Busan Foreign School recently hosted an exciting student-led 24 hour hackathon centered around the creative theme “Unconventional Superpowers.” The event brought together 25 participants — including students from high schools in the greater Busan region — for a 24 hour game jam that challenged teams to design, build, and publish an original game from scratch.
The theme encouraged participants to think beyond traditional superhero tropes. Instead of super strength or invisibility, students explored imaginative concepts such as super weakness, super slowness, and other atypical abilities — expanding them into unique, playable worlds filled with creativity and problem-solving.
Unlike a typical coding competition, this event was a game jam, meaning students were responsible for taking their ideas from concept to completion within the event timeframe and publishing their finished games for others to play.
Student Leadership in Action
The hackathon was fully organized and led by four student organizers — Vivian, Sunny, Ariel, and Aiden — under the guidance of advisor Mr. Simnett.
In addition to managing the event logistics, the organizers ran two simultaneous skill-building workshops:
- GameMaker 2D Platformer Workshop (led by Ariel and Aiden)
- Storyboard Workshop: Code Your Own Visual Novel (led by Sunny and Vivian)
Notably, the event and all workshops were independently organized by the student team, reflecting initiative, ownership, and authentic leadership.
Celebrating Innovation
After 24 hours of intense creativity and collaboration, teams presented their completed games to peers and judges.
- 🏆 1st Place: “Cruise” – Yangsan High School
- 🥈 2nd Place: “BlackJack Game” – Kevin (Grade 12)
- 🥉 3rd Place: “Monster Slash” – Neel, Jay, and Owen (Grade 9)
- ⭐ Honorable Mention: Candy Crusader – ISB Team
The diversity of participants — spanning different grade levels and schools — contributed to a dynamic and collaborative atmosphere.
According to Neel in grade 9 and eventual 3rd place winner, “our team had to learn Javascript in one night — we watched a ton of Youtube videos all night long, but it was worth it!”
More Than Coding
While programming and design were at the heart of the event, organizers intentionally created a vibrant camp-style experience to build community and energy throughout the day. Participants enjoyed:
- Game stations
- Mystery competitions, including arm wrestling and a rock-paper-scissors train
- A midnight surprise featuring campfire-style ice cream
- Handmade paper “campfires” crafted by organizers for each team
The atmosphere reflected the event’s camp-inspired theme and fostered connection, laughter, and camaraderie alongside technical skill development.
SHARK Values in Action
The hackathon embodied the BFS mission of developing innovative, collaborative, and globally minded learners. Students demonstrated:
🦈 Socially Conscious – collaborating across schools and cultures
🦈 Hardworking – building complete games within a limited timeframe
🦈 Active Communicators – pitching ideas and presenting final products
🦈 Respectful – supporting peers and celebrating creativity
🦈 Keep Learning – expanding coding and storytelling skills
The “Unconventional Superpowers” Hackathon was more than a coding event — it was a celebration of creativity, leadership, and the belief that sometimes our most unexpected abilities are the ones that make the greatest impact.
