On 16 June, the atrium of the Técnico – Oeiras campus hosted the 18th edition of Montra de Jogos (MOJO 2025) – an annual event organised by the Game Lab that showcases the projects developed by students in the field of game development over the past academic year.
This year, MOJO featured 17 projects created by student groups as part of the Game Development Methodology (MDJ) curricular unit, which is part of the Master’s Programme in Computer Science and Engineering. In addition to being open to the public, the showcased games were also assessed by the professors of the MDJ curricular unit.
The 2025 edition was the most participated in recent years, with around 70 students divided into 17 student groups, along with 8 guest projects featuring members of GameDev Técnico, Técnico PhD students conducting research at INESC-ID, and alumni who used the event to share personal or research-based work.
According to Vasco Rodrigues and Tiago Camarinhas, coordinators of this year’s edition, MOJO has increasingly established itself as a bridge between academia and the gaming industry. This approach allows “students to present their work to external audiences, receive feedback, and better understand the sector”, highlighted Vasco Rodrigues.
The 2025 edition welcomed representatives from Miniclip and the Portuguese Video Game Association (APVP), who participated to test the games and give direct feedback to students.
Maria Gomes, a Técnico alumna and current member of GameDev Técnico, shared the importance of initiatives like this for those starting a career in the field: “As independent developers, testing our games with the public is essential. We don’t always have access to large international events, so this showcase is a great opportunity to get feedback and promote our projects.”, she explains.
In addition to playable games, some projects focused on game engine development, such as CUBOS, highlighting the thematic diversity of the showcase.
According to Rui Prada, a professor at Técnico and coordinator of the MDJ curricular unit, MOJO plays a key role in students’ learning journey: “It’s vital that students test their games with real users, validate their ideas and understand what actually works. The level of commitment and diversity of the projects shows that this goal has been successfully met, and they can be proud of what they’ve achieved”, he concludes.
