Have you heard of someone talk about a game jam, and you thought, “What the heck is that”? I’ve been there. Even when I learned about them for the first time, I wasn’t quite sure it was something I would be interested in. I quickly realized though that I enjoy game development as much as a hobby as much as I love it for a job. I spend quite a bit of my time participating in game development, even outside of my normal schedule of teaching it.
A game jam is derived from the musical practice of grouping with friends and playing instruments to create unique music. Game jams are events that allow individuals to bring their skillsets to build a video game on a specified theme. Game jams have a set period of time, typically 48 hours.
Team members will bring their individual talents and skillsets and use them to assist a team build something new. Often times pushing people out of their comfort zones, members will forgo sleep in many cases to complete tasks in an effort to make the deadline.
Who should join a game jam?
Quite frankly, anyone who is interested in the industry or hobby of game development is eligible. In my own experience, last year during Global Game Jam, we had many participants with zero game development experience.
During our time of organizing teams, we tried to ensure that each team had someone relatively experienced, and we tried to split up those who may need a little additional help. Of course, trying to keep people together that wanted to stay together, we tried to find the right fit for each group. We ended up with groups of 6-7 people, some experienced, some with no experience at all.
Those who were less experienced found help within their groups. Often times they were given tasks in areas they had never worked with before. In some cases, the members would need to watch a couple of tutorials on how to do something specific. After that though, they were able to really help out their teams.
If you are a bit nervous about feeling like you have the skillset to participate, I would really encourage you to push that to the back of your mind. Honestly, if you consider yourself easy to work with, most teams would love to have you. As well, the work you do will still be just as crucial to the game being successful in the end as the person who has a lot of experience.
Common Rules in Game Jams
Time Limit
Most game jams have some type of time limit. Those that are the most popular, including Ludum Dare and Global Game Jam are typically set over the course of a weekend.
Theme
In most jams, there is a theme provided. You are generally not required to follow the theme, but you are certainly encouraged to do so. In my own mind, part of enjoying the jam is coming up with an idea within your time limit. For this reason, I would encourage you to follow the theme, as you will not know what it is prior to the game jam starting. If you are worried about coming up with an idea in a quick time, consider following our process on how to choose an idea efficiently.
Release Your Game Before the Deadline
In both Global Game Jam and Ludum Dare, the two most popular worldwide game jams, you will be asked to submit your game. This is generally done in a variety of ways, but you are asked to release it in some way by the time you hit the deadline. The idea here is that others should be able to play what you created, provide feedback, and hopefully give you some encouragement.
Software You Need for Game Jams
There is no required software for game jams, but certainly I would recommend having some of these, if not all, installed prior to participating in a game jam.
1: Game Engine
There are a few popular choices out there. Unity, Unreal Engine, and the recently up and coming Godot are probably among the most popular.
My own personal opinion is that Unity is the best all around engine. It has a lot of support, tutorials, and other resources to help those that may be new to game development. It is great for both 2D or 3D games.
Others may find Unreal Engine to be a great option. It does have a built in visual scripting editor known as blueprints. However, it is really a 3D engine. If you aren’t familiar with the 3D pipeline, this may be a difficult place for a beginner.
Lastly, Godot has really made a strong push. I have, admittedly, not used it much. It does have a native language, is supposed to be well supported too. It is capable of both 3D and 2D. My understanding that it has a relatively low barrier to entry for those that are new to game development.
2: Art Asset Packages
You will need someway to create art assets for your game. I would probably make the call prior to the game jam one whether you plan to do 2D or 3D. This will really make a difference in what software you need to have installed.
If you are looking to do 3D, you will need a 3D modeling package, such as Maya, Blender or 3DS Max. It also common to have some type of texturing software, this could be as simple as Photoshop, but could be as advanced as Substance Painter. I would avoid doing highly detailed models with Zbrush during a game jam. The assets will simply take too long to complete going through that type of pipeline.
Lastly, you will need some way to create UI images. I personally use Photoshop, but you can also use some other packages for this too.
3: Drivers for Tablets / Hardware
For those using drawing tablets such as the Wacom Cintiq 13HD, which we use in my program, you should consider having those drivers already installed. During the Global Game Jam, we lost some of our time installing drivers for concept artists wishing to use those tablets. Make sure all of your hardware that you could potentially be using is installed before it is time to start the process.
Where to Find a Game Jam
Even though I highlighted the two most popular that I generally participate in regularly, Global Game Jam and Ludum Dare, there are always game jams that are being hosted.
I believe itch.io does a great job of being a central location of finding game jams. If you have a weekend free, there is almost always one happening that you could jump in on.
A fair word of caution, not all game jams are created equal. The larger ones will have thousands of participants, and it’s a better opportunity to get feedback on your project. For me, this is part of the fun. However, if you are looking to just have a challenge for yourself, you do not need to wait weeks or even months to participate.
Why You Might Consider Participating in a Game Jam
- Learn New Things
- Refine What You Know
- Find Others to Work With
- Have Fun Doing Something You Love
If you aren’t sure if a game jam is something you would be interested in, I would encourage you to watch this video. I am certainly not trying to sell you on participating. Instead, I think this is a real glimpse of what you might consider it to be. It’s a lot of work but in the end a ton of fun.
Conclusion
Game jams are a great way to learn new techniques or refine your skills. Do not let your current knowledge, regardless of how little you may feel you know, keep you from participating. I can assure you that most all of the game jams I have been a part of, I was able to find a friendly group. They were available to teach, guide, and provide direction in moments where I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing.
