This year, for the second edition - 2026 the conference programme is being created together with Students.
12 student academic societies are co-creating the Festival programme, making sure it responds to what students truly need - and to what education needs today.
This is a festival for young creators, so its programme is shaped around their real experiences, challenges, ideas and aspirations. Rather than simply creating a programme for students, we are creating it with them - giving them a voice in shaping the conversations, topics and experiences that matter to their generation.
All events within the festival are held in English
Student Games Festival 2026 Program
(Please note that some session times may change)
Thursday, 8 October
Main stage:
11:00-11:30
OFFICIAL OPENING
Ewa Maria Szczepanowska & Paweł Miechowski with special guests
11:30-12:00
Funding & Support for Emerging Game Developers
Moderator: Damian Jaśkowski (11 bit studios, Indie Games Poland)
Panelists: Karol Zgódka (Ministry of Culture and National Heritage), Wojciech Trusz (Creative Industries Institute), Maciej Miąsik (Creative Europe), Anna Godlewska (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), TBA
Discover the grants, funding programmes, institutions, and industry organisations that can help you turn your ideas into real projects and bring them to an international audience.
Learn where to find support, how to access funding, and what opportunities are available to the next generation of game developers.
12:05-13:05
Co-op Mode: How EUNIC Cultural Institutes Support Games
Moderator: prof. Michał Mochocki (University of Gdansk)
Panelists: Frederic Schulte (Austrian Cultural Forum), Petr Vlček (Czech Centre), José Carlos Costa Dias (Camões) and Anastasiia Artemyak (Czech Centre, Exhibition Infinite Universes), Anna Godlewska (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
From game jams and exhibitions to interactive storytelling and international exchange, this EUNIC panel explores how cultural institutes work with games. Representatives of the Austrian Cultural Forum, the Czech Centre, Camões and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs share concrete experiences, discuss the choices and challenges behind their projects, and introduce ways to follow their activities and connect with their work.
13:10-13:55
Bonds of Blood - Embracing local identity to create compelling new worlds
Grzegorz Like and Dawid Barański (Bloober Team)
One of the main characters of Cronos: The New Dawn is... its location. Based on Nowa Huta - the real Soviet-era district of Kraków, The New Dawn merges sci-fi, nostalgia and brutalist oppressiveness. We want to talk about how, building on Bloober’s legacy and our own experiences, we can embrace familiarity to create intriguing new worlds.
14:00-14:45
40 Years of Polish Video Games
Moderator: Piotr Mańkowski (Creative Industries Institute)
Panelists: Maciej Miąsik (AIRON Games), Marcin “Borek” Borkowski ( Programmer and journalist)
Polish video games have a 40-year history. To understand where the industry is today, we need to look back at where it all began, the paths it took, and the people who built its foundations. A special anniversary panel with the true pioneers of Polish game development, who will take us back to the origins of the industry and share the stories behind its beginnings.
14:50-15:35
Special Talk
Rami Ismail
An independent game developer, consultant, and one of the best-known voices in the global indie games scene will share his experience from the indie side of the industry, offering students a practical look at creating and releasing games, as well as advice on getting hired, building a career, and finding their own path in game development.
15:40-16:25
Games Are Not Finished, Games Are Released
Marta Fijak (Day Off Interactive)
It doesn't matter if this is the culmination of 5 years of production or a 48-hour jam; this final stretch of development hits differently. People are tired, happy, angry, some are even crying, and you're left with a nearly finished game that could have been, but isn't. We talk a lot about starting a new project, but it's time to look at a very different beast - the finish.
16:30-17:15
The Niches Where Game Dev Still Needs Specialists
Adrianna Bielak (CD Projekt RED)
Game development may be more competitive than ever, but some highly specialized areas still struggle to find people with the right mix of technical and creative skills. This talk explores less obvious niches across game technology - from animation, audio, graphics engineering to technical art, technical animation, rigging and other procedural workflows - and looks at what makes these specialists difficult to replace. The goal is to show where deep expertise still matters, where the industry needs more specialists, and which less obvious paths may be worth exploring when building a career in games.
17:20-18:20
Educating the Next Generation of Game Developers
Moderator: prof. Michał Mochocki (University of Gdansk)
Panelists: Ricardo Baptista (Maia University, Portugal), Andrej Sykora (Film and TV School of Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU)), Maros Brojo (Slovak Game Developers Association), David Dolidze (Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz)
Educators from different countries share how game development is taught in their institutions, what students struggle with, and what approaches have proven effective. A student will also join the discussion, bringing a learner’s perspective and helping create a broader, more comprehensive conversation about game development education.
Workshops hall:
11:30-12:15
Fantastic Tech Teams and How to Build Them
Aleksander Kauch (11 bit studios)
How to gather a group of people capable of solving complex technical problems? How to guide them and get the most out of their individual skills? How to do that and implement all the requested features while maintaining quality and fighting ever-growing technical debt? In this talk, I will look into the composition of skills, personality traits, and experience required in a successful tech team. Starting from recruitment and junior programmers up to experts and leads.
12:20-13:00
From High School to AAA: Heaven or Hell?
Bartosz Sobczak (Rebel Wolves)
From Game Jam crunches straight out of high school to working on The Blood of Dawnwalker at Rebel Wolves — discover how unexpected opportunities, the right people, and a lot of persistence can turn an unconventional start into an AAA career.
13:05-13:50
Emergence As Your Input And Your Output
Karol Mikołajko (11 bit studios)
Who exactly is the director of the experience in your game? The player who pushes the buttons, or you, who define what the buttons do? Or perhaps there is a third secret entity — the game itself. We will dissect this equation (and maybe discover the fabric of reality, idk).
13:55-14:40
Find Out Which Producer Role Might Be Right For You
Anastasiya Puhach-Michalec (11 bit studios)
What does a Producer in games actually do? The short answer is: it depends. A Producer working directly with a development team can have a completely different day-to-day job than a Marketing Producer or a Publishing Producer. Based on the experience in AAA and AA game development, marketing production and publishing at 11 bit studios, the lecturer will talk about how different Producer roles can be, what they have in common, and which path might be the right fit for you.
14:45-15:30
You Are Not Who You Think You Are
Ivan Shyika (11 bit studios)
Often, we limit ourselves without even realizing it. We come up with reasons why we are not fit, or we are too afraid to try. Besides, we are sure we already know ourselves - but what if your best career is something you have not discovered yet? Extracting lessons from his own transformational journey (programmer - teacher - producer - DevOps), Ivan will challenge your beliefs about yourself and share practical advice on discovering new talents, creating opportunities, and making the most out of them.
15:35-16:20
The Legal Side of Your Game Dev Career
Kamila Dulska-Maksara (Lawyer, Business Development Manager)
Starting a career in game development means dealing with more than just creativity and technology. This panel covers the key legal basics every aspiring game creator should know — from copyright and contracts to choosing the right legal structure for a studio and understanding potential risks. A practical introduction to the legal side of building games and starting a career in the industry.
16:25-17:10
Let's Talk About Using AI in Game Development
Moderator: Jimmy Black
Panelists: Piotr Napieralski, PhD ( Lodz University of Technology), Max Karpiński (Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz), TBA
AI can be useful tool in game development, supporting developers and enhancing human creativity rather than replacing it. This panel will explore how AI can be used responsibly in game studios to improve workflows, inspire new ideas, and help teams focus on what they do best. An AI researcher, a student, and a professional game developer will share their perspectives.
17:15-18:15
TBA
Friday, 9 October
Main stage:
11:00-11:45
Immersive UI for Games
Eduarda Abrantes (University of Leiria and Oeste)
How do you design UI that doesn’t pull players out of the game? Explore how interfaces can become a natural part of the game world, blending functionality, storytelling, and visual design to create a more immersive player experience.
11:50-12:35
The Power of Choice: Why Interactive Narratives are So Immersive
Jakub Szamałek (Rebel Wolves)
12:40-13:25
The State of the Game Industry: Challenges, Opportunities and the Future
Moderator: Mateusz Witczak (journalist)
Panelists: Ričardas Jaščemskas (European Game Developer Federation, Lithuanian Game Developers Association), Pavel Barak (Czech Game Developers Association), Maroš Brojo (Slovak Game Developers Association), Mihajlo Jovanović-Džaril (Serbian Games Association), Alessandra van Otterlo (Dutch Games Association)
Experts from Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Lithuania and Serbia discuss the current state of the games industry, key challenges and emerging opportunities. The panel explores the trends and developments that will shape the future of the European games sector and what skills he market really needs.
13:30-15:30
Presentations of the Nominated Games
Moderator: Elias Danzon
15:40-16:25
Skills That Get You Hired: What the Game Industry Is Looking For
Moderator: Igor Sienkiewicz (Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology)
Panelists: Jarek Kolář (Ingames Studios), Maria Borys-Piątkowska (Flying Wild Hog), TBA
What skills do studios actually look for when hiring junior developers? Explore the technical, creative, and soft skills that can help you stand out, and discover what “future skills” are, how to develop them, and which trends are shaping the future of work in the games industry.
16:30-17:15
Nuts & Bolts, Cardboard & Roots
Jakub Dvorský (Amanita Design)
From rusty machines and cardboard to wordless storytelling and creative freedom, Jakub Dvorský explores the roots of Amanita Design and the ideas that have shaped its games for more than two decades — and how this philosophy can coexist with the realities of surviving long-term in an increasingly crowded games market.
Workshops hall:
10:00-12:00
The Big Student Clubs MeetUp
Moderator: Damian Gałuszka, PhD
Panelists: Student gamedev societies, Ewa Maria Szczepanowska & Paweł Miechowski
A special open gathering bringing together representatives of 12 student game development societies from across Poland. It will be an opportunity to meet, exchange experiences, and present the work and activities of each society. Guests will also share what has been achieved over the past year to improve education standards, discuss upcoming support for student societies, and outline what comes next for the growing student game development community.
12:10-12:55
Neurodiversity and Leadership
Michał Rudziński (indie developer)
A practical look at leadership through the lens of ADHD and ASD, covering workplace challenges, common myths, and tools for supporting neurodivergent teams. The talk also explores how to create a healthy work environment and prevent burnout.
13:00-13:45
Make Your Game Seen! How to Stand Out in a Crowded Market
Moderator: Igor Sienkiewicz (The Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology)
Panelists: Agnieszka Szóstak (PR Outreach), TBA
Making a great game is only half the battle - the real challenge is getting people to notice it. With millions of games competing for players’ attention, how do you stand out, reach the right audience, and turn visibility into real interest?
Join industry experts for a practical discussion on how players discover new games, what makes a title unique, and how developers can build attention around their work.
13:55-14:40
From Idea to Art Style: Finding the Visual Language of Your Game
Moderator: Justyna Łapuć- Docha (Warsaw Film School)
Panelists: Przemysław Marszał (11 bit studios)
How do you choose an art direction that truly fits your game? Przemysław Marszał will explore how visual style connects with story, gameplay, and game design — and how the right artistic choices can do more than simply make a game look good.
Discover how art can strengthen immersion, create an emotional connection, and make players not only see the game, but feel its world. We’ll also explore how to build a distinctive visual identity so that a single screenshot can instantly tell you what game you’re looking at.
14:45-15:30
Narrative Finds a Way: Make Sure It’s Your Way
Alexandre Boiret (CD Projekt RED)
In this lectur we will explore the central role of narrative in games, arguing that it is always present and tracing it through even the smallest details of game development. We will then provide practical advice on how to develop and manage narrative effectively throughout the development process.
15:35-16:20
Funding Your Game: From Prototype to Release
Mikołaj Pawłowski (Juggler Games)
A practical workshop on how to find funding for your game - including funding opportunities you may not even know exist. Learn how to finance your prototype, where to look for support, and how to secure the money you need to bring your finished game to market.
16:25-17:20
Building Better Blockouts in Unreal Engine
Host: Stanislav Mischenko (Unreal Engine MeetUp)
Guest: Iryna Selina (11 bit studios)
How do you turn an empty level into something that is actually fun to play? In this live Unreal Engine session, we’ll build a playable space from scratch and show how gameplay, movement, and simple level design choices shape the player experience.
And remember! Beyond the conference programme, there’s also a showcase of 22 of the best student games from around the world, the “Infinite Universes” exhibition, and a CV & portfolio consultation zone.