What Is it like to Attend a Global Game Jam? (GGJ 2020 Report as a First Timer)
Gamejams are great to see: a) what you can do in a minimum amount of time, b) develop a project (and hopefully finish it), c) ship a minimal playable version of your game. All these while teamworking, learning a lot and having fun. There are reasons that may prevent you from joining a gamejam, like:
- not knowing what a game jam is;
- tricking your mind into believing a gamejam is not for you or that you are not ready for it.
This write up is here to fix these issues. (A proper post-mortem for our Cat-ASTRO-phy! game is in the making. The game is here).
Background: What’s the Global Game Jam (GGJ)?
The global game jam is worldwide event. Taking part in the event is easy:
- you register on https://globalgamejam.org;
- you browse all the amazing jamsites available on Earth (thank you all organizers!);
- you choose one and join it;
- you show up on the days the event takes place.
Once on site, you form a team with the other participants (you can play solo, but you’ll miss most of the fun) or join a pre-existing team. Teams can be already planned or assembled on the spot. The events kicks off with a video about the game jam and its spirit. You also have words of wisdom from game developers and tips to enjoy, stay fit and survive to the game jam. Yep survive.
In fact, after these intro videos come the real video, the one that all participants waits for. The video has some cryptic footage that gives you tips and clues on what the game jam theme will be. Once the theme is reveled you have 48 hours to make a game matching the theme. (Here’s where the survival part comes in, see sleep deprivation).
I joined the jamsite in Rijeka, Croatia while working at the CAS-SEE of the University of Rijeka on a project on Digital Humanities. Huge thanks goes to Vedran and Zeno for organizing the jam (there’s also a Fb page from which I took some of the photos) and to Prof. Sanja Bojanic and CAS-SEE Rijeka for connecting me to Vedran.
This year game jam theme was REPAIR. (Once the theme is announced go back on the website. You’ll find a list of Diversifiers that offers you extra challenges or hints on how to develop your game, e.g. make a game that lasts exactly 20 seconds.)
I’ll divide what I’ve learnt between Global and Local, because why not. Local is focused on the game jam experience (i.e. games and game development). Global extends beyond the local one and is the result of my talking with other jammers about their game jam experience(s).
Local
Ok, let’s start with all the insights and experience I received during the 48 hours of the game jam. No matter how much stuff you’ve read on the topic and how much you’ve programmed or worked on a game on your own, things changes as soon as you get part of the team. Plus, I feel like game jam time is a different kind of time, but I admit this claim needs further testing.
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Anyway, here’s a list of wow-moments, lessons learnt or simply experience I gained from the game jam:
- There’s a lot more in a game that goes beyond the actual design and realization of the playable prototype. These things include menus, title screen, credits, backgrounds, how to play, etc. Most of the time these things are not conceptually super complicated, still they take time (and time is a scarcer than usual resource during a game jam). Also, there are ways to make these “routine” elements original. What about adding dynamic elements that are responding to the music? (Spoiler: these things needs great programmers and works way best when you have super artwork and sounds).
- Organization matters. While focusing on grabbing your table and get enough space for your team it would be nice if you manage to line things up. Sure, you’ll set up a way to exchange files, still why should you keep turning your laptop to show your work to the other? So in a team of 4 consider a T formation over a 2 by 2 set of tables. You will have 3 tables in a row from which people can glimpse on each other monitor if needed. (The lonely position can be assigned to the one in the team that will walk around the most, i.e. a coordinator / general designer or to the one that is doing a task that is less related to what goes on the screens of the others: e.g. sound design/music making — which requires additional space). Staying too close to the walls or the doors might no be a good idea. Doors provide distraction and cold. But sometimes jumping over cables in stealth mode between the chair and the wall is a test on you health bar.
- There are different levels of dealing with tools and interfaces. That’s no big news. But I never realized how what more you can accomplish if you focus on your keyboard. Look at the hands of the more experience programmers, graphics, etc. there’s a lot to learn. Find some time to go around the desks of the other teams and see what’s going on. It is something that shows up. They think about their next move, they work and they talk to you looking in the eyes. All at the same time.
- Building the game and uploading it takes time. At the end of the jam you have to upload the results of your work on the local jam site (here is what all the teams did in Rijeka). This takes time. Exporting the game takes time, building version for different platforms takes time, writing the descriptions about your game takes time, filling the form to upload takes time. If you manage to, include this in your schedule (if you have one).
Global
Time to move to the bigger picture of the human and global value of a game jam.
- During a GGJ you rediscover the joy of focusing. You are making your game, and that’s a team effort. Even if you don’t know the people in your team you are involved in something together. This fact and the time constraint forces you to focus and do your best.
- The outcome of all the process is pretty amazing. I arrived with no experience and no clues on what to expect from a game jam, so that’s even more impressive to me. It is amazing to recollect memories from day one, where you are brainstorming ideas and have a few clues to what to do (we considered a point and click adventure like fixing Wall-e), then you end up with a working prototype. While being a prototype (i.e. you go through the list of notes and you’ll see there are many “we don’t have time for this / this is too complex for out working prototype”) it is still something that works and can be played. This is way more than a draft paper. I think I never had so much tangible done in such a few time.
- You should not be shy or downplay yourselves. The game jam has a role for you. Even if you can’t program nor draw, you can discuss ideas and playtest the game. And be nice to your team-mates. I’ve been told more than once that it’s great to have someone that is kind of “free from technicalities”. You are not stuck into an idea or a certain setting and can provide unbiased opinions. (Or maybe they were just trying to be nice :)). This might be different if your background is more info informatics and computer sciences. If so, there are chances for you to realize that you thought you are at level X, but as soon as you see someone more proficient you have to rescale: they are at level X + N, and you are probably at level X minus N. That happens all the time and can be painful. Still, at a gamejam people are nice and you can learn directly from the bests. (Data are scarce but the general feeling is I wish I started attending game jams before; further, those missing a jamming year regret it.)
- You constantly have to let go and (re)adapt (but never forget). The game is constantly evolving as time passes by. There are many times a supercool feature can’t be implemented despite all the team agreeing it’s cool or even after opting for a certain design decision took some discussion.
- Oh, and there are bugs. There’s the unexpected. But as team you’ll find a way out (panic moments included: no wifi, no internet, graphic software not working, frozen pc from stand-by, bug crushing main mechanics, credits screen crushing the game and a “guys, I smell melting plastic, my pc is burning” 3 hours before the deadline.)
Things I Wish I Knew
I didn’t do any proper research on gamejams. I read what was there on the global and local websites but that was it. The game jam simply happened and I had no way of preparing for it. Here’s a list of things I wish I knew:
- bring your own supplies: controllers, chargers, adapters, usb key, etc., even a router if you feel like;
- cables, multiplugs, and more extension cords;
- don’t forget pens and paper;
- if you bring your own monitor you’d be super cool;
- if you need a whiteboard or some sticky paper background, bring it with you. (I like to physically bump in the workflow, not only have it on discord / trello / whatever);
- a sleeping bag or, most important, a Yoga-mat or something similar may save your life. You never know what happens to your sleeping cycles or your team’s ones. (Rijeka is the 2020 European Capital of Culture the opening events were on the first jam days. So imagine it’s 2.30 a.m., you are in your hostel which is superclose to the jamsite, in the city center… and you can’t sleep);
- bring something entertaining for your and the rest of the team(s): from juggling balls to Rubik’s cubes. Sometimes you need to give your hands some rest. If you want to be a hero bring your switch (kudos to Vanja!).
Post GGJ Resolutions
No post would be complete without a list of further steps to take after the game jam. Here we go:
- Know thy shortcuts!
- The theme is great and a wide lot of ideas spawn from it. (Like a text adventure)
- Port the game on Python with the Arcade Library.
Huge (alphabetic) thanks go to Gianluca, Serena and Vanja for welcoming me into the team. Vedran and Zeno for organizing the whole thing. Alex, Ana, Dickie, Jakub, Jasenko, Jure, Matija, Natasha for being nice, welcoming supporting, playing games with and more. Chances are I am missing someone. And spellings are certainly wrong.
How was your game jam?
This work is carried out as part of a CAS Fellowship at CAS-SEE Rijeka. Find out more about the Fellowship here.
