game jams & hobbyists

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Game Jams and startups

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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



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?




• Constrained in Time? • New Project?




• Constrained in Time? • New Project? • Theme?




• Constrained in Time? • New Project? • Theme? • Collaborative?




• Constrained in Time? • New Project? • Theme? • Collaborative? • Sharing / Open Source?




• Constrained in Time? • New Project? • Theme? • Collaborative? • Sharing / Open Source? • Single space?



Constraints 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



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



Constraint => Innovation?



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



OulipoOubapo

Ouhispo

Oumapo

Ou’inpoOupypo

OuarchpoOugrapo



Oubapo

Ougrapo



Collaborative? 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



• Poetry, Writing, Art, ArchitectureCollaborative?



• Poetry, Writing, Art, Architecture • The ‘Auteur’

Collaborative?



• Poetry, Writing, Art, Architecture • The ‘Auteur’ • Early game jams were coder centric

Collaborative?



• Poetry, Writing, Art, Architecture • The ‘Auteur’ • Early game jams were coder centric • Other early game jams do not encourage collaboration

Collaborative?



Games are made by Teams



History of Game Jams



• 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



• 2002 • Founded by Geoff Howland • Virtual Game Jam • Thematical / Mechanical Constraints

Ludum Dare



• 2006 • Single site game jam • Thematical / Mechanical Constraints • ToJam Arcade

T.O. Jam



• 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



Jammin’ For Good



• 2009 • Founded by

• Susan Gold • Ian Schreiber • Gorm Lai

• Multi-site game jam • Non-virtual

Global Game Jam



• 2013 • Now Global Game Jam Inc. • On our way to non-profit status • Separate Research Committee • Theme Committee

Global Game Jam



• 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



• Umbrella for several game jamsFinnish Game Jam



• Monthly theme • Run by the people behind 2D Boy (Kyle Gabler & • World of Goo

Experimental Gameplay Project



Ton of other jams



• 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



• 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



Game Jam Competitions



• 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



Dark Room Sex GameCopenhagen Game Collective - Nordic Game Jam



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



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



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



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



Jams & Startups• Focused on producing a product



Jams & Startups• Focused on producing a product • Very small amount of time



Jams & Startups• Focused on producing a product • Very small amount of time • Must focus on a few things that goes right



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



Vertical vs Horizontal• 2010 GDC Rant by Chris Hecker “Please Finish Your Games”



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


http://spyart.com


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


http://spyart.com


Jamming vs Prototyping• GDC Next 2013 by Nathan Vella (Sword & Sorcery, Super Time

Force)




Force) • Jams are about finishing something




Force) • Jams are about finishing something • Jams make your delusional about schedules




Force) • Jams are about finishing something • Jams make your delusional about schedules • Jam games lack depth




Force) • Jams are about finishing something • Jams make your delusional about schedules • Jam games lack depth • Jam teams are small


game jams & hobbyists

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