Inside the 2026 IEEE GameSIG Intercollegiate Showcase

The annual IEEE OCCS GameSIG Intercollegiate Showcase offers competitors more than a contest; it creates pathways for essential knowledge transfer between gaming industry professionals and the students who will lead the field’s future.

“GameSIG exists to promote and encourage career development among students,” said William Fisher, chair of IEEE GameSIG, gaming luminary, and founder of Quicksilver Software.. “Students need as many opportunities as possible to show off their skills and create resumes that will get them good jobs.”

Students from computer science and beyond took advantage of those opportunities at the 2026 IEEE GameSIG Intercollegiate Showcase, which was held on 25 April 2026 at California State University Fullerton and streamed live on Twitch.

Making the Cut: The Application Process

To qualify to apply for the IEEE GameSIG Intercollegiate Showcase, teams had to

• primarily consist of students;
• list AI as a team member, if they used any AI-based contributions; and
• list sources for all game assets to ensure originality.

To avoid unfair advantage, teams were also prohibited from including members with extensive game industry experience.

Fisher said that most teams primarily consist of computer science students, but that many also include art, audio, design, and engineering students; basically: all the skillsets needed for “a first-class game team.”

Creating a Compelling Game Trailer

In addition to their application and disclosures, teams also had to submit application videos, which are ideally equal parts marketing pitch and movie trailer.

These videos are expected to meet three key goals:

• Engage viewers
• Clearly describe the game’s design and strengths
• Define the target audience and why the game would appeal to them

The video had to sell viewers (and reviewers) on the concept and, most importantly, make them want to play the game. As in most years, Fisher says that this year’s submissions did not disappoint.

“The range of games was incredibly wide, which is a lot of fun to see. The modern game industry is not a monolith, and there are many categories in which games can be very successful,” he says, adding that this year’s submissions ranged from 2D side-scrollers and simple puzzle apps to full-on 3D and VR experiences.

Communicating a Unique Gaming Experience

Industry and academic gaming professionals reviewed and ranked all submissions, focusing primarily on the overall game play experience and how well it was communicated.

“We don’t use a formal scoring system,” says Fisher. “Instead, we let our experienced game-industry judges weigh in on everything from originality to writing to gameplay design. Beautiful artwork is a factor, as is amazing audio, but the center is always whether the game offers a compelling gameplay experience.”

Game Day: The 2026 IEEE GameSIG Showcase

On event day, participating teams, judges, spectators, and industry professionals and recruiters gathered at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Student Center.

Who Judged the 2026 Showcase?

Fisher, who was one of the first game developers and creator of games such as Interplay's Castles, Conquest of the New World, and Star Trek: Starfleet Command, was among the showcase judges this year.

Other judges included:

• Shaene Siders, writer for Cartoon Network’s Invincible Fight Girl, Marvel's Avengers Assemble, DC’s DC Super Hero Girls, and Niko and the Sword of Light.
• Curtiss Murphy, professor of Game Design at Laguna College of Art and Design and Senior VP of engineering at MobilityWare, which creates some of the world’s most popular mobile games.

The 10 finalists teams each had five minutes to present their games via live stream or in person. This presentation had to include actual (vs. recorded) game play for at least one level. The judges then had five minutes to comment on the game presentation and ask questions of the team.

Who were the 2026 GameSIG Intercollegiate Showcase Winners?

Fisher said this year’s judging was the toughest ever. “The top three games were literally one vote apart from one another,” said Fisher. “They were all well-designed, and clearly a lot of thought had gone into them. Solid concepts, strong overall gameplay, and technical maturity were key points that these games offered.”

Those three top-placing teams were:

• 1st place: Corgi Battle Cars (Chapman University)
• 2nd place: Who’s There (CSU Fullerton)
• 3rd place: Wizard King (Chapman University)

Three other teams from Chapman University were also honored:

• Innovation Award: Battle Worms
• Accessibility Award: Party Tricks
• Original Theme Award: Pop Off

Raising Visibility: Other Showcase Events

In addition to the regular competition, the Intercollegiate Showcase hosted an online Game Room. In it, any team who submitted a competition video of their game could reserve an hour to do a live, online demonstration and take questions from the audience.

This event not only aligned with the IEEE GameSIG commitment to knowledge exchange, but it also gave passionate student game developers visibility with the recruiters and internship coordinators who attend the annual event.

Where Can I Learn More?

Founded in the 1990s by Fisher, Don Black, and other entrepreneurs, IEEE GameSIG set a goal to create a venue where bright, creative students could showcase their talents and passion for video game development. The student showcase embodies this goal year after year.

Learn more about this year’s event and plans for the 2027 showcase at IEEE OCCS GameSIG Intercollegiate Showcase.