Best bud is finishing up their game for their finals this month, I'll probably share it after. In the meantime, we've done our last updates on Stasis; our sick game from the GGJ12. Literally, it's SICK since it’s about bacteria and cells and how you have to regulate the breeding of bacteria in the internal organs and stuff LOL. Not that it’s obvious, since I did a stellar job with the graphics. *barf* BUT HEY WHO CARES about the crappy graphics! The game is fun! XD Took me the day after the Jam to understand how to play it LOL.
I’ll put my Global Game Jam-related musings under the Read More cut since it is long and it’s about time I wrote about this.
Our team was special since we were the only one formed by people who were previously completely strangers! All the other teams were groups of people who were friends or who came to the Jam site together. Us however? We all had never met each other before the event and decided to team up on the first night.
Now that I think about it, I was pretty darn shameless in my first GGJ. I was a marshall in 2011’s Jam and I observed how things went down. It’s completely different when you’re a part of it though. This year, I had no friends with me, so when I saw these 2 cute fellows (lol they’d feel creeped out if they knew I was calling them cute behind their backs) who looked like they belonged in my age group, I asked them to sit at my table cause I was alone and I didn’t want to look pathetically alone throughout dinner okay! They were kind enough to say yes aww.
They were ace programmers oh my god from THE most high-class university in this country. I actually didn’t know that until like, after the Jam. Actually these two cool dudes aren’t just programmers, they were artists too and so that makes them all-around game designers.
During brainstorming, we were shuffled into different groups and that’s where I met our soon-to-be team leader. His forte is programming with a specialty in Unity 3D. He hailed from the 2nd most high-class university this time. Later on, we were fortunate enough to all agree to be teammates. Awh yeah team of four!
I felt really awkward at some point. It was my first Jam, I was an artist and not even that great of a game artist either. I can only do 2d art in Flash. One of the organizers whom I had met the year prior mistook me for a pixel artist. Damn. (No that’s not the reason I am studying how to do pixel art right now, what are you saying? Haha) I can code AS2 & AS3 in Flash and a wee bit of Python in Ren’Py (lol) and that’s about it. Also I basically came from a really unknown college (not even a graduate yet) but the tuition is cheap so whatever dude. This is what I can afford! *sobs*
The theme is OUROBOROS. Haha I should have just done a game with Albert Wesker and Excella or something RE5-related. Anyway, it’s a freaking difficult theme!!! Last year it was just “extinction”. That’s super easy compared to the complexity of ouroboros.
Anyway, despite a lot of booboos on my part, (Like trying to do a solo game WHILE doing graphics for our team game! Really self! What the hell?) I enjoyed the fuck out of my first Jam ever. My only regret? I was too shy to take a lot of photos of my team! Also I didn’t do a video log! Next time I join I’m definitely going to do a video log. Also I didn’t befriend everyone! My main goal in GGJs is to make friends and learn , not make the most kickass game. Which is why I am very happy that my team were made up of a bunch of goofy geniuses who weren‘t concerned with winning. Fell in love with them and though we don't talk now, (except for team leader who last contacted me about editing assets), I still love 'em.
Not sure if I’m going to join GGJ 2013... I’m extremely tempted, but I would like to at least be a considerably decent pixel artist by then. Hmmm but well, free food, free internet, free lodging, new friends, learning new stuff that possibly can’t be learned as pleasantly in any other environment, free shirts, free mugs and bags and this really cute ID… THE REASONS TO JOIN ARE OVERWHELMING.
Someday, I'm going to look back on all the GGJ games I was a part of, then I shall cry.