PegJam 2026

New Media Manitoba is proud to partner with the Winnipeg Game Collective for the 9th annual Winnipeg Game Jam, aka PegJam, the highly anticipated four day video game development challenge in Winnipeg, Manitoba!

Winnipeg Game Jam 2026 is a full weekend of creativity and community.

The event begins with The Festival, an evening that brings together creators, players, and artists for talks, live music, and hands-on demos.

Next, during The Game Jam, participants spend 72 hours making small video games based on a shared theme.

You can work alone or join a team at the event. No experience is needed.

At the end of the weekend, everyone presents their work during The Showcase, where the community gathers to play games and celebrate the ideas created in just four days.

Agenda:

Feb 19

• 3:30pm | Doors Open
• 5:30pm | Keynote
• 6:00pm | PegJam Radio LIVE
• 6:30pm | Intermission
• 6:45pm | Speakers
  • Anne Friesen
    • Lead Programmer & Game Designer, Flightyfelon Games Zesting Up Your Game Design with Game Flavours | “Try your hand at simmering down your game design into what really matters with game flavours! Anne shares a new way of looking at your game design.”
  • Steve Chubaty
    • Programmer & Designer, Sonderlust Studios Resonance | “What can we do to make our games appeal to an audience? Steve doesn’t know, but he’s going to ask a few questions that get us thinking how we can maybe increase our chances! There may even be a challenge to jammers at the end to practice some skills around the idea.”
  • Ryan FitzGerald
    • Lead Game Designer, Ubisoft Winnipeg More Than Words: Sharing Story through Gameplay | “Most people think cutscenes and NPC dialogue are the primary means to share narrative in a video game. In this practical talk, Ryan will briefly highlight additional tactics that you can use to tell the story you want to tell.”
  • Eileen Mary Holowka
    • Co-Executive Director, Baby Ghosts Studio Development Fund Beyond the Game Jam | “Game jams are one of the best ways to find like-minded people and get involved in game development. But what comes next? Join Eileen in exploring some of the routes you can take from a game jam to larger projects to maybe even building your own studio!”
• 7:45pm | Closing Remarks
• 8:00pm | Doors Close

Feb 20

• 10:00am | Doors Open/Registration
• TBD | Matchmaking Session
• TBD | Workshop Session
• 10:00pm | Doors Close

Feb 21

• 10:00am | Doors Open/Registration
• TBD | Matchmaking Session
• TBD | Workshop Session
• 10:00pm | Doors Close

Feb 22

• 10:00am | Doors Open/Registration
• TBD | Matchmaking Session
• TBD | Workshop Session
• 6:00pm | Showcase
• 8:00pm | Doors Close