Game Jams - How to cook Part 1, The team and time management perspective

If you want to develop games for fun like I do, a good place to start is a game jam. Whether you are a programmer, artist, writer - whatever, a game jam is a good place to begin your journey. This is an event where you can meet like minded people and share creative thoughts and this article is about cooking on a 48 hour game dev marathon.

First of all, rule #1: Just go! - When I was younger I used to really overthink visiting events like this thinking I would have an embarrassing experience, a perspective that just disappeared after visiting my first jam during the COVID era. Whether you are an artist, musician, writer, game designer, programmer, no matter what level of ability you posses, go to the event and push yourself to create something!

And that's it! That's the only rule I would consider valuable for creating a game: To want to do it! Do not fear failure, a game jam is an event you visit to better yourself!

The team perspective

A game jam is a for fun event, but if you want to build something you must do so in a really short timespan. This year's event was only 48 hours, which is simply not enough time if you want to create something good without organizing. Keep in mind that a game jam is an event that you attend without knowing the topic beforehand, sometimes without even knowing your teammates or what they are capable of, so how do you proceed?

1. Organize your tools beforehand! - Even though game jams are events where you are required to build something from scratch, setting up your tools before hand and updating your software is perfectly fine. If you are a programmer, watching some tutorials beforehand and updating Unity is okay! Make sure that you are able to start as soon as the event starts and that you do not have equipment issues during the event.

2. Try to find teammates that match your creative language. - The best games are the almost always ones created by teams, especially due to the short duration. You can go solo if you like, but for me personally, I like having a team. The main reason for this is that I kind of don't like doing video game art (although I can do some video game art) and that I like to have at least one programmer by my side for the learning experience. To find the right people for the job, share portfolios, talk about your favorite games and talk about your skills, but first of all choose people that are fun to work with and that share your passions! If you don't know where to find teammates, join discord channels about game jams, Facebook groups or try asking people you already know for recommendations.

3. Be edgy! - Just because your idea of the video game you want to make seems too eccentric it does not mean that you should not do it, in fact, for me, that is even more reason to do it. You will find that game jams are the type of events where people sometimes present game concepts revolving around things like horror and hardship. If you and your team are cool with such ideas, do them! These are usually my favorite types of games on these events.

4. Keep your body healthy! - Even though a game jam is an event which only lasts for a short time, that does not mean you should punish yourself by not sleeping and drinking too many energy drinks. You will do a much better job if you work on the game for 5-6 hours while rested than if you don't sleep and try to push yourself and work sleep deprived for 14 hours! This also means that you should prepare yourself beforehand, eat healthy during the week, sleep well and exercise at least a little.

The time management perspective.

In this case, we are looking at an event that lasts approximately 48 hours, which might seem short, but if you know you are doing it is enough to create something beautiful. My idea of good time management is this:

1. Before the event: Before the event starts, I first like to talk to my teammates, see what they're up to, how they're doing, ask them how they are feeling so I can know what to expect. Sometimes, a team member might not be able to perform to their maximum during the event due to personal reasons, and that is okay. Remember that everyone is human and that things are happening to people outside of the event. Make sure that your teammates are happy and doing okay first! After that, talk to your teammates about things like art, music and games so you can find a common ground for the type of game you are trying to make.

2. Theme reveal: Usually, at about 17:00 the organizers will announce the theme for the event. You might not like the theme, you might love the theme, but do not get overexcited and do not panic. Take about ten to fifteen minutes to think about the theme before talking to your teammates.

3. Theme discussion: After the theme is revealed, I like to grab a soft drink and go over the theme with my teammates. Ideas will fly fast, so the way I like to approach this is by first creating a grand idea of some huge game, I'm talking something really huge like a new Grand Theft Auto game, then figuring out what the key ideas of making my concept good and unique are, and then narrowing it down and figuring out what I am capable in creating in three days in order to show why my idea is good. When we go over about the kind of game we are going to be making, always make sure that at least one of you is taking notes. A piece of paper and a pen can be more valuable than having a computer with Unity installed, since the brainstorming process can get fast & chaotic. What I've usually done with almost every team is writing a bunch of concept that makes our game fun to play and then evaluating how feasible these concepts are and how they fit "the puzzle".

4. The initial push: The team is usually going to be the most motivated on day one, all the hype is there, the event is loud, and there is a mutual feeling of wanting to achieve something, to do something great. However, I prefer to not get very excited and run out of steam in the beginning stages of the event since I know that I am going to be needing that energy for later. Instead, take this time to implement the most basic mechanics of your game, and implement them badly, but in a manner where they can be changed and expanded upon later. The important thing on the first night is to create an idea of what you are going to be building. Ideas of creating a game are sometimes better communicated with the work you do for the project rather than talking. What I mean by this, is for an example, if you are going to be building a 2d platformer where the character teleports, implement the platforming and teleportation with your team. This way, your team has a better understanding of the direction in which your project is headed.

5. Core mechanics day: I like to call the second day the core mechanics day because this is when I am usually building the features that make my game stand out. Going back to the platformer example, this is the day when we are creating the features that make our game stand out from all of the other platformers. Communicate extensively with your team during this period, but try to work on separate features. This is why I mentioned that it is important to code in the basic mechanics on the first day (if you can).

6. Nothing works day: The last day you might feel the energy drop, although the enthusiasm will still be there, you will definitely feel the clock ticking in the final hours of the game jam. Do not panic, even if you do not have a product. During the last day try to not implement new features which you are not sure if you can complete in time. Instead, work on polishing what you already have and try to make your game look cute. Fix obvious bugs, add stuff that makes your game look cute, and work on a cool presentation. It is more important to have a small game that is fun to play and looks good than have a game with uncompleted ideas just floating in space.

7. Presentation: At about 17:00 on Sunday, you will have to upload your game, or a video of your game and present it. Make sure that your presentation is short and that it gets your idea across. Talk about what inspired you, talk about the dev process with the audience, but just a little, let the gameplay and aesthetics of your game speak for their selves and instead focus on explaining how the core mechanics of your game work! Don't be shy to present, remember that you are doing this because you want to make games and that you are doing it with people who share your drive! Hear out the other teams and don't overthink too much.

This is it for the team and time management perspective. Next time I will write about the "dev" perspective, where I will go over on how to approach the game jam from a programmer perspective and how I adapt my programming knowledge for a game jam. Finally, I will write an article about the most recent game jam that I attended where I will share what me and my team did during the most recent jam.