IGDA physical jam
Cube Tower was created during the IGDA London Physical Game Jam, held at the Caroline Graveson Building on November 13, 2025.
The game was designed around a simple physical construction mechanic: players build and defend towers while attempting to eliminate their opponents.
Overview
The game was created as part of a collaborative physical game jam, with the core game concept developed by Rain (Yuning Jia).
The resulting game, Cube Tower, uses physical blocks and towers as the central gameplay mechanic. Players must balance constructing their own tower with attacking and defending against other players.
The game is intentionally governed by physical rules, making the positioning of blocks and players an integral part of the gameplay.
Team
Game Idea Creator: Rain / Yuning Jia
Team Members:
- Jason Du
- Mavis Tse
- Sujan Naik
Rules & Mechanics
The game revolves around two primary states: defending and placing.
While Defending
If a player is standing on top of a tower that is at least two blocks high, the colour on top of that tower cannot lose.
This creates a defensive advantage for players who successfully establish a sufficiently tall tower.
While Placing
When attacking or constructing towers, several physical constraints apply:
1. Last player standing
If you attack a tower, you must be the last player standing. If you are not, you are the only player eliminated.
2. Block placement
Blocks must first make contact with the top surface of the tower.
The player also cannot still be holding the block when it hits the tower.
This makes placement a physical skill rather than simply a matter of positioning the block manually.
3. One tower per player
The total number of towers must always match the number of players.
This keeps the game state balanced and ensures that every player has an associated tower.
Physical Game Design
Cube Tower was particularly interesting as a physical game because its mechanics rely on the limitations and possibilities of real-world objects.
Rather than abstracting tower construction into a digital system, the game makes gravity, positioning, balance, and physical dexterity part of the rules themselves.
This creates a direct relationship between the player’s physical actions and the game’s state.
Event Details
Event: IGDA London Physical Game Jam Date: November 13, 2025 Time: 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM GMT Location: Caroline Graveson Building Category: Game Development