Game jams are fun events where developers are given a short period of time (usually 48 hours) to develop a game based around a singular theme.
The worlds biggest jam is the Global Game Jam (GGJ). There are no winners and prerequisite skills required to participate. Whether it’s your first time using a game engine, you are an industry veteran, or you want to make a board game; you are welcome.
Now in its 12th year, the 2020 GGJ was held between January 31st - February 2nd and had 48,700 jammers attending 934 sites across 118 countries. This was the eighth year in a row the Canberra developers have participated in the GGJ which saw 57 of Canberra’s developers create 16 games.
The theme developers from all over the world had to base their games around was ‘Repair’.
Have a quick think about what kind of game or experience you would make with that theme. It’s fascinating that despite all working to the same theme, developers in Canberra all created very different games.
In the video below we interviewed all the teams half way through the jam to find out how they were going and to learn more about their process for developing games in such a short period of time.
Developers are able to make games with existing teams or meet new people as the jam is starting. There is no better way to get to know someone then to find out what repair means to them.
Check out all the games created as part of the jam at the end of jam presentation. Recorded just 15 minutes after the submission deadline.
If you want to download any of the games developed during the jam head to the global game jam website using this link.
While you are on the GGJ website, have a look at games developed from other countries. It’s really interesting to see how different cultures interpret the theme.
GGJ will return on January 29 - 31, 2021. Keep an eye on the CanDev Facebook group for when registrations open for 2021 (normally in December)