This coming Monday (April 1, 2024), I will be starting a new series of game jams, to help myself and other developers practice game design and development skills. A game jam is an event in which, given a theme announced at the start, developers have a limited amount of time to create a new game from scratch that incorporates the theme.
Here is the link to the game jam: https://itch.io/jam/practice-jam-1
Here is a good article to learn more about what a jam is and how to participate: https://intogames.org/news/game-jams-101-core-games/
This game jam, the first of many, is a non-competitive jam that is meant to help encourage developers to practice their game-making skills. Sometimes having an external deadline can help motivate us to practice and take action. Consider this jam your opportunity to sharpen your game development skills, with no pressure.
I think one of the problems aspiring developers face, especially if they have been doing a bunch of tutorials, is that they never actually put what they’ve learned to use. My goal is to help provide an opportunity to practice the skills that you’ve learned. All skill levels are welcome.
It’s ok if you don’t finish your game, or even if you don’t feel comfortable sharing your game with others. You can still follow along with the themes and work on a project on your own. Although, at some point it is good to share and get feedback from others on your game.
Feel free to join in if you’d like!
The theme will be announced at the start date. Feel free to use any development tool you would like. Some suggestions for beginners looking to get started with a new tool:
- MIT Scratch: https://scratch.mit.edu/
- GDevelop: https://gdevelop.io/
- GameMaker: https://gamemaker.io/en/download
If you are going to submit a game, please keep it safe for work.
