My First Game Jam Summer 2020 is on!
The optional theme is:
✨ Change ✨
Here’s a few tips and links to get the most out of the jam.
Make a dev log on the community!
A development blog is a blog in which a game developer or team talks about the process they’ve made over the course of the game’s creation. Maintaining a devblog keeps your audience in the know and helps facilitate productivity so you’ll have something to blog about. It also serves as a record of problems you encounter as well as the solutions you find for those problems.
Development logs are essentially the same thing, except we’ll be using the jam forums rather than a blog. However, you are free to use both the forums and your own blog as you develop your game.
Doing so is not necessary at all, but check out all the logs from last jam! In order to get the most out of your jam experience, it is vital that you interact with your fellow jammers and the community surrounding it. They’ll provide valuable feedback and support to help you along the way. So please, we encourage you to mingle, post in other logs, and of course post your own!
In addition, you are encouraged to add images and gifs. Here’s some programs to help facilitate that:
Greenshot - a free and open source screenshot tool for productivity
Lightshot — screenshot tool for Mac & Win
Start your dev log today!
Take a moment to review our code of conduct. We strive to create a safe, supportive, and productive environment, and we appreciate your efforts to make our community welcoming for everyone!
Post screenshots or fun mishaps to your dev log, twitter, tumblr, or your own blog to track your progress and get feedback. Tag your posts as #MyFirstGameJam or #MFGJ10 so other jammers can find your work! To get the most exposure you can also tag #gamedev or #ScreenshotSaturday for Saturdays! Share your work and link back to your devlog to get feedback.
Manage your time and tasks!
We updated our list of useful time and task management tools with tips and ideas for staying on top of your project. Set goals early and keep track of how fast it takes you to reach them!
Still deciding on an engine? No problem. Check out this post to see what fits your project best or try the sortingh.at!
If you still have questions about the jam itself, take a look at our FAQ!
Want to share your work or ask for help? Or even just take a break from dev? Join discord chat here! (Please note you must be at least 14 years old to join!) Feel free to say hi and share your work! If you need help with a specific skill or engine, you can @Unity or @2D Art to notify mentors. If you think you would like to help other people with some part of games–join us as a mentor! You can get notifications when someone has a question about engines or skills you have expertise in!
Here’s a quick guide to how you can become a mentor.
Heed advice from previous jammers
This jam we took the time to write up a quick summary of advice from previous jammers: Know how to scope.
You can read about the number one game jam killer here!
Game-making can be exhausting as well as rewarding! You are more important than your work, and we compiled a list of helpful tools for getting the most out of you!
Game dev can be exciting, frustrating, and extremely rewarding. We hope to give you the tools to help you succeed in your goals in the next two weeks!
