Explore the basics of game jams

There’s one critical thing that game creators need to do: practice making games! Game jams are a great way to improve your creative and technical skills, and offer a brilliant opportunity to connect with the wider game development community. In this learning experience, you’ll find out more about game jams and prepare to participate in one that suits your interests and goals.

By the end of this first tutorial, you'll be able to do the following:

• Describe the general format and purpose of game jams.
• Explain the value of game jams for creators.
• Identify game jams that match your personal interests.

Important: This content assumes that you are already familiar with the Unity Editor. If you’re new to Unity, the Unity Essentials learning pathway will help you get set up and ready to create in the Unity Editor.

A game jam is an event during which creators make a prototype game from scratch. Most game jams have a set theme, a time limit, and some specific rules decided on by the jam organizers.

Most game jams are open to all and there are a wide variety available online and in-person! It’s common to join a team at the start of a game jam, but you can also create a game on your own if you want to.

The theme of a game jam is really important. Some themes are technical, for example making a specific type of game or basing your game around a particular mechanic. Other themes are conceptual, and can involve creative interpretation of an idea or a prompt with no technical requirements. The most important thing to remember is that your game must follow the theme of the game jam.

Although different game jams have their own rules, it’s an almost universal requirement that you can’t begin work before the game jam begins. In some jams you can reuse existing code or assets, but you should read through the rules for your specific jam before you begin to make sure that it’s a good fit for you.

Take some time to explore Ludum Dare’s rules, to find out more about the kind of rules you might be expected to follow during a game jam.

Game jams are open to everyone, but not every game jam is suitable for everyone. Before you search for game jams to enter, consider your experience level, the time commitment you’d have to make, the location of the event, and whether you want to enter solo or as part of a team. Knowing how much time you can commit to a game jam is important when deciding whether or not to participate in a game jam.

Experience level

No matter your level of experience, there is a game jam for you. Game jams are a learning experience for everyone. If you get stuck, don’t worry! You’ll be able to seek advice and reach out to others during the jam, whether you’re participating online or in-person.

If you’d like to collaborate with other creators who have more experience, you could form a team with your friends or connect with new creators you don’t know. This can be a great way to learn new tricks and discover new techniques you might not have encountered by yourself.

Time and location commitment

Be aware that game jams are a significant time commitment. The duration of game jams can range from 24 hours to around a month. Short, intense game jams tend to be more common, but there’s a growing number of more relaxed jams over a longer timeframe. Some game jams are in-person events and your presence is necessary on site, but there are lots of remote options too.

Find a game jam that suits your availability and preferences. If you plan on participating in any game jam, make sure you are aware of these commitments and that you can plan for your personal and work life accordingly.

Teams and roles for a game jam

If you’re not a professional developer and you’re planning on entering your first game jam, don’t worry. Game jams offer fantastic opportunities to connect and collaborate with peers and potential mentors. Collaboration is also a great way for you to make a game that benefits from a wide range of different skills and expertise, from scripting to graphics, audio to writing.

The decision to work solo or as part of a team will shape your game jam experience, so it’s important to know the pros and cons for each approach. The key advantages and disadvantages of working solo or as part of a team are outlined below.

Participate solo

Joining a game jam independently means you’re responsible for every aspect of your game. This approach takes more effort than working as part of a team because you must tackle the challenges on your own.

Here are some challenges of participating in a game jam solo:

• You have to complete a potentially overwhelming number of tasks by yourself.
• You have less time and opportunity for networking. With fewer interactions from other creators, it’s harder for you to learn new skills and overcome creative blocks.

There are plenty of advantages to participating in a game jam by yourself. Successfully completing a game jam by yourself is an incredible accomplishment that will make you stand out to potential employers as you demonstrate your ability to be self-driven and work under pressure. It can also teach you a lot about how you work and your own areas for development and strengths.

Here are some advantages of participating in a game jam solo:

• You have the creative freedom to choose and carry out your design solutions. All of the decisions are in your hands, including your work schedule.
• You or your game development process won’t stall because of someone else's progress.
• You’ll be able to test and develop your skills by working through new design problems.

Participate with a team

Team dynamics and composition can greatly affect your productivity, for better or for worse. Whilst there are benefits to working in a team, you should consider some of the following potential challenges too:

• Although game jams offer a friendly environment for creators, it's not unusual for there to be conflict. This might lead to negotiation and compromise - but this doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
• There might be delays to your work schedule if a team member takes longer than expected to complete their tasks. Think about how you would approach a situation where you have contrasting views with others.
• The use of file sharing services is critical when you’re in a team. However, there are multiple things that can go wrong when syncing files like file conflicts, version control issues and poor syncing because everyone’s devices upload files at different speeds.
• Because everyone has different compatible devices, there could be a variety of technical difficulties. For example, your game might publish on a Windows laptop but it might not on a MacBook.

You’ll find that most game jams encourage participants to join a team, as jams are designed as social events. Here are some of the advantages of working with a team:

• You’ll share the workload, which can lead to a higher quality game as each team member focuses on their respective sections.
• You’ll find opportunities to learn new skills and techniques from others.
• You’ll develop your communication and technical skills during the design process.
• As a team, your creative reach and possibilities are greater because there’s an increased variety of experience and creative skills.
• Employers value the experience you develop whilst working in a team, especially if you’re the one leading the team.
• Game jams offer you the chance to network and meet new people in the industry you want to be part of.

Whichever option you choose, you’ll be able to test and extend your skills and connect with other creators during the game jam.

If you're interested in pursuing a career in real-time 3D development, game jams are the fastest way to gain experience. Additionally, you can share your projects with potential employers by adding the events to your portfolio. Finished projects on your portfolio help to give you a professional look and showcase your range of skills. Game jam experience is also a good way to show that you can work within a team on a creative brief. If you need even more motivation, game jams will also help you do the following:

• Practice your prototype development skills.
• Learn how to create products independently or as part of a team.
• Practice using version control as you engage in digital collaboration with others.
• Develop your creative process.
• Meet and interact with new people.
• Learn new techniques, technologies, and software.

At this stage, you should have a basic understanding of game jams. Take some time to explore the links below and explore some of the most popular game jam archives:

• Unity Play Game Jam Showcases: Unity Play is an online platform from Unity Technologies where users can share, play, and discover games built with the Unity engine. It also hosts game jam showcases, which are skill-based competitions aimed at highlighting the best web games created using Unity and shared on Unity Play.
• Itch.io Game Jam Calendar and Itch.io Past Game Jams: Itch.io is the biggest online portal and storefront for independently developed video games with more than 200 pages of past game jams to look at. At least one game jam runs nearly every single week of the year.
• Global Game Jam: Global Game Jam is the biggest Game Jam in the world. This yearly, international event has 11 years worth of game submissions to pursue and play.
• Ludum Dare: Ludum Dare, the online hosted Game Jam, has run twice a year since 2002. There are hundreds of games for you to examine and gain inspiration from.
• Indie Game Jams: Indie Game Jams offers many opportunities for jammers to practice their skills with multiple jams running on a weekly basis. You can also find a vast selection of newsletters with updates and game jam knowledge.

Congratulations, you’ve successfully explored the fundamentals of game jams! In the next tutorial, you’ll prepare for the jam event of your choice.