How to win NaNoRenO?

[Saltome]

A simple question. Without a simple answer.
I realize the question is equivocal. Paradoxical in fact. What does it even mean to win NaNoRenO?
But it is this ambiguity which will produce the most variable answers.
So I'd like to hear people's opinions and recommendations.
Please, be as exhaustive as possible.

[Imperf3kt]

My understanding is that nanoreno is not a competition against others, it is a competition against yourself.
In order to win. You simply set yourself a goal of releasing a game for it, and manage to release it.

According to https://itch.io/jam/nanoreno-2020

There is no prize or judging in NaNoRenO. The event is a challenge that the developers set for themselves and the prize is the magnificent sense of gratification you get after finishing your game. Completion is its own reward.

[Donmai]

What does it even mean to win NaNoRenO?

If I understood it correctly, it only means you've finished a damn project (something that's very difficult for professional procrastinators like me). I've finished a few NaNo projects throughout the years. Now NaNo doesn't make me feel motivated anymore, especially with the page header saying "NaNoRenO ends in 352 days".

[lummoire]

I agree with the top posts, and have an additional criteria I hold to myself for a "win".

That said, my post will be anecdotal aha.

I'd consider a personal win being a finished project that I'm proud of, whether it's visually impressive or in its written strength. A matter of quality versus quantity, based on the standard and expectations I hold for myself.

Years ago, I heard of NaNoWRIMo, and the grand goal of 50k words in a month. One of the online games I played was offering item rewards for participating, so I decided to do it.

I was able to easily knock out 1k a day by writing fluff and filler. Tons of empty descriptors that didn't really aid anything. Portions of character interaction that had no purpose. Streams of consciousness droning for hundreds of words. I managed to get to 10k words before prioritizing university homework instead. Managed to get decent item rewards at least.

10k is a lot of words, and some people are capable of writing pretty good stuff in that amount or less. I didn't care about the 10k I wrote. It was utterly cringy, awful, boring and just a means for me to say "I did it" and get an item reward. Had there not been a reward in participating, I wouldn't have done it altogether.

But, should I undertake a project, like writing a short story, I put my best efforts into it so that it reads like something I would enjoy to read. When I look back at some of the stuff I wrote as a kid, I'm either cringing cuz I wrote a preteen fantasy, or I'm patting myself on the back for something that moved me years after I've written the piece.

So, that's an integral part of winning any challenge, Nano being one of em for me, being able to look at whatever I hacked away at for however many hours and say, "this was a cool thing I made, check it out."

(Of course, there's also many things to be said about having realistic expectations and scope. Project management is about cutting the ideas you can't get to or don't serve the project, while still having something usable. I think being able to manage all of that within a month or however long a jam is, is commendable!)

[izanami]

Everything was really tough since nanoreno basically started during the pandemic. I had people leave me because of covid19 and I couldn't finish the game by the deadline.

And besides, this was my first year. Now that I know how nanoreno2020 works, I'll win this competition against myself.

[Saltome]

Yeah I understand the concept of nano, I just never felt like I have anything to prove, let alone to myself.
Further more I hold my own work to a much higher standard than I am willing to subject myself to in other people's games. And if I've learned anything about games it's that it takes more than one person to create something truly magnificent.
My opinion of game jams is that they are just an excuse for people to create crude games. Especially with all the inexperienced developers jumping in without planning or preparation. Further more skilled people rarely have the inclination or availability to dedicate the necessary time to complete a jam.
That said jams are the perfect place for newcomers to show off their potential. And to form connections.
Another big issue is team formation. Fledgling teams already have a short lifespan. Jam teams are formed in a rush, without any cohesion and subjected to tight schedules, where the only perceived reward is individual gratification. Tensions rise, gratification fades, and the team stats to flake.
And in the end even if a project is complete it's not unique or memorable in any way.
To me winning nano means creating something memorable, something that sticks out above the rest.. Not just for myself, but for the players as well. And I believe that can be done, given adequate planning and preparation.

[izanami]

I have to admit, Because of nanoreno I've been able to meet so many people in the dev community. It's really awesome!!