Global Games Jam 2023
My first game jam experience happened over the Feb 3-5 weekend. Conceptualizing, formulating a team, and making a game in roughly 48 hours is daunting when I already feel so green in the act of making games. I felt unsure about my abilities and what I could bring to the table. I went in very nervous and left with a feeling of gratification that I am excited to pursue again.
Key takeaways:
- Making games is fun
- Working in a team is fun
- I want to do it more often
The prospect of joining more Game Jams in the future has me thinking of the unit as a whole from first starting with Unreal, to having used it for a few months. During my time with GGJ I felt limited in what I thought I could achieve in such a short time, so the scope of the game was very small; technically and conceptually. I think this was a good game plan, as I had never used Unreal properly and knew I would need a few hours, out of the limited hours offered, to iron out fixes like learning the blueprint system, working in a team and importing others’ work, packaging the project, etc. General acclimating to a new technology things.
I felt my biggest success in the Game Jam was finishing the project at all. Overcoming some hitches with the help of the other jam members and learning a lot about Unreal Engine development in the process. This only fuels more desire for jams in the future.
A few things I want to focus on for the next game jams:
- Have a project management ecosystem setup ahead of time
- Strive to make something I feel uncomfortable with (mechanically or conceptually)
- Expand on the skills developed over the Unit
After more months of using UE5 and becoming more comfortable with how the engine works, I feel I can stretch myself outside my comfort zone to make more interesting ideas. That first Game Jam experience made me appreciate the learning experience of having a strict deadline, dealing with bugs that seemed insurmountable (but of course never are), and finding a way to make things work whether it’s a brilliant solution of absolute divinity, or thrown together patchwork of duct tape and silly puddy.
Participating in more Game Jams will reveal more about myself as a game developer. Something that is slightly terrifying and a prospect I want to investigate and push further.