JAMPICA: Where Classical Music Becomes a Generative Rhythm Game

Artificial intelligence is often discussed in the context of productivity, automation, and data analysis. JAMPICA shows another side of AI and engineering: creativity.

Developed by CMKL students Sittipruk Puttisarn, Chan Thwin Nyein, Taspong Prasertsilp, and Su Pyae Pyae Aung, with Justin Paulsen as advisor, JAMPICA is a rhythm-survival game that transforms classical music into an interactive gameplay experience. The project combines game engineering, music synchronization, AI-assisted content generation, and player experience design.

The team built a playable rhythm game where users interact with musical patterns through a lane-based gameplay system. Players respond to timing cues aligned with the music while navigating the challenge of rhythm-based progression. The game includes multiple difficulty levels and a creative pipeline that incorporates AI-generated or AI-assisted music content.

A central technical challenge was synchronization. Rhythm games rely on precision: if gameplay cues do not align with the music, the experience feels unfair or unsatisfying. The team worked on beatmap generation, audio timing, game logic, and responsiveness to ensure that player input corresponds meaningfully to the musical structure.

JAMPICA was developed using Unreal Engine, allowing the team to work with real-time rendering, interactive systems, and game mechanics. Beyond technical implementation, the project required the students to think like designers: how should difficulty progress, how should the player receive feedback, and how can classical music be made more engaging through interaction?

The project reflects CMKL’s broader view of AI and engineering. Not every AI project has to be a dashboard, chatbot, or enterprise tool. AI can also support artistic creation, entertainment, and new forms of human-computer interaction. JAMPICA demonstrates that students can apply engineering skills to creative media while still solving complex technical problems.

As a URD project, JAMPICA shows the value of interdisciplinary building. It sits at the intersection of music, games, AI, software engineering, and design. It also highlights how CMKL students can turn experimentation into a working prototype that people can actually play.

Project Members: Sittipruk Puttisarn, Chan Thwin Nyein, Taspong Prasertsilp, Su Pyae Pyae Aung

Advisor: Justin Paulsen

Domain: Game Engineering, Creative AI, Audio Synchronization, Interactive Media