Embarking on a creative journey can sometimes lead to unexpected detours, especially when developing a game for a game jam. In this article, I will share my experience of hosting a game jam called the “Try Something New Island Jam” and how I ended up creating a Metroidvania game in just 48 hours. Join me as I navigate through challenges and discoveries in game development.
Our story begins in May 2020, when I felt an urge to organize a tropical-themed game jam. Instead of participating in a competitive game jam, I decided to host one for my friends. The jam lasted a week, encouraging participants to explore new territories in game development, whether it be a new game engine, art style, or genre.
Inspired by the show “Survivorman,” I initially envisioned a survival game set on an island. The idea was to create a game where players survive for a week, akin to a hand simulator without the hands. To challenge myself, I chose to use Unity, a platform I was not very familiar with, especially for 3D game development.
As I delved into Unity, I realized I was creating an overly complex survival game instead of a simple, focused experience. With only 48 hours left in the jam, I decided to pivot and try something new. I switched to Construct 3, aiming to develop a Metroidvania game quickly.
The concept of a Metroidvania featuring sky pirates and an island in the sky intrigued me. I envisioned a bird-like character wielding a sword, navigating through this aerial world. This fresh idea motivated me to focus on core gameplay elements and complete the game within the tight timeframe.
Starting with the artwork, I found that creating visuals first helped streamline the development process. It provided a clear vision of the game’s user interface, characters, and enemies. I opted for smaller pixel art, which naturally led to a more compact game design.
With the art in place, I quickly developed the platforming mechanics, focusing on movement and sword attacks. I then designed the game map, where players would find a key or power-up before facing a crab boss. Despite time constraints, I managed to complete the game, albeit with a simplified map.
After submitting the game, I discovered a glitch in the Windows version that prevented players from reaching the boss. To address this, I made the game available in a web browser. Although not a polished product, the jam taught me valuable lessons in game development and efficiency.
The experience of experimenting with Unity and Construct 3 was invaluable. The principles and engine developed during this jam were later applied to a version of “Dewdrop,” featuring a built-in level editor.
For those participating in game jams or struggling with project completion, it’s important to embrace the learning process. It’s okay to get sidetracked or restart ideas, as long as you’re gaining knowledge. While finishing projects is beneficial, the skills acquired from unfinished games can be applied to future endeavors.
I invite you to share your thoughts on game development, time management, and any ideas you would implement. Your feedback is invaluable, and I look forward to hearing from you.
A special thanks to Buddy Games, James Kennedy, Rybrad, and all the Patreon supporters who make these projects possible. If you enjoy these insights into game development, consider subscribing and hitting the notification bell for more adventures. Thank you for joining me on this journey, and I look forward to our next creative exploration!
Organize a mini game jam with your classmates. Set a 48-hour time limit and challenge yourselves to create a simple Metroidvania game using a platform like Construct 3 or Unity. Focus on core gameplay elements and aim to complete a playable prototype by the end of the session.
Conduct a workshop where you create pixel art for a Metroidvania game. Experiment with different art styles and character designs. Share your creations with the group and discuss how art influences game design and player experience.
Work in pairs to develop a specific game mechanic, such as movement or combat, for a Metroidvania game. Use Construct 3 or Unity to implement your mechanic and test it with your peers. Provide feedback on each other’s work and discuss potential improvements.
Create a map for a Metroidvania game, focusing on exploration and progression. Design paths, obstacles, and power-ups that encourage players to explore. Present your map to the class and explain your design choices and how they contribute to the gameplay experience.
Engage in a group discussion about the challenges and lessons learned from the game development process. Share your experiences and insights on time management, problem-solving, and creativity. Provide constructive feedback to your peers and discuss how these lessons can be applied to future projects.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
—
I have a confession to make: sometimes I can get a little sidetracked when working on a game, especially if it’s for a game jam. Today, I’ll talk about a prime example of this—a little jam that I hosted for my friends called the “Try Something New Island Jam.” We’ll discuss a few failed attempts along the way and how I ended up making a Metroidvania game in only 48 hours. So, get ready to set sail, and let’s get started!
Our voyage begins in May of 2020, and I had the random urge to make a tropical-themed game jam. I didn’t really want to have the stress and pressure of actually competing in a real game jam, so I thought, “I’ll just host it, and I’ll have some of my friends do it. It’ll be a fun little exercise.” The jam was only one week long because I didn’t want to create a game that was too big. The purpose of the jam was to try something different—something new that you’ve never done before, whether it’s a game engine, an art style, or a genre. Just do something that’s a little out of your comfort zone.
I began to brainstorm ideas for my island game. One of my favorite shows is “Survivorman,” where Les Stroud tries to stay out in the wild and survive for a full week. I thought to myself, “That would be a really fun game where you just have to stay on an island and survive for one week’s time.” Basically, it would be like a hand simulator without the hands. Since the theme of the jam was to try something different, I decided to use Unity because I don’t use it a whole lot, and the support for 3D is relatively good. Feeling inspired and motivated, I downloaded Unity, started making some 3D models, and watched some tutorials.
Now, if you read the title of this video, you might be wondering why I’m talking about a 3D survival game. That’s because after a couple of days of having a blast working with Unity and creating some interesting art, I fell into the trap that most survival games do: I tried to make this crazy open-ended game instead of a simple experience where you’re just trying to survive a couple of nights and collect resources. Even though I had a great time working on the project, I knew it was time for me to abandon ship and try something different.
At this point in the jam, we only had 48 hours left, and I was starting to panic because I really wanted to make a game—that was the whole point of doing this jam in the first place. Since I technically tried something new with Unity, I decided to use Construct 3 and try to make a game super fast.
Another idea came to mind that ended up actually working out: what if I made a Metroidvania? And not just any Metroidvania—what if it featured sky pirates, and the island was in the sky? Not only that, but what if the character was like a bird or a duck and had a sword instead of a gun, like a typical Metroidvania? So, getting some fresh wind in my sails, I decided to push forward and see if I could make this game in under 48 hours. This time, I tried to limit myself and focus on the core gameplay.
I figured that you would play as this duck character, land with your airship, find a key to get to the boss or an ability, and once you found it, you could go fight the boss, who would be this interesting crab character. I don’t know what my obsession with crabs was during this jam, but I just needed to add them! After you fight the boss, that would be it—it was like a little demo or a preview of a bigger game if I wanted to flesh it out. I thought that was a more reasonable and realistic approach, especially because Construct 3 is incredibly easy for creating games.
I began by making the artwork. In my opinion, if you create the artwork first, it makes the rest of the game easier because you have an idea of the UI, the menus, the characters, and the enemies—how everything is going to look before you even program it. It also helps because if you start programming your game and realize you need to make a boss, it’s better to find that out early than to create something that doesn’t match your art style.
I played around with some styles and ended up going with something relatively small. If you make smaller pixel art, you tend to create a smaller game for the most part. Now that I had all the art and visuals for my game, it was time to put it all together, but the clock was ticking. I quickly built out the platforming and movement, then focused on making the sword attack and ensuring you could jump and slice in different directions.
After that, I knew it was important to start laying out the levels even before I created enemies. I roughly blocked out how I wanted the map to look: you would move to the left at first, find a key or a power-up, and then move to the right where the boss was located. After that, I finished creating the enemies and the boss, who was a lot of fun to make and actually quite challenging.
I was pretty stressed towards the end, even though it was just a small jam. I really wanted to finish this in time and was worried that I wouldn’t. Ultimately, I had to scale back some elements, especially the map, because I didn’t have much time for level design. However, I was able to finish and submit the game with a couple of hours to spare. Overall, I was really happy with the game I made.
The next morning, I discovered a game-breaking glitch where you can’t reach the boss for some reason. It’s only on the Windows version, which is strange to me. For some reason, the glitch is still happening, so I’m going to put it in a web browser so that you can play it and experience it for yourself. This is definitely not a polished or great game by any means, but I was able to add a few things, like the boss fight and an intro cutscene.
The coolest part was that I learned so much from this jam—messing around with Unity, making that initial survival game, and then trying to create a game in two days with Construct 3. You learn and become more efficient at things. The principles and the engine I created for this jam ended up being used for a version of “Dewdrop,” specifically the one that had the built-in level editor.
My advice for anyone trying to do a smaller jam and finding themselves getting distracted is that it’s okay to get a little sidetracked. It’s okay to restart an idea as long as you’re learning from it. Some of the best learning experiences I’ve had were from games I never finished because you’re practicing different principles. Even if you don’t use it for that final game, you’ll apply it to something else that you will finish.
If you struggle with not finishing your game or jumping from project to project, that’s okay. It’s important to learn, but make sure that every once in a while, you are finishing things. It’s good for you, and you learn quite a bit from it. I’d love to hear your thoughts on which game was better, ideas you would implement, or maybe better time management skills. Make sure to let me know in the comments down below.
Also, a huge shout-out to Buddy Games, James Kennedy, Rybrad, and the rest of the amazing Patreon supporters that help make these videos possible. If you like these types of videos, make sure to subscribe and hit that notification bell. Thank you so much for watching, and I’ll see you next time for another game development adventure!
[Music]
—
This version maintains the essence of the original transcript while removing any informal language and ensuring clarity.
Game – A structured form of play, often undertaken for entertainment or fun, and can involve rules and objectives, especially in the context of computer software. – The students collaborated to create an innovative game as their final project for the computer science course.
Development – The process of creating, designing, and programming software applications, including games, from conception to deployment. – The development of the new mobile app required extensive testing and debugging before its release.
Unity – A cross-platform game engine used for developing video games and simulations for computers, consoles, and mobile devices. – The team used Unity to build a 3D interactive environment for their virtual reality project.
Coding – The act of writing instructions for a computer to perform specific tasks, often using programming languages such as Python, Java, or C++. – Coding the AI algorithms was the most challenging part of the software engineering assignment.
Mechanics – The rules and systems that govern the gameplay and interactions within a video game. – Understanding the core mechanics of the game was crucial for balancing the difficulty level.
Platforming – A genre of video games characterized by jumping to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles. – The platforming elements in the game required precise timing and skillful maneuvers.
Art – The visual elements of a game, including character design, environments, and animations, which contribute to the overall aesthetic and experience. – The art team worked tirelessly to create stunning graphics that enhanced the immersive quality of the game.
Jam – A collaborative event where participants create games within a short time frame, often focusing on creativity and innovation. – Participating in the game jam allowed students to experiment with new ideas and rapidly prototype their concepts.
Design – The process of planning and creating the structure, layout, and functionality of a software application or game. – The design phase involved sketching wireframes and mapping out user interactions for the app.
Browser – A software application used to access and view websites and web applications on the internet. – The new web-based game was optimized to run smoothly on any modern browser.
