All photography & imagery courtesy of Jazz Chambers.

ABERTAY GRADUATE ATTENDS
BERLIN GAMES FESTIVAL

Winner of the 2025 UNESCO City of Design Dundee culture award at Abertay University’s Digital Graduate Show, games designer Jazz Chambers tells us about her recent trip to fellow City of Design Berlin.

Lizzie Day (LD): Hi Jazz! Congratulations on being awarded the UNESCO City of Design Dundee culture prize at the Abertay Digital Graduate Show 2025! Can you please tell us a little about your work and your grad show project?

Jazz Chambers (JC): Hi! I studied Games Design and Production at Abertay. My work throughout university was predominantly focused on user experience. By designing with collaboration and creativity in mind, I aimed to create a therapeutic and mindful experience in my honours project, Cozy Craft, a Minecraft therapy adventure. Using applied games design and creative mechanics to explore CBT, REBT, and other therapies. The experience can be played solo, in group settings, or alongside practitioners who use games in their therapy approach.

Cozy Craft by Jazz Chambers, as shown at Abertay Digital Graduate Show 2025.

LD: As part of your prize you attended Games Ground, Berlin’s Gaming Festival. Why is it important for young designers to attend events such as Games Ground?

JC: Networking has always been essential within creative industries, and games design is no exception. Events like Games Ground offer the perfect environment to build those connections. A shared love of games, hearing directly from studios about their development journeys, and access to so much industry knowledge all provide incredibly valuable learning and insight.

LD: Talk us through your trip! What were your highlights?

JC: Games Ground itself was full of highlights — from attending talks by Hazelight Studios to playtesting inspiring projects, plus being led on DnD-style side quests by event staff to help connect attendees! Outside of the festival, visiting the Berlin Wall, exploring the Zoo and Aquarium, and spending time in the Samurai Museum and the Deja Vu Museum were unforgettable experiences. It felt like every corner of the city revealed a new creative gem.

LD: How was it being in Berlin, a fellow City of Design? Were their any particularly inspiring moments?

JC: Being in Berlin, a fellow UNESCO City of Design, felt like stepping into a place where creativity and artistic influence shape every street. The blend of history, culture, and design was incredibly inspiring.

LD: You attended Games Ground with an Abertay University classmate – would you like to introduce them?

JC: I attended with my classmate Alice Kerr, who also studied Games Design and Production at Abertay. Sharing the experience with a friend made through my degree made the trip even more meaningful. We were able to reflect together, learn from the studios we met, and bring back ideas we’re excited to explore in our own work.

LD: Thanks so much for your time, Jazz! It’s been great learning more about your experience – anything else you’d like to add?

JC: I’d like to say a huge thank you to Abertay, my honours supervisor Dr Andrew Reid for pushing this project to achieve all it has. As well as a huge thank you to UNESCO City of Design Dundee for selecting my project for the culture award, and all those who supported my honours project. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity and for the reception my work received. And I’m excited to continue creating meaningful and thoughtful experiences through games.

Jazz Chambers was the recipient of UNESCO City of Design Dundee’s culture award, presented at Abertay Digital Graduate Show 2025. 

This trip was kindly supported by UNESCO City of Design Berlin and Games Ground, Berlin’s Gaming Festival.