Recently, we’ve been writing a lot about how you can get into game design. We’ve already touched on what videos you should watch, what design exercises you should try, and what design skills you should learn. But this week, I thought I’d break down one of the classic gateways into game design: Game Jams!
What Is a Game Jam?
Screenshot from Super Necromancer, the first jam game I ever made!
In case you’ve never heard of them before, a Game Jam is basically a hackathon for game developers. The goal is to create a full game from scratch within a very limited amount of time (typically 24-72hrs). Often you’ll create your game in a small team, but you can also work solo if that’s more your style.
Most game jams will have a creative theme that participants must adhere to, such as “Occult Classic,” “Lost & Found,” or “Evolution.” Game jams might also have technical constraints for participants that want to spice things up, such as building the game in a specific programming language, only using sound effects you recorded using your voice, or making all the art in the game monochrome.
Why You Should Join a Game Jam
You’ll meet new people! Most teams are made up of people that have never met before, so there’s plenty of opportunity to meet and work with new talented people. Even if you’re going at it solo, you can still work with other jammers to bounce off ideas or test out each other’s games.
You’ll try out new ideas! Game jams are a creative whirlwind where you can try out whatever weird and wacky ideas you want. Sometimes those ideas won’t work out, which is totally fine! But sometimes you’ll stumble onto a really cool idea, in which case you’re more than welcome to keep working on it after the jam is over.
You’ll improve your skills! Game jams are a great opportunity to refine your skills and get some hands-on experience. This is especially useful if you’re new to game design. The more games you make, the better you’ll get at making them.
You’ll have fun! Though jams can be kinda stressful and hectic, they are also a ton of fun. Plus, you get to make an entire game! How awesome is that?
How to Join a Game Jam
Luckily, finding a game jam to join is actually pretty easy. There are tons of game jams happening literally all the time on itch.io. All you need to do is find one that fits your schedule and sign up. If you’re not sure which jam to join, here’s a few I recommend checking out:
Global Game Jam - GGJ is the world’s largest game jam, and it happens every January. With jam sites across the globe, this is a great one to join no matter where you live.
Ludum Dare - Ludum Dare is a bi-annual jam that happens every April and October. This a good choice if you’re looking for something online.
PIGS Summer Slow Jams - This Portland-based game jam was the first jam I ever joined and I can’t recommend it enough. The nice thing about this jam is that you have ~2 weeks to complete your game instead of ~24-72hrs, so it’s great if you don’t have a lot of free time.