Game Jams 2023

Summary

In 2023, myself and a friend decided to join some Game Jams to brush up on our skills and find some inspiration to create games. Ultimately, we participated in two Game Jams - GMTK Game Jam 2023 and GameDev.tv Game Jam 2023. The themes for these Game Jams were 'Roles Reversed' and 'Life in 2 dimensions', respectively.

Gameplay

Build-in' - Roles Reversed (GMTK Game Jam 2023)

The idea behind Build-in' was to take a classic game and reverse the roles of the player and the game mechanics. We took the game Breakout but instead of breaking the blocks that are already there, players will instead put blocks where they are supposed to be.

Jingle Jangle - Life in 2 dimensions (GameDev.tv Game Jam 2023)

For Jingle Jangle, we implemented the theme in two ways. One was the straight forward idea of creating a 2D game. The other, was the the idea of the main characters transporting between two different worlds. One is the real world and the other being their song writing world where they collect the notes in order to compose a Jingle.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities for both Game Jams were split evenly and we approached both of the Game Jams in a similar manner. Once the theme was announced, we would both individually brainstorm a list of ideas that incorporated the theme. We would then narrow these down to the few more interesting and plausible ones before meeting to settle on an idea.

Once that was in place, we would iron out the details and break down the action items. This included items that would need to be completed in order to make the game functional as well as a number of "nice to have" items. We would then split out the tasks in a way that made the most sense according to our time and knowledge.

Experience

Both Game Jams were great learning experiences in many ways. Game Jams are a great way to get inspiration as well as gain motivation to create games. The limited time teaches you how to stick with an idea, avoid indecisions and grow or work with and around ideas. It teaches you to be flexible and adapt to problem solve.

It also teaches you to stick with a project and create a finished product from start to finish without questioning too much. I think with game development, a lot of times we may overthink and spend too much time questioning certain designs. When in reality, most of the time we will find the answers by sticking to a decision, implementing it and testing it out.

Overall, both Game Jams were a great, fun experience and has definitely inspired me to create more games, dust off some old projects and start working on some new ones.