Game Jams and Hobbyists is a talk I did at Aalto University in Finland in December 2013. Since this was a university talk, I felt it was important to do something Academically substantial and so did a lot of research on the history of collaborative design and the evolution of game jams. I hope you enjoy the slides. Links to videos of the presentation can be found at http://mediafactory.aalto.fi/games-now-2013/game-jams-and-hobbyists/
2. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
About Me
Demo scener
Been a game developer since 2004
13 Titles
Xbox 360, PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Set top box,
Silicon Graphics, Embedded Devices
Nordic Game Jam 2006
Global Game Jam 2008
HiCapacity
• Demo scener
• Been a game developer since 2004
• 13 Titles
• Xbox 360, PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Set top box
• Silicon Graphics, Embedded Devices
• IGDA Denmark
• Nordic Game Jam 2006
• Global Game Jam 2008
• Founder of Kotori Studios Ltd
• HiCapacity
• London Games Space
3. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
What are game jams
Demo scener
Been a game developer since 2004
13 Titles
Xbox 360, PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Set top box,
Silicon Graphics, Embedded Devices
Nordic Game Jam 2006
Global Game Jam 2008
HiCapacity
4. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
What are game jams
Demo scener
Been a game developer since 2004
13 Titles
Xbox 360, PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Set top box,
Silicon Graphics, Embedded Devices
Nordic Game Jam 2006
Global Game Jam 2008
HiCapacity
• Constrained in Time?
5. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
What are game jams
Demo scener
Been a game developer since 2004
13 Titles
Xbox 360, PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Set top box,
Silicon Graphics, Embedded Devices
Nordic Game Jam 2006
Global Game Jam 2008
HiCapacity
• Constrained in Time?
• New Project?
6. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
What are game jams
Demo scener
Been a game developer since 2004
13 Titles
Xbox 360, PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Set top box,
Silicon Graphics, Embedded Devices
Nordic Game Jam 2006
Global Game Jam 2008
HiCapacity
• Constrained in Time?
• New Project?
• Theme?
7. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
What are game jams
Demo scener
Been a game developer since 2004
13 Titles
Xbox 360, PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Set top box,
Silicon Graphics, Embedded Devices
Nordic Game Jam 2006
Global Game Jam 2008
HiCapacity
• Constrained in Time?
• New Project?
• Theme?
• Collaborative?
8. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
What are game jams
Demo scener
Been a game developer since 2004
13 Titles
Xbox 360, PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Set top box,
Silicon Graphics, Embedded Devices
Nordic Game Jam 2006
Global Game Jam 2008
HiCapacity
• Constrained in Time?
• New Project?
• Theme?
• Collaborative?
• Sharing / Open Source?
9. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
What are game jams
Demo scener
Been a game developer since 2004
13 Titles
Xbox 360, PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Set top box,
Silicon Graphics, Embedded Devices
Nordic Game Jam 2006
Global Game Jam 2008
HiCapacity
• Constrained in Time?
• New Project?
• Theme?
• Collaborative?
• Sharing / Open Source?
• Single space?
11. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
Space? The Ultimate Constraint
Demo scener
Been a game developer since 2004
13 Titles
Xbox 360, PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Set top box,
Silicon Graphics, Embedded Devices
Nordic Game Jam 2006
Global Game Jam 2008
HiCapacity
15. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
Oulipo
Demo scener
Been a game developer since 2004
13 Titles
Xbox 360, PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Set top box,
Silicon Graphics, Embedded Devices
Nordic Game Jam 2006
Global Game Jam 2008
HiCapacity
Ouvroir de littérature potentielle
Raymond Queneau
30. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
• 2002
• Founded by Chris Hecker & Sean Barrett
• Oakland, California
• Single site game jam
• Attended by lot dev celebrities:
• Jonathan Blow
• Randy Smith
• ..
• Very technical Constraints
Indie Game Jam
33. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
• 2006
• Founded by
• Henriette Moos, Diginet Oresund
• Jesper Juul, ITU
• Gorm Lai, IGDA
• Copenhagen, Denmark
• Single site game jam
• Technical/Thematical/Mechanical Theme
• Teams Encouraged!
Nordic Game Jam
38. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
• Sharing fundamentalists
• GGJ stores initial pristine version
• All source code and assets must be shared
• Original team keeps commercial rights
• Creative Commons license
Global Game Jam
42. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
• Game Jam by Double Fine
• Annual Double Fine event for coming up with new games
• A chance for people to try out new skills / organisational positions
• At this year’s event, they made it a public event
• People could pay and vote for the games
• Successfully commercialised game jams!
Amnesia Fortnight
44. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
• DnaDigest Hack Day
• M2M Hack Fest
• Google Glass and Wearables Hackathon
• Random Hacks of Kindness
• Tame Traffic
• Esri and MapAction Humanitarian Hackathon
• Hack the High Street
• Seed hack
• Droidcon Hackathon
• …
Hack-a-thons
46. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
• Met at the Nordic Game Jam
• Made many of their hits at game jams:
• B.U.T.T.O.N.
• Dark Room Sex Game
• J.S. Joust
• Some formed into Knapknop Games
• Some joined Die Gute Fabrik
Copenhagen Game Collective
49. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
J.S. Joust
Demo scener
Been a game developer since 2004
13 Titles
Xbox 360, PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Set top box,
Silicon Graphics, Embedded Devices
Nordic Game Jam 2006
Global Game Jam 2008
HiCapacity
Die Gute Fabrik - Nordic Game Jam
51. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
Surgeon Simulator
Demo scener
Been a game developer since 2004
13 Titles
Xbox 360, PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Set top box,
Silicon Graphics, Embedded Devices
Nordic Game Jam 2006
Global Game Jam 2008
HiCapacity
Bossa Studios - Global Game Jam 2013
53. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
World of Goo
Demo scener
Been a game developer since 2004
13 Titles
Xbox 360, PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Set top box,
Silicon Graphics, Embedded Devices
Nordic Game Jam 2006
Global Game Jam 2008
HiCapacity
2D Boy
57. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
Jams & Startups
• Focused on producing a product
• Very small amount of time
• Must focus on a few things that goes right
• Constraints are an inherent part
59. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
Vertical vs Horizontal
• 2010 GDC Rant by Chris Hecker “Please Finish Your Games”
• Canadian Michael Todd (spyart.com) @ No More Sweden gave
talk about the difficulty of transforming game jam prototypes into
bigger games
60. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
Vertical vs Horizontal
• 2010 GDC Rant by Chris Hecker “Please Finish Your Games”
• Canadian Michael Todd (spyart.com) @ No More Sweden gave
talk about the difficulty of transforming game jam prototypes into
bigger games
• 2012 Depth Jam
64. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
Jamming vs Prototyping
• GDC Next 2013 by Nathan Vella (Sword & Sorcery, Super Time
Force)
• Jams are about finishing something
• Jams make your delusional about schedules
• Jam games lack depth
65. @globalgamejam #GGJ14gorm@globalgamejam.org
Jamming vs Prototyping
• GDC Next 2013 by Nathan Vella (Sword & Sorcery, Super Time
Force)
• Jams are about finishing something
• Jams make your delusional about schedules
• Jam games lack depth
• Jam teams are small