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Global Game Jam 2017

20. January 2017 @ 15:30 - 22. January 2017 @ 18:00

Free

Want to get together with a bunch of creative and talented people and create an awesome game?

Want to try out some new and whacky stuff and have a lot of fun?

Well then look no further! Come and join us at the annual global game jam hosted by Game Development Graz and Graz University of Technology in cooperation with Spraylight.

Here you have one weekend to come up and realize an idea for a game! You can either try it by yourself or create/join a team to complement your skills and create your vision. What makes this game jam special is, that our location is but one of many locations across the entire globe and everybody is working on the same theme at the same time!

Game jams are a wonderful place to learn how to create games from scratch. You are invited to create games together from people from all different disciplines (programming, art, audio, management, testing…) and with various backgrounds and levels of expertise (industry experts, students, newbies). You have never developed a game before? Don’t worry! This is the perfect place for you to dive into your first game dev experience!

The number of participants will be limited to 40 jammers!

The detailed schedule:

Day 1 – Arrival

15:00-19:00: Check in
15:30-16:15: Tech Keynote by Rarebyte
16:15-17:00: Design Keynote by Bongfish
17.00-17.30: Game Jam Announcements & GGJ Keynote + Topic
17.30-18.00: Group Forming & Pitches
18.00-23.59: Work on projects

Day 2 – Work

09.00-24.00: Work on projects
11:00 Deadline to create user profile and game page
18:00-19:00: Playtesting each other’s games

Day 3 – Work

09.00-15.00: Work on projects
15.00-16.00: Upload games by 15.00
16.30-19.00: Presentations – Each team has 10 minutes to do a short presentation

Some Q/A from http://globalgamejam.org/faq

WHAT IS A GAME JAM?

“Jam” is a reference to musician jam sessions, not traffic or spreadable fruit.

The goal is to come together and make a video game, or non-digital game like a board game or card game. Participants rapidly prototype game designs and hopefully inject new ideas to help grow the game industry. We share a common theme and constraints. We ask participants to create a game from beginning to end in a prescribed time (maximum of 48 hours). The brief time span is meant to help encourage creative thinking to result in small but innovative and experimental games.

DO I NEED TO COME TO GGJ WITH A TEAM ALREADY FORMED?

Do not come to the Jam with a team. Ideally everyone forms teams on the Friday, and get the chance to work with a new collaborator or few! You will have some time to think and pitch an idea. Make new friends or jam with peers you admire.

DO I NEED SPECIAL SKILLS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE GGJ?

Although having computer skills is helpful, experience is not necessary. Designers, developers, artists and anyone is welcome to try their hand at making a game during the GGJ. Even if you have no experience at all, you can still participate by contributing ideas, playtesting, and giving moral support to your team. You could work on a non-digital game, and then there’s no need for code!

Global Game Jam® encourages innovation, experimentation and collaboration and encourages both digital and non-digital forms of game making. Global Game Jam® supports safe space events and likes to encourage everyone to make games!