Written by Etra Games. an independent game developer with two and a half years of experience with Unreal Engine 4. Although he admits he does not have too much experience in the industry after analyzing over 250 game jam entries he has noticed several pitfalls many developers fall into when joining a game jam, and requested to write a piece on how developers can avoid falling into these traps.

If you have ever considered becoming a game developer whether as a hobby or professionally, the first thing many veterans of the industry will tell you to do is to join a game jam. Game jams, as you may know, are timed competitions where developers try to create a game about a specific theme or idea within a set time frame, which is usually around 48 to 72 hours. Creators join these competitions in order to learn more about the complete game development process and about specific software, test experimental ideas, create contacts with other developers, and receive feedback on their projects. I can testify that in practice game jams let creators accomplish these goals! I have only joined two jams so far as well as analyzed and reviewed every game submitted in two others, and from that I have created 5 tips I believe developers should live by whenever joining a game jam!

This is a decision many people don’t seem to consider before joining a game jam.

Usually when asked what their goal is, people just say they are trying to win the jam. Although a good reason, it is extremely unlikely any newcomer will rank in their first several game jams. The issue that arises with this mentality is that, if you focus on winning and only winning, you may not learn as much in your game engine, make as many contacts, and so on. So to make the most out of every game jam have a clear end goal you want to focus on. For example, the goals stated in the introduction are a good place to start :”learn more about specific software, test experimental ideas, create contacts with other developers, and receive feedback on your project.”

Once you have a goal in mind try to make this your main objective to accomplish by the end of the jam with all the other goals being secondary.

Once you have your main goal for the jam picked, find a jam that will help you achieve the goal.

For example, if you want to make contacts try to find a game jam which averages around 100-200 entries. This size keeps the community small enough that if someone comments on your game you can play their game and have a discussion on how you both could improve. Along with that, those jams usually have a discord or some sort of team-making service available on crowdforge or other third-party websites. You can use these as an opportunity to build a game with someone! If you want feedback you can stay with the 100-200 entry size jam or if you are confident in your ability to advertise your project with an interesting image and title you can try to join a bigger jam like Ludum Dare or the Global Game Jam.

If you want feedback, but don’t want to risk your game being buried alive by thousands of entries look for a game jam where a multitude of streamers, lets-players, or bloggers are playing every game. To find an upcoming game jam which fits your needs I recommend visiting indiegamejams. A site that presents every upcoming game jam Jupiter Hadley can find. I personally recommend joining Xavier Ekkel’s jams if you are a new developer or are looking for feedback. More information can be found in their discord .

A common saying regarding game jams is “scope small” as small as possible, and to be fair I believe you should follow this rule for your first few jams. However after several jams you should be able to know your abilities and approximately how much time it takes you to accomplish certain tasks. Since you now have this knowledge there is no need to limit yourself to the bare minimum. If you don’t complete your game in time that’s also fine! As long as you reach your primary goal you’ll come out a better developer in the end.

There have been countless studies noting that lack of sleep leads to a decrease in productivity and I should not even have to say anything about what a lack of food and nutrition does to your body. Yet in any game jam Murphy’s Law is always in full effect, and basic human needs are sometimes not considered to be a priority. To prevent this, chart out exactly what you are going to eat and when you are going to eat it the day before the jam begins. If you feel guilty and don’t want to stop working to eat, then eat while watching video tutorials on whatever the next thing you need to create. Make sure to take occasional breaks and when you do go outside! Going outside is a great way to clear your mind and destress, so you can get back to work re-invigorated! Also get some sleep. Even if you only sleep for just a few hours know that it will make you more productive. Just take care of yourself. The point of a game jam is to learn, not to suffer.

It’s easy to get lost in all the chaos that can happen in a game jam. So make sure you prioritize what needs to be implemented in your project over cool features which are not as necessary. A good way to do this is to make a list of crucial features and elements, important features and elements, and finally additional features and elements. After creating the list focus solely on the crucial features or elements until they are polished to a level you are satisfied with. Next focus on the important features until they are polished. When that is finished try your best to add the additional features and elements. By using this method you should be able to still accomplish your main goals no matter how chaotic development gets!

When your project is submitted that should not mark the end of your involvement in the jam. If it is, you may miss out on receiving critical feedback, which is something necessary to improve. To receive this critical feedback simply provide constructive feedback on other projects. When you do this through reviews or analysis in the project’s comments section leave a link to your own project and a request for the game’s creator to check out your project. In my experience, this method gives you detailed feedback around 50% of the time. By this method, you should both learn from the feedback you receive on your project and learn something each time you analyze another project. A win-win situation for both creators involved!

That’s it! I believe that if you start out your game development journey by receiving feedback and making contacts many opportunities will open up to you. In fact, the very reason I was invited to write for Indie Arcade is because I made contacts within a game jam! If you want to learn more and check out my previously mentioned analyses on notable games from several game jams feel free to check out my youtube channel and follow Indie Arcade for more articles like this!