Posted in: Games, Movies, Video Games | Tagged: entertainment, gaming, Gorm Lai, The Global Game Jam, video games

What Do We Do Now? – The Global Game Jam 2015 Addresses The Future

By Phil Harris

As a journalist there are always times where you come to an impasse, a point where you feel a change is due and need to state your point of view and, whilst I am a significantly big fan of games jams and the fresh ideas and developments they represent there has to be a time when you call a halt. Say, "Whoa!" and ask people to step back and look at the process.

Following its formation in 2008 the Global Game Jam has facilitated the opportunity for designers, coders and artists to spend 48 hours together in hot, often sweaty rooms, creating a game based on a subject given by the Global Game Jam Committee. Previous years have had single words, sounds or images as their subjects allowing the participants a solid anchor to base their initial ideas around with subjects like "Extinction" and the picture [below] providing significant possibility from the simple to the sublime to the touching and clever.

Last year I wasn't able to attend the Global Game Jam due to illness but the subject was, "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.", which whilst being a reasonable topic didn't seem as assured or clear as previous years and one, which when translated in all honesty means significantly different things in different countries – therefore negating some of the concept and idea that the Global Game Jam was about.

If there had been a problem though it would never come to light as the event was somewhat hijacked by a strong indie game developer statement against King.com bringing into question their business practices through a number of spins around the name Candy Crush. Something the community of games developers recognised and applauded but which didn't quite have the mainstream impact many were hoping for.

This year the subject was "What do we do now?" and it was noticeable how many developers, on seeing the subject, who took to twitter in what can only be called exasperation, whilst others enjoyed the possibility – giving a very black and white feel to the event. In fact, for anyone taking part in a game jam, the question itself is the first you ask after getting the subject. It wasn't clear, it wasn't an anchor and it caused confusion – in fact one professional developer turned to me and said, "They may as well have just given them a blank piece of paper."

As a designer myself I sat and pondered the subject given and the meta nature of it. Indeed the more I thought about it the more it seemed to sap any of the entertainment and excitement that usually begins after the subject is released as people didn't start to suggest different variations on the theme but the fact that the theme itself was, to be bluntly honest, unhelpful. Another developer involved in the jam suggested, "A game regardless of the theme should have players asking what do we do now constantly. Five hours in and it was the diversifiers, as they were more specific, we used them instead of the theme."

The diversifiers, achievements for those with more experience to try to add to their games were indeed available but developers I was used to seeing leap into action spent some time conversing with other developers and the concept simply seemed to stagnate the whole process with another involved telling me, "We really found it uninspiring and needed six hours to agree on an idea which came from [one of the facilitators] anyway."

Another professional team created a word generator which would give them a new word every four hours, this word leading the way they developed the game over that time period, which, whilst clever is effectively creating a four hour mini-game jam within the heart of a larger game jam. This means a "meta" subject produced a "meta" problem to resolve it and to be honest – and whilst I love that teams thinking – the Global Game Jam is not there to discuss the finer points of existential philosophy but to get people developing.

Luckily I got a chance to speak to Gorm Lai in the Glasgow venue, one of the founders of the original Nordic Game Jam, the inspiration for the Global Game Jam and he listened to my criticisms with interest, countering on behalf of the Theme Committee that they were trying to enhance experimentation and reduce the potential of duplication. Whilst this may be the case that experimentation is easier for the established jammers and developers to achieve and he considered my points when I suggested the subject may restrict some new developers, who struggled with the concept.

Believe me, I love the Global Game Jam and all it entails. The drive of all the people who take part, the freedom, the chance to learn, its open friendly attitude to new developers and the equality prevalent in those who take part; showing an interest to others developments and games across the globe.

As the Global Game Jam grows I would expect the subjects that they choose to inspire more people to develop games, take part and feel like part of the community but what one person, I'd convinced to take part in game jams for development purposes, said to me was, "If this is what its like I don't think I want to do game jams."

This should not be the reaction the event is achieving and I hope the Global Game Jam Theme Committee consider other ways to create inspiring subjects for those taking part, potentially considering tiers for beginners, intermediates and professionals and adding some team activities that actively involve the development of the individuals taking part.

Phil Harris (@PhilipGHarris) is a games developer who is currently working with One Thumb Mobile on their MMORPG Celtic Heroes. He also writes for Pixels for Breakfast.

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