Quod Erat Ludendum
A game jam for mathematics — from the Ross Mathematics Program.
The task: build a video game that shows off a piece of mathematics.
What is this?
Quod Erat Ludendum is a game jam built around the idea that mathematics makes for a fun game. And to be clear, not math problems to grind through, not math as an obstacle to beat, but the ideas themselves turned into something you can explore.
So your challenge is to build a video game that shows off a piece of mathematics you love. Modular forms, knots, category theory, dynamical systems, the strange behavior of a single well-chosen function — practically any piece of mathematics can make for a delightful experience. Don’t just use math to block access to the fun stuff; have the player to interact with a mathematical idea directly, and come away knowing the math on a more personal level. Math is the fun part!
What’s with the name?
Quod Erat Ludendum is a play on quod erat demonstrandum — “which was to be demonstrated,” the QED that traditionally marks the end of a mathematical proof. Swap demonstrandum for ludendum — “which was to be played” — and you get a proof that ends not in a tombstone, but in a living game.
It’s also a reference to Ludum Dare, the super long-running game jam whose name comes from the Latin ludus (play, game). Ludum Dare means “give a game” — so Quod Erat Ludendum hopefully suggests the (teleological!) end of proofs is the beginning of a fun game of exploring and experiencing math. And making games is itself a fun activity.
How it works
Submissions open in August. You (or your team)’ll have the whole month to design, build, and polish a fun math video game. Once submissions close, voting happens in September, when participants and players decide which games are the best when viewed through various lenses.
We're hoping to have prizes…hoping to have prizes.
A kindred spirit
If you want a sense of the spirit behind all this, take a look at m4th.pro(gramming) — an older project devoted to making and playing math video games, but built on the same philosophy: we find joy in doing mathematics, and that a great way to share that joy is to let people play with those ideas. Math and games are both fun.
QEL1
- Submissions: Sat Aug 01 2026 → Tue Sep 01 2026
- Voting: Tue Sep 01 2026 → Tue Sep 15 2026
- Results: Wed Sep 16 2026