First Game Jam

I did something uncomfortable and exciting: I attended a game jam and spoke on a panel about it. It was pretty spontaneous and out of character, but I’m proud that I did it. I didn’t win any awards, and that’s okay. I didn’t expect to as a first-timer. There’s a lot I wish I had done differently though. Most importantly, I wish I had held myself more accountable. One of the developers on the panel said that his goal is to make a new game every month. That’s a tall order, but he says he does better when he gives himself a deadline. So how do I hold myself accountable? I’m still figuring that out, I guess.

With 5 minutes left on the clock, I managed to submit my game to the jam before submissions closed. It was a close call, but it wasn’t a finished game, and still isn’t (it’s in active development). There were things I intended to have ready if I had more time. But I didn’t have a full plan.

I mean I had my ideas, but my issue is that I keep everything up in my head and not on paper. So I started with the art before the gameplay. And then I started coding before understanding the game loop. I would start working on things, then I was undoing things, then restarting the things. That took up a lot of time. And time management is my boss battle.

In hindsight, I should have began with a short game design document. It’s not something I’ve ever considered, being a solo developer. But having that structure would have given me a schedule to follow.

I saw so many impressive games during the jam that inspire me to keep building. I definitely want to do another jam next year, maybe even sooner. But I’m completing what I started before moving onto the next thing. If you’d like to see what I’m talking about, here’s a link to the Itch.io page: https://mike-input.itch.io/after-rain

It’s a scary feeling to put yourself out there with the possibility of failing, but I’m learning a lot and proud of myself for publishing something I said I was going to do. More updates to come soon!