Global Game Jam - From Failure to Success

Two years ago had a big moment for me. It was the first time I had the opportunity to not write about success and how great everything is in University. Instead it was about failure, which is something no one likes to talk about but has plenty to learn from. What I’m talking about is the Global Game Jam 2014 blog post where I made a list of the essentials in a game jam. Now in 2016, I want to see what I still agree with and have taken to heart, what didn’t matter to me and what new things I have learned.

First off, Global Game Jam 2016 went really well for me and my team. We placed first locally with a small, mostly newcomer, but still dedicated group of contestants. Before I speak any more about me and my team I think everyone at the Hull site did amazing work and my respect goes out to the Hull College team who persisted. Well done to all. If you'd like to see the game check it out at the Global Game Jam page.

Be Prepared / Assemble a team

The whole team alive and awake after 48 hours of jamming.

This lesson is something I have really taken to heart since GGJ 2014. I have participated in game jams with a lot of people now and experimented and tested jams with different people with different skillsets who approach things in different ways. What I’ve learned is I care way more about the passion and dedication a team member has than their skill level. Project scope can adjust to skill level but an unenthusiastic team will most likely leave a project dead, no matter how short.

So I’ve always picked people who look like they care. Caring is usually when they’ve asked about it or have shown dedication towards it. That’s all someone who is bringing a team together can ask for.

Don’t Avoid An Obvious Idea

My mistake two years ago really was to pay attention to the keynote speakers. What they say is nice but often doesn’t apply to what you hope to make out of your time at the game jam. I ignored the one this year and went for something reliable and simple that has a chance of being fun. Same thing with the jam diversifiers. Ignore them unless they can work for you. Ignore a lot of things unless it works with what you and your team want to do.

Have a vision behind the game/ Avoid the committee Ensure A shared Team Vision

So half of what I said was right here but mostly by accident. In retrospect I think it is absolutely very important to hear what everyone has to say about the project and what they think is cool. With a team of the right people ideas will be passed around but everyone be realistic with what works and what doesn’t.

The part about the vision is correct but merely by accident. What’s more important is having a shared vision with the whole team. When building ideas for the project common understood language is key. Doing this perfectly probably isn’t possible but the attempt is worth it. We still encountered some miscommunication but it was sparse enough to be mitigated and didn't stop the project.

Keep It Simple

This catches out all the new people going into game jams and the meaning of simple is only learned through experience. The most successful games have been Hard Boiled Fury, Dispaced, Wavelength and now Waves from the Graves. The common theme among them is only having a basic game mechanic to drive the whole project. We've added more features and polish to each game, sure, but we did so with confidence and didn't put the project at risk.

Have a prototype finished early  Focus On First Deliverable

To be clearer what I meant to say is work to make a basic first deliverable that captures the point of the project and work from there. The concept of iterative development hadn’t been taught to me yet but I guess I had worked how important something like it is already. Hard Boiled Fury was going to a different game at first but when we got our first version working we noticed what was more fun about the game and what we can ignore. Our GGJ game was also going to have a lot more game mechanics added to it but we only planned on doing so if the basics were covered first.

Don’t let  programmers people do 12+ hour shifts

Managing a project is managing people as well. Making everyone feel useful, valued and not overworked is most important so everyone can enjoy the jam (after all, isn’t that the point of it?). Like I said before I appreciate enthusiasm almost more than anything and no rest is a tragic way to kill it all. It is the project manager's responsibility to make sure no one is burned out.

Bring a pillow + Earplugs Get Some Sleep

I don’t recommend anyone except possibly the project manager to sleep on site. I choose to stay around for as long as humanely possible and make sure the deadlines are met. I don’t expect this from any other team member though and I don’t expect anyone reading this to do the same. It is often more productive to get 8 hours of sleep. 

Always Show Something

This is still true and is honestly one of the best ways to learn from what from you have made. The importance of feedback is not stated enough when it comes to game jams and learning from the opinion of others is one of the most useful things about a jam. Along with learning, you also get to see other people enjoy your work which can often be the only thing you need to make it all feel worth it. You also get to leave an impression and get known by other game jam enthusiasts in the area.

Go To The Pub After Get loads of rest

I was talking crazy stuff. Don’t go to the pub. Don’t. Unless you hate sleep.


To read more about this jam please see my good friend Declan's blog about his experience at Global Game Jam Hull.

I'm hoping to bring back blogging and will release one at least every week, likely Sunday. I'm in no shortage of topics. If I don't, please poke me about it.