Wireframe 2019

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Interface

Game Jams: The sweetest fruits

Interface

WRITTEN BY

MIKE CLARK

hile making games is now

more accessible than ever,

it doesn’t make the task any

less overwhelming. When

stripped bare, games are a

form of interactive art, and are as vast as our

imaginations will allow them to be. The endless

possibility of a blank slate has paralysed every

artist’s mind at least once in their lifetime, and

so it’s no surprise that constraints can often

yield better results, providing direction and

streamlining the creative process. Ballet tells a

story with no words; text adventures often tell

stories entirely with words. A limitation shifts the

focus; a self-limitation explores how that focus

shifts the artist’s approach.

As we saw on page 44, game jams give

developers the opportunity to think differently.

Since their inception in 2002, game jams have

provided enthusiasts with the task of making

a game based on a theme, on location, or

remotely, normally within two to seven days.

W

Some jams last as little as 24 hours. At the

Global Game Jam, which takes place over about

48 hours, some developers even sleep under

the desks to cut out the morning commute.

I’ve taken part in five game jams in the last

four years, and the sheer variety, innovation,

and diversity of games has always left me

inspired. These events teach newcomers that

it’s OK to ‘fail’ several times in order to achieve

success. Developers are reminded never to

focus for too long on one hurdle; to have

something that works is more important than

triple-A polish. Many use it as an opportunity to

try something bonkers. A wheely-chair racing

game, a homebrew Mega Drive shooter, a VR

drunk-Peckham-hooligan headbutt-brawler;

these all exist. You might be surprised to see

how many games find success after first being

conceptualised at a jam. After playing a fair

number of these wacky creations, then, I’ve

hand-picked some titles that I would highly

recommend giving a go...

Game Jams:

The sweetest fruits

From bomb disposal to space bunnies, here’s a selection

of great titles that have emerged from game jams

 Superhot provides an

experience that’s a bit like

the slow-mo drug in the

2012 movie, Dredd.