SUDDEN DEATH Jam! (Opinions?)

[Offworlder]

Hello, fine folks of Lemmasoft!
I just had a spark of inspiration for (yet another) game jam, and I was wondering if anyone would be interested in this sort of thing!

Unlike most jams, the idea for this one is that there would be no set date/theme ahead of time. Rather, I would post a SUDDEN DEATH thread at various random points throughout the year. To give folks a bit of time to prepare, there would be 72 hours of advance notice. Then, each individual or group would have 2 weeks to finish a game centered around a different theme every time.

Each SUDDEN DEATH Jam would have slightly different rules to accommodate the different themes, as well as bonus challenges. I have a bunch of ideas for unique themes and challenges, but I don't want to post them here lest I end up using them. xD
If anyone wants an idea of what these might be, though, I'll either PM them or post here with Spoiler tags!

The point of this jam would be to have fun, challenge yourself, and feel the accomplishment of getting something done (even if it's small)! As a general rule, both pre-made and custom assets would be perfectly acceptable. However, some SUDDEN DEATH Jams might require one or the other.

Any interest in something like this? Questions or thoughts?

[Zelan]

From what I can tell, people who participate in game jams (especially frequent participants) often plan far ahead to make certain that they will have time to finish the game to their satisfaction. With a spontaneous jam like this, it might be hard to get many participants.

Regardless, I think it's a pretty cool idea, and I do think the two-week timeframe is a good idea, as it allows a decent amount of time even if someone can't work on their game every single day. I would definitely be interested in joining this jam if the circumstances lined up. c:

If you do go forward with this, I would suggest avoiding typically busy times like the holidays, or other big game jams, like NaNoRenO.

[skyeworks]

I agree with Zelan. I don't know many people who would like to do so since most of the people I know only make games in their spare time. But yeah, I think if it's would be highly variable depending on time and theme.

The name is catchy and I like the idea.

(Even if I'm never going to join because I'm too noob to make something in that short of time with school being in the way. and am slowly working on my first one)

[Offworlder]

Zelan:

I agree with your assessment, as far as there possibly not being a ton of participation due to the nature of this jam. In my opinion, though, the time constraint is precisely what would make SUDDEN DEATH so exciting! Without any sort of limit, it's easy to fall into the trap of making very little progress over long stretches of time, or even to just drop the project all together. This jam could be precisely what some folks need to light a fire under them and get something done! There's no time to talk yourself out of it when you've only got one day to decide, after all. It may not be their magnum opus, but it'll certainly be good practice if nothing else. :3

I'm happy to hear you'd be interested in participating, by the way! I would definitely do my best to ensure that it doesn't overlap with any other major jams.


skyeworks:

I'm glad the idea appeals to you! I figured participation would be variable depending on the theme, since different challenges would likely appeal to different people. I would be sure to offer a wide range over time, though! And to stagger each challenge so they take place at different times of year.