Come show us your game jam games at the Game Bakery on Friday, 20 Feb!

We are happy to announce that like previous years, Game Bakery will be hosting a casual showcase event for games made during GGJ Groningen 2026.

We will open our doors at 19:30 and the event will last until around 23:00, or later if we feel like it. Please “BYOB”: bring some drinks and/or snacks that you like.

Let us know here if you want to show your game. We have power and wifi, but please bring your own hardware such as laptops. If you want to bring a screen etc, please indicate it in the form so we can reserve the right space for you. We have about 2 “special” places like bigger TVs. Let us know if you want to use this (nice for party games etc) and we will confirm with you if it’s possible.

Also, feel free to use an updated build of your game if you have it. It’s about the spirit of the jam, not upholding the 48h rule strictly.

De locatie is het kantoor van Game Bakery aan de Energieweg 11A. Je kunt je fiets of auto recht voor ons kantoor parkeren. Het is 10 minuten fietsen vanaf het hoofdstation, of je kunt bus 8 nemen tot de halte Meubelboulevard.

De Holiday Drinks is een meer informele bijeenkomst dan onze gebruikelijke evenementen, wat betekent dat we geen showcases hebben en iets minder nadruk leggen op netwerken, en meer op het ophalen van herinneringen aan het afgelopen jaar en het uitkijken naar de toekomst. Neem gerust een +1 mee!

Kenmerken:

• De dresscode “Smart Kerstual”; draag je mooiste jurk of pak, of je meest afschuwelijke kersttrui. De keuze is aan jou!
• De cadeaucarrousel: neem een klein ingepakt cadeau mee (ongeveer €5) en neem in ruil daarvoor een ander cadeau mee naar huis!
• Drankjes en hapjes zijn voor onze rekening

Vragen of opmerkingen?
Stuur ons een bericht op events@gamebakery.nl

De volgende editie van onze Game Bakery Drinks vindt plaats op 19 September 2025. Voor nieuwkomers: dit is een casual borrel waarbij iedereen met interesse in game development welkom is, en als je wilt kun je een game meenemen (zie hieronder). Onze evenementen trekken een gezonde mix van professionals, studenten, docenten en hobbyisten.
De deuren openen om 17:30. Zoals gebruikelijk zorgen wij voor pizza (meestal tussen 18:00 en 19:00), drankjes (non-alcoholisch en alcoholisch) en wat snacks.
Als je een game mee wilt nemen om tentoon te stellen, laat het ons dan weten door middel van dit formulier en dan houden wij een plekje voor je vrij!

Hoe kom je bij ons?
Ons adres is Energieweg 11A, nabij het Hoendiep en het Suikerterrein. Met de auto kun je bij ons parkeren en we zitten vlakbij de Ring. Op de fiets is het tien minuten van het station, en met buslijn 8 kun je stoppen bij de Meubelboulevard.

Meer info
Stuur ons een bericht op events@gamebakery.nl

While we gave the students a lot of freedom in what they would build in their internship, we also wanted to make sure they thought about keeping the scope realistic, making something that is not already out there, and something that their whole team could chip in on, and be excited by. Our cooperative nature with a wide variety of expertises was a natural fit for this and made it very clear for the students on whose door they could knock when they had issues.

The game is a Crazy Taxi inspired medieval driving game. You play as an entrepeneur who pioneered the horse and cart taxi, and need to transport people from A to B as quick as you can. Some passengers want you to avoid obstacles and pedestrians, but some… like it when you hit everyone? To each their own! The goal of this demo is to get as many points as possible in 10 minutes.

This is our second collaboration with Alfa-college where we share space and knowledge to invest in the next generation of game developers. Extending our experience and expertise to students and juniors is a core value of our co-op, so please reach out if exploring a similiar collaboration interests you.

You can check out the finished game the students made on itch.io — of course, we didn’t just want them to develop the game, but also release it somewhere. Give it a play and tell us what you think (and what your highscore was).

If you’re still in doubt, you can watch the excellent gameplay trailer the team made (or use the YouTube link):

Hi, my name is Gidi, pronounced “GD” in English, so that’s where my company name “Gee!Design” comes from.

At the Bakery perhaps I am known for my collection of toy robots, but since I took Quantor — my large scissor-wielding robot — home, it’s not the same.

Could you explain what you do in the field of game development?

I usually call myself just a “game programmer”, but my specialty is “special peripherals”, hardware to control your game input or output which is not an ordinary mouse, keyboard or joystick. Of course there are many “normal” entertainment games for PC, consoles or mobile devices which don’t need any special hardware. But if you look at serious games, or special game or art installations, many times people want or even need special devices as part of the game. Look at the game “Underwater” by Sfinx Games, a serious game to train ultrasound examination, which would not have been possible with just a mouse or a joystick. I made a contribution to this game, by showing them how electronics could be used to make a custom controller which is integrated into the  game engine.

What do you get out of being a member of the Game Bakery?

I used to work from home for a number of years, but as a programmer I need feedback when I am stuck on some problem, just telling someone else about the problem can sometimes be enough to find a solution. And game programming has become a specialized field within programming, so it is nice to have an environment where there are people who know what you mean.

I really like the relaxed and playful atmosphere at the Bakery, and I always find the ShareYourStuff [internal presentations we have among members to showcase new developments, ed.] presentations super interesting, even from fields which are totally different from mine.

How did you get into this field?

Years ago I worked at a Dutch research lab (now part of TNO Telecom) which was a highly creative and innovative environment. (Some other (ex-) Game Bakers used to work there also!) I used to work in the field of Articial Intelligence, and later on in Virtual Reality. Then, with a small group of people we decided to make our own company and build a Massively Multiplayer Online Game. We did not succeed in getting funding, but some of us decided to continue in game programming.

I was always interested in games which included actual movement (e.g., games for the Wii), so when my (former) boss asked me to make an educational game which combined learning with moving, I did not hesitate. I made “DenkStapSprong”, a game for learning arithmetic tables or geography by combining it with a dance pad. We sold the game to several primary schools, and from there I got into other interesting projects.

Why did you decide to become a freelancer?

When I started in game development, there really was no company which needed my particular expertise full time. But people in my network would approach me with questions like “we are going to make this theater play, and we have these two problems which the set designer thinks are too difficult, but maybe you have an idea. First, we want to have a cloud following the actor on stage, and second, we want a piece of clothing walking across the stage. Can you make these?”

These questions kept coming. So I worked on a number of theater plays and art installations. Lots of different projects through the years required different combinations of software and hardware. Nowadays, it is getting increasingly easier to find electronic devices that can be combined with “standard” game engines.

Do you also work with other Game Bakers?

Yes, at the Bakery there are also various projects which need special hardware. Before, I already told you about my contribution to the “Underwater” game for Sfinx Games. But I also played a small role in contributing to BoterJan’s game “Autogame Deluxe”. In this game you can have up to ten players playing on a single screen, and each player needs just one button. Of course, then it is very nice if this one button is a nice big impressive button, and if the color of the button helps you with identifying which car you are on the screen. So I helped Freek with selecting a microcomputer which could emulate a keyboard, where each button is the same as a key on a normal keyboard. And I helped with the practical details of soldering all the wires and such. (And I made a small program for the microcomputer).

For Astron, I worked with Sfinx Games and Just Flow (Robin), where we built a complex escape room with lots of special hardware.

There are many more projects where hardware came into play. But I also contributed to projects as a “normal” game programmer.

Where can we see more of your work?

If you are in Groningen, definitely check out the Virtuele Boekenkast (in the children’s library) at Forum Groningen. In Utrecht, try one of the elevators in the Van der Valk hotel. And you can find other projects on my website: https://geedesign.com/newWebsite/

Hoe kom je bij ons?
Ons adres is Energieweg 11A, nabij het Hoendiep en het Suikerterrein. Met de auto kun je bij ons parkeren en we zitten vlakbij de Ring. Op de fiets is het tien minuten van het station, en met buslijn 8 kun je stoppen bij de Meubelboulevard.

Meer info
Stuur ons een bericht op events@gamebakery.nl

Starting with one of our co-founders, and also our current chair of the Bakery, we would like to introduce you to Thomas Jager today.

Hi, I’m Thomas! I’m a Game Producer by trade, and I’m involved in organising the Global Game Jam, where most people know me as the face of GGJ Groningen up until the 2024 edition. Around the office I am known for my appreciation (no, it’s not an obsession!!) for waterfowl such as ducks, and always having a stash of Fisherman’s Friend within reach.

Could you explain what you do?

My role is a combination of project manager, the scrum/agile role of “Product Owner”, and product manager. It means that I’m responsible for keeping a project on budget and on track, making sure that the team and stakeholders have a clear picture of where we are going, and to spot and mitigate risks before they become a real issue.

What kind of projects have you worked on?

Until 2023 I worked at BlackMill Games, where I worked on a series of shooter games set in the First World War. It made me very interested in the history of the early 20th century. I worked mostly on Isonzo, which depicts the war in the Italian front. It was a great chance to see a company grow more mature — it even got acquired by a big publisher in early 2023 — and have a defining say in how things were done there. Before this, I didn’t have a lot of experience in bigger teams, so I’m very grateful for that opportunity, and proud of my legacy there.

Why would a team need a producer on a project?

Game development is all about different skill sets coming together, and usually people with different passions also communicate differently. A large part of what I do is settling differences of opinions and providing an unbiased view. It’s also very natural to want to make the perfect game, so it’s good to have someone on the team who upholds the scope and timeline. Lastly, I think it unburdens other team members; I’m satisfied with my work when it means that other team members don’t have to worry about far away milestones, but get to focus on code, art, whatever they do best!

What do you get out of being a member of the Game Bakery?

First of all, a great social place to work. I enjoy working remotely and have developed some expertise in remote team processes, but I hate actually working from home. Game Bakery is a great home base to work from with clients or companies from anywhere, and you still get to have lunch with like-minded people with whom you can share ideas.

Do you also work with other Game Bakers?

Since a couple of years, there have also been a lot more co-development projects in our cooperative. For example, I’m helping Multiverse Narratives finish a small slice of their language puzzle game Eloquence, with which we can hopefully find funding for a full version. I’m also helping Freek from BoterJan (with whom I had my first game studio as well!) publish a lot of his small prototype games, which were gathering dust on the shelf and can now hopefully see the light! In short, I think it’s a great place for making new professional connections or deepening existing ones.

Where can we see more of your work?

I have a personal website and I’m on BlueSky!

Hoe kom je bij ons?
Energieweg 11A, nabij het Hoendiep en het Suikerterrein. Met de auto kun je bij ons parkeren en we zitten vlakbij de Ring. Op de fiets is het tien minuten van het station, en met buslijn 8 kun je stoppen bij de Meubelboulevard.

Meer info
Stuur ons een bericht op events@gamebakery.nl

De locatie is het thuis van onze coöperatie, Energieweg 11A, bij het Hoendiep en vlakbij de brug naar het Suikerunieterrein. Met de auto kun je voor de deur parkeren en we zijn goed bereikbaar vanaf de ring. Op de fiets is het 10 minuten vanaf het Hoofdstation, of je neemt buslijn 8 tot de halte Meubelboulevard.

Het recept zou bekend moeten zijn:

• Iedereen is welkom, van leden tot ons bredere netwerk, en ook vrienden en familie.
• Deuren openen om 17:30; wij verzorgen wat hapjes voor degenen die meteen na hun werk komen
• De dresscode is Smart Kerstual: Kom in je chiqueste pak of jurk, of laat ons je meest afschuwelijke kersttrui zien. Het is aan jou!
• De gift carousel: breng een klein ingepakt cadeautje (<€10) en neem een cadeau van de stapel mee terug!
• In de wandelgangen zijn er geruchten over een quiz… Hmm, dat klinkt niet als het gebruikelijke recept?

Vragen of opmerkingen?
Stuur ons een bericht op events@gamebakery.nl

Directions
Energieweg 11A, near the Hoendiep and close to the bridge to the Suikerunie grounds. By car, you can park in front of the building and we are near the Ring. By bike it’s a 10 minute ride from the main station, or you take bus line 8 to the Meubelboulevard stop.

More info
Send us a message at events@gamebakery.nl