As the global games community descends on San Francisco for GDC Festival of Gaming next week, WikiGameJam will stage a San Francisco game jam.
The game jam for good builds on the energy of its sold-out New York debut with a second event on March 13–15 at Gray Area. The spirited, open-collaboration three-day hackathon invites developers, designers, and Wikipedia enthusiasts to transform the world’s largest free encyclopedia into bold, playable game experiences.
WikiGameJam SF is cohosted by the Bay Area Wikipedians and Gray Area, and supported by Jam City, WikiHaus, and the Wikimedia Foundation, the global non-profit that operates
Wikipedia. WikiGameJam is designed to spark creativity and collaboration across gaming,
technology, and open knowledge communities.
“Games entertain billions of people every day, and that reach carries both responsibility and opportunity,” said Josh Yguado, CEO of Jam City, in a statement. “Supporting WikiGameJam SF reflects our commitment to not only bringing joy and connection to players, but also advancing knowledge sharing, empathy, and civic engagement through play.”
“Our goal as Wikipedians is to ensure that everyone has access to knowledge, in whatever
format works best for them,” said Dr. Émeline Brulé, president of the Bay Area Wikipedians user group, in a statement. “Bringing WikiGameJam to San Francisco and our expertise as editors to game makers, is how we help make knowledge approachable and fun.”
WikiGameJam SF takes place immediately after GDC, inviting participants already in town for one of the most influential gatherings in gaming to extend their week into hands-on creation and experimentation. Participation is free, but registration is encouraged to secure a spot for the full weekend.
Who: Open to all! Game designers, artists, programmers, writers, Wikipedia editors, games
enthusiasts, or anyone looking to contribute.
Where: Gray Area, 2665 Mission Street
When: March 13-15, 2026. Doors open at 5 pm on Friday. Doors open at 9 am on Saturday and Sunday.
Schedule:
● Friday, March 13: Doors open, lightning talks, team forming, and early pitches
● Saturday, March 14: Jam sessions, collaboration, and creation
● Sunday, Mrch 15: Public demos, feedback, prizes, and celebrations
Event Registration: https://wikigamejam.org/sf-2026/
WikiGameJam is part of a global community that champions the creative remixing of free
knowledge into playful formats — from digital games to interactive art — and highlights how open information can fuel new forms of expression and connection. Previous WikiGameJams have resulted in dozens of prototype games celebrating imagination and curiosity and can be explored here: https://wikigamejam.org/sf-2026/