Kilele2025 Festival here.
Looking Ahead
The Kilele Fest Game Jam was an eye-opening experience that highlighted the potential of collaboration between game developers and the sound industry. We’re excited to build on this momentum and create more opportunities where music meets gaming.
Thank you to everyone who participated, particularly James and George Ahere and the Mzito team for bring motivation and spirit to the jam, we can’t wait to see you at the next jam! Stay tuned for more updates from JiweIO
#GameJam #KileleFest #SoundDesignForGames #JiweIO
