Global Game Jam was big this year – 450 locations around the world participated in the weekend game-making marathon. Celebrating the spirit of experimentation in gaming, the game jam gave opportunities for new and experience game developers to collaborate and make something special in 48 hours. Joburg and Cape Town took part, and the results were seriously impressive.
First up, though, the global part of the jam. Everyone around the world was given the same theme:
We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.
What an artsy and abstract theme! Here is the keynote address that was streamed to all the locations, too, for those who are interested. It features Richard Lemarchand, Kaho Abe and Jenova Chen.
Okay, now to the awesomely local part of the Game Jam. Cape Town saw 12 games submitted by the end of the weekend. 53 jammers registered, including some of the guys from Free Lives and QCF Design, as well as other established Cape Town studios. At that number, Cape Town was actually at full capacity in their UCT venue. Check out this video (with music that makes my ears bleed) of the Cape Town jam:
Our very own Nick Reay, aka the awesome Rincethis, was on-site at the Cape Town Jam. As our correspondent at the event, here’s what he had to say (note: Cape Town had actual game judges who gave out awards):
Cape Town’s event also boasted awards for certain categories. Under a Glass Bell won two awards for ‘most fun game’ and ‘best theme’ while Oculus Rift Dungeon Throne won ‘most daring project’ and features goblins being strung up on your throne room walls. Not that the prizes were any sort of motivation for the developers; while I was there, I spotted quite a few beds laid out just behind the owner’s computer stations proving that the bad smell was not just an imaginary stereotype. In fact some were so committed they spent the entire 48 hours plus working hard on their projects, taking breaks only when food was laid out. I was also impressed at how enthusiastic the developers were, sleep-deprived and mentally exhausted as they were. Each was more than happy to take time to show you how their game worked and listened to feedback in a positive and constructive manner.
That is the great thing about events like this, you are shown how professional South African developers can be; with support from people like Nick Hall (Chairman of Make Games SA) these events are guaranteed to grow year on year. This Wednesday (29 Jan) will see the monthly met up of the Make Games SA in Cape Town and will also showcase all the games that were launched at the event. This is a great opportunity to show off some games that suffered from technical glitches and also allows for some more ‘polish time’ for the creators.
I checked in on the Joburg Jam – what an amazing vibe. The room was filled with a bunch of first time jammers, as well as some seasoned veterans. Joburg saw 64 registered jammers making 14 games, some of which I got to play with. Most developers were using Gamemaker or Unity to forge their creations, although an all-lady team of crack coders actually built their Android game from scratch; this particularly impressed the group when they realized this was the team’s first ever attempt at a game.
Joburg’s jam was hosted at Microsoft, and I feel bad for those people going into those office this morning – there’s no more coffee, sugar or oxygen in that room. However, there were some radically creative games made, and you can play them for free. I was impressed by the Android game, Bit Cloud, that creates a Pokemon-styled experience of battling with creatures every time you connect to a new Wifi network. In Echo, the player is actually blind and must send out pings for echolocation as they try to consume smaller creatures and avoiding being eaten by the bigger ones – with some extra polish, I could see this game going viral. The Maltese Foursome is essentially a manic local multiplayer version of speed Clue(do) that you’ll want to play again and again. However, my favorite game of the Joburg Jam was Trivarient, a truly unique puzzler from the Celestrial Games crew. Play it for free and help me pester the guys to make it an even bigger game – I need more of it in my life.
Go check out all the awesome games from Global Game Jam – you can play them for free and some of them are really rather spectacular. I’m curious to see how some of the innovative ideas are utilized in future projects.
Last Updated: January 27, 2014
RinceThis2014
January 27, 2014 at 11:41
It was AWESOME! But Zoe, you didn’t use pics! So I shall instead!
Alien Emperor Trevor
January 27, 2014 at 11:45
Who is that handsome devil in yellow?
oVg 60fps > 30fps
January 27, 2014 at 11:51
Phil Fish
Alien Emperor Trevor
January 27, 2014 at 11:52
bwhahahahaha
RinceThis2014
January 27, 2014 at 12:00
Hahaha! 🙂
Tuism
January 27, 2014 at 14:57
Hahahahahaa
I’m so happy you guys went ahead and jammed Dungeon Throne 🙂 Hope some toilet humour was carreid over from previous discussions 🙂
Guest
January 27, 2014 at 11:41
Dungeon Throne team
Gavin Mannion
January 27, 2014 at 11:41
14 – 12… SUCK IT CAPE TOWN… Jozi rocks
RinceThis2014
January 27, 2014 at 11:42
Wow bro, issues much? 😛
Gavin Mannion
January 27, 2014 at 11:46
Ah don’t try be reasonable and mature just because you lost…
RinceThis2014
January 27, 2014 at 11:49
We may have lost in numbers, but we won in AWESOMENESS!
Gavin Mannion
January 27, 2014 at 11:52
We had an all girl coding team who made an app from scratch… you lose in the awesomeness rankings as well.. go cry at your mountain
RinceThis2014
January 27, 2014 at 11:53
Who are you to judge? Opps, sorry, Jozi didn’t have real judges! BOOM!
Gavin Mannion
January 27, 2014 at 12:27
lol … FINE
RinceThis2014
January 27, 2014 at 11:54
PS. Are you trying to make a thing of girls making apps? You know they can apparently also drive and vote 😛
Gavin Mannion
January 27, 2014 at 12:10
Since when? No wonder the worlds going to hell
RinceThis2014
January 27, 2014 at 12:11
Don’t worry bro, apparently they have an app that brings hell right to you. Think it’s called marriage 😉
Alien Emperor Trevor
January 27, 2014 at 11:55
That’s sexist 😛
RinceThis2014
January 27, 2014 at 11:56
And also very discriminatory to mountains 🙁
Alien Emperor Trevor
January 27, 2014 at 11:57
Yes, think of the mountain’s feelings. Monster.
Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim
January 27, 2014 at 12:03
“Go cry at your mountain”
<3
RinceThis2014
January 27, 2014 at 12:07
Kiss arse.
CrasH
January 27, 2014 at 12:04
Cant, too busy having a beer by the beach 😛
RinceThis2014
January 27, 2014 at 12:05
Boom! 🙂
Alien Emperor Trevor
January 27, 2014 at 11:47
Quantity over quality eh? 😉
RinceThis2014
January 27, 2014 at 11:49
Shhh, it’s all he has 😉
RinceThis2014
January 27, 2014 at 11:50
Also, Jozi couldn’t even muster up real fudges! BWAHAHAHA!
Gavin Mannion
January 27, 2014 at 11:53
You want to have sex daily or 2 great nights a year? Quantity sometimes is more important…
RinceThis2014
January 27, 2014 at 11:53
You’re not doing it right.
Alien Emperor Trevor
January 27, 2014 at 11:56
That’s what she said! *run*
Alien Emperor Trevor
January 27, 2014 at 11:56
With or without someone else? :/
Alien Emperor Trevor
January 27, 2014 at 11:44
That’s something that stood out to me – there weren’t any grumpy bastards there even though you could see some were dead on their feet. Everyone was just really happy to show you what they were working on.
oVg 60fps > 30fps
January 27, 2014 at 11:48
FCUK IT LOOKS MENTAL. Or is that just my ears and the new age Hollywood shaky cam.
Alien Emperor Trevor
January 27, 2014 at 11:55
I’m much more interested to see the reporting from Lazygamer’s intrepid reporter & his death-defying camera man.
RinceThis2014
January 27, 2014 at 11:55
HAHAH! I must give that to Will, get him to edit and post 🙂
TiMsTeR1033
January 27, 2014 at 11:54
Demon hunter played and finished now, I don’t get it at the end.. was very easy though
Her Highness the Hipster
January 27, 2014 at 11:57
look at the theme again – it’s totally meta…. you see the girls as demons because actually, you ARE the demon.
Alien Emperor Trevor
January 27, 2014 at 11:57
Or is that just what they WANT you to think?
TiMsTeR1033
January 27, 2014 at 12:00
yes I understand that, but then when I killed all the girls its just over.. who would kill me?
Umar Break Dancing Cyborg
January 27, 2014 at 12:02
Meta…some Braid shizz going on
Unavengedavo
January 27, 2014 at 12:04
I also want to make a game! But I don’t have any development experience past Turbo Pascal in high school.
Her Highness the Hipster
January 27, 2014 at 12:09
Join at the next Make Games SA meet up – anyone can make a game. join a team, learn, help, find nirvana. 🙂
Unavengedavo
January 27, 2014 at 12:15
Lol, I am good at think up random ideas for games. But the everyone says it won’t work. Then a few weeks later a similar thing hits the market and everyone goes crazy about it 😛
RinceThis2014
January 27, 2014 at 12:16
Oh, can you correct “monthly met up of the Make Games SA”
meet up*
Alien Emperor Trevor
January 27, 2014 at 13:07
That’s what I studied at school as well heh.
Tuism
January 27, 2014 at 14:55
I started exactly with that experience alone – made two games in high school, abandoned the whole thing in general, then about 15 years later today I’ve got a few prototypes and was in a team of 4 at this year’s ggj (my first) and made Echo 🙂
TLDR: JUST COME! JUST GET STARTED!