We love game jams and we would like to share our passion. Here are some basics to start with. If you have more questions you can find us in discord.
Table of Contents
What is a game jam?
A game jam is a short session over 24 to 72 hours where you develop a game from scratch. The main goal is to create something playable in that short timeframe, trying new ideas and improving your skills.
In general there are no restrictions on team size, tools or assets. As always you can set your own restriction. Most online game jams provide a theme or a word and a list of optional challenges to work with.
To get a feeling for how a game jam can look like, here are some videos and movies:
How can I participate?
You can just get started anytime, anywhere.
If you want to do it together with a bunch of people, you can check if there are any game development meetups in your city and check them out.
There are also several online game jams hosted regularly over the year. Register on the page and block the days in you calendar. On the day of the event, you get the theme information and can start developing. There is a deadline when you have to upload your final product to the page, so other people can see and test your game and you can see and test the games of other participants as well.
Here are the biggest international game jams you should participate in:
How can I find a team?
Best way is to look out for game development meetups on your city. There you will find a lot of people with the same interests and different skill sets. Often there are already game jam teams there and you can join them. They can also guide you in your first attempt.
Online game jams provide a functionality to search for a team. Here you must describe your skills and reach out to the people. Sometimes game companies or universities organise a local event to such an online event and provide a space to jam. Here you can meet new people and build a new team or join an existing one.
What about skills?
You can join or create a team to combine your skills.
Otherwise you can try to create a game with the skills you have on your own:
- You can code? Great! Create a game with stickman and without sound but focus on mechanics.
- You can draw? Great! Create a visual novel and connect your beautiful pages together.
- You can compose? Great! Make a funny sound board game where the user must press some buttons to make music.
- You understand game design? Great! Make a board or card game. You don’t need a computer to make a game.
Happy hacking
