Have you ever wanted to try to make a video game? Join us and make your own! The anime NEW GAME! (available 11/21 on Blu-ray/DVD combo) follows a newly-hired character designer at an indie game development company and is a must-watch for anyone who wants a peek into the industry!
To celebrate the release, we’re inviting you to participate in the NEW GAME! Game Jam over the weekend of November 3rd! What’s a Game Jam? These are events where people form teams to make an entire video game from start to finish in the span of a short time—such as 48 hours. Game Jams are held in universities and video game companies as a great way to practice making a finished game. There are even fan-run game jams where teams across the country plan to make games at the same time!
To participate in the NEW GAME! Game Jam, just make a game during that weekend and share some of your progress on social media with the hashtag #NEWGAMEJam—and then tag us with a link to your finished game! We’ll share some of everyone’s progress and submitted games.
Is it your first time attempting a Game Jam? Here are some steps:
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Pick your Game Engine
There are tons of great video game engines, some of which require minimal coding if you need to prototype fast. Some examples include:
- GameMaker: an easy drag and drop UI lets you add in elements for gameplay without coding
- RPGMaker: another easy-to-use engine that specializes in creating role-playing games
- Unity: an engine used to create shipped professional games with a large database for beginners to use
- Ren’Py: a visual novel-specific engine for making games similar to Japanese renai/dating sims, among other genres
- Unreal Engine: most flexible and popular engine for professional game developers that comes with many online tutorials
- You can also make games that aren’t actual video games! Board games, card games, and paper prototypes are all totally cool too
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Pick your Team
Usually a game team involves a couple different roles, but with a game jam, sometimes members have to wear multiple hats. Here are some potential team members you might want to have:
- Game Programmer
- Writer
- Artist
- QA/Tester
- Project Manager
- Designer
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Get to Work!
Some things to keep in mind throughout the weekend:
- Divide the tasks. Are you an artist or a programmer? Do you want to try your hand at animating? Make sure you and your team know what you want your game to be and who is responsible for each part.
- Have lots of food and snacks on hand. Can’t work on an empty stomach!
- Remember to take breaks! Especially if you’re feeling stuck. Get up and get moving, and let those ideas flow!
- Don’t forget to “hi-bear-nate”! Sleep is essential. You don’t want to be nodding off at a critical moment.
- Don’t overload on the energy drinks. Remember to hydrate—water is the best way to keep your mind alert and focused!
- Set milestones for your team. Milestones can help you manage your time, and give your team small, realistic goals to achieve as they work towards the deadline.
- If you find a bug or don’t know how to design what you want, ask for help! The internet is filled with plenty of resources to help any aspiring game designer.
