At an initial glance, it seems odd for people who work in the game development industry to participate in game jams. Game developers may spend well over 50 hours per week developing their projects. Why would they want to take a weekend, lose that time from work, and do something that will likely never make them a dime? To be fair to game jams, they are more than what meets the eye. I wrote an article that defines game jams a bit more clearly.
I want to give you ten ways that game jams are great for your career.
Ways Game Jams are Great for Your Career
1. They Show Your Passion
If I am looking to hire someone, I can assure that one of the first things I am going to look for is passion. As someone who has sit on numerous interview committees, I try to ask questions that give me indicators of this. A common one, “Tell me about how you stay up to date in the industry”.
If all the interviewee can tell me is that they have read a couple of books and went to a university, that is pretty much a “no” for me. I want to see someone that is actively involved in the industry in some way. When you do not have the opportunity to work full time in the industry, you should be finding other ways, such as game jams to continue to drive your passion but also be an example of it.
2. You May Learn New Skills
One thing I use game jams for is to learn new techniques. I am not saying an entire new software package. Instead, I am talking about smaller things.
For example, I saw a tutorial on YouTube (see below) that showed me a different approach to texturing models quickly. I was already familiar with Photoshop and the UV process. However, putting some of those techniques together was a bit newer for me. I learned to texture in Substance Painter first so using Photoshop alone was a bit different, and much faster!
What I realized is that game jams provide some fairly impressive opportunities to dive into those new skills. You can test something out, and there is little consequence.
I found that I really did enjoy that way of texturing for cartoon-style games. It may be something I use in the future for a full game.
3. Gain Experience Working With a Team
Another important skill for those that are joining a team, which is most often the case for people looking for a career in this industry. It will be absolutely imperative that you can work well with others.
Unfortunately game developers are notorious for being loners. In fact, you hear of the stereotype that most of us are just sitting in our mom’s basement. Depending on how you come across in an interview, I would be curious to see how you might work with others in a creative setting. Are you able to take constructive feedback? Can you provide constructive criticism instead of just criticism? Are you able to build things that do not fit your exact vision? These are some of the things that game jams provide some experience with. The good news is if it is painful it only lasts 2-3 days.
4. Improve Your Communication
As a follow up to being a team player, how about being able to communicate your ideas effectively? In a game jam, you are forced to not only come up with ideas, but share those with others.
At times, you are going to the extent of trying to sell your idea. I know it seems crazy, but if you feel like you have a really good idea that you want to build and pursue, you have to really sell it to your teammates. These are valuable moments for refining those communication skills.
When you run into inevitable obstacles in a game jam, you have to be able to explain your problem. If someone else on your team is struggling, you might be able to help. That is the case only if you are capable of providing clear communication. This is good practice over the course of a weekend.
5. Find Networking Opportunities
One thing that I have realized is that you never know who is in the audience when you take part in game jams. I recall hosting a Global Game Jam back in January. Many of my former students came. Some of them are working as independent game developers, web designers, or in other industries.
What was great is that my current students had opportunities to interact with them. These networking opportunities allowed participants to share ideas and build stronger relationships. It was not surprising to me to see that some of my current students, after a couple of days of work, felt as if they had been around each other for years.
Although I am not aware of anyone getting a job out of it currently, it certainly could have potentially opened some doors for the future. If businesses grow, I could see them seeking out people they enjoyed working with in game jams to interview for available positions.
6. Get Game Development Training You Don’t Have to Pay For
Education is one of the most expensive things that one will pursue in their lifetime. A good education is unbelievably expensive in the United States.
What if I told you that you could receive 72 hours worth of training on a topic you are passionate about at no cost to you? Most people would jump at that opportunity.
Truly, this is one of the biggest appeals for me when it comes to game jams. Even though you do not have someone lecturing to you, it’s a good time to focus in, get some guidance from others, and learn a whole lot.
The famous philosopher once said that people learn best by doing. It has been the quote our school lives by. It is also a quote I can fully get behind. You will not truly learn something until you get into the trenches and do it.
7. Develop Confidence in Your Abilities
One of the struggles for game developers, especially those that have not been in the industry at all or for very long, is confidence. It is for good reason. Most people simply lack the professional experience to feel as though they have proven themselves.
In Game Jams, you have an opportunity to look at your skillset. I would not encourage you to compare yourselves to others. Instead, I would encourage you to look at what you can accomplish. Often, the best time of the game jam is at the very end, when you submit your game and look at the work you accomplished. All participants should take pride in that.
8. Find Others to Work With – Maybe for Paid Positions
A frustration that many game designers have is their inability to find good resources when they struggle. Certainly this has improved over the years and some software is supported better than others. I have seen a lot of improvement over the last few years.
With that said, it is still one of the most frustrating things when you encounter a problem, but have no one to bounce that off of. Since most of us are often working alone on projects, the game jam is a good opportunity to not have that issue with isolation.
At game jams, when you encounter problems, you will likely find someone in the room that can help you address the situation. In fact, it is somewhat the nature of game jams that I have been a part of. It feels less competitive, and more as a community. I have found this to be a major benefit.
I have also, at times, asked people for help on issues that I had been struggling with. It’s a good opportunity to pull someone aside and say, “hey, I see you were able to do this in your project. In my personal project, I have struggled to do the same. Can you tell me a little bit about how you were able to get that working?” I have yet to see anyone say that they were unable to do that. They almost always want to be helpful.
9. Get Exposure to New Technologies
I love game jams because I always look and see how others do things. There are often entire post mortem videos that break down the process of the three days. I am always surprised by how some people approach the game jam.
One thing is for sure, when new software comes out, it is often my first exposure to it in game jams. I know this year was the rise of the Godot game engine. I remember watching a few videos of game developers using it. It truly was my first exposure to it.
10. Take a Break and Restore Interest / Passion
Most of us work long hours on projects. It can seem a bit daunting, a bit repetitive at times, and seems never ending often. When I get to those moments, it’s time to take a break. I need a bit of time away.
There is almost no better medicine for that problem, than doing a game jam. It seems odd to say that overcoming burnout of game development is more game development. Sometimes shifting focus for a bit is a great way to restore some passion. It reminds you of why you fell in love with it to begin with. When you lose sight of that, it allows you to recenter on the things you love about game development the most.
Conclusion
You will be surprised about the benefits that you might encounter from a game jam. I would encourage you to take some of these benefits listed here, identify a few that appeal to you. If you have an upcoming game jam, be intentional about them. Be the first to extend the hand to someone, and I think you will be surprised at how it will be reciprocated. Want to network with someone? Work towards approaching those you don’t know in the room. Want to learn something new? Ask to do a role on your team that you may not be the most familiar with. I think you will be pleased with how things turn out for you.
