Westminster Computer Games Development students visit Vienna for international iLRNFuser Game Jam competition

The iLRNFuser Game Jam gives students across the world the opportunity to work in teams to engage in a hackathon-style game-development marathon. This year’s topic, Reading the World: Immersive Learning and Multimodal Literacies, aims to highlight the power of Extended Reality (XR) and gaming to foster global literacy and promote different learning environments.  

Students are encouraged to develop games that use XR to address educational challenges while aligning with the UN SDGs. Successful games will use immersive XR technology to encourage cultural and linguistic exchange, empower collaborative learning and promote the use of different forms of communication such as textual, visual, spatial, auditory and interactive. 

Students presenting prototypes which align with the UN SDGs 

During the field trip, which took place as part of Westminster’s Employability Week, fifteen second- and third-year Computer Games Development BSc Honours students worked with peers at the University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna to learn from each other and collaborate on their Game Jam projects. Students also visited the local indie-game studio Enhydra Games to gain first-hand insight into how a real-life game studio operates. While there they had the chance to meet CEO and Lead Game Designer Maximilian Knaack, who shared his valuable insights on running a successful game studio.

Students meeting Maximilian Knaack, CEO of Enhydra Games  

Students across the globe now have until June to work on their projects and refine their creations before the winners are announced in July.  

About the trip second-year Computer Games Development BSc Honours student Levroy M Trindade said: “It's hard to describe Vienna without making it an essay, but Vienna was something I had never experienced before. Without much experience in game jams, moreover even less experience in work-based travel with colleagues and lecturers, to me, I have two big takeaways: if I had never taken the opportunity that was provided to me by my course leader Markos Mentzelopoulos, I would not have met the amazing people apart of BFI Vienna, nor would have had the chance to meet the head of an indie company Enhydra Games, someone who has reached where I want to be. The knowledge and experiences I shared with the people in Vienna was priceless. Even now, I still have a close bond with the friends I made, on top of it all, I am more than excited for the outcome of the Game Jam in July.”  

Final-year student Wasif Ahmed added: “I had the great opportunity to go to Vienna for a university trip and participate in the 2025 Game Jam. This opportunity allowed me to interact in a new setting, learn useful skills and connect with people from various backgrounds. Along with the Game Jam, I had the opportunity to tour the lovely city, learn about its rich history and sample the delicious local cuisine. I also visited a game studio, gaining valuable insights into the industry, making this an unforgettable and enriching experience. It was an opportunity I won’t forget, and I appreciate having that chance to go.”

About the competition Markos Mentzelopoulos, Senior Lecturer and Course Leader for Computer Games Development BSc Honours at Westminster, said: “We believe that games have the power to educate, inspire and drive positive change, and what better way to tackle such a critical issue than through the creative medium of video games!”

Participating in the iLRNFuser Game Jam directly contributes to the UN SDGs 4: Quality Education, 10: Reduced Inequalities and 17: Partnerships for the Goals. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.  

Find out more about Computer Science and Engineering courses at the University of Westminster.