To gain game development experience, I decided to embark down the path of game jams. These have been invaluable for multiple reasons which I will dive straight into.
The industry and its disciplines: Having a good grasp of the industry and all the disciplines that go into making a game are crucial in my journey within narrative and producing. Learning what each discipline brings to the creative table and how they move along with the lifecycle of a game are incredible important. By taking part in game jams this has given me a deeper insight into how development of each discipline comes together to create a game.
Understating the Pipeline: While every studio and team work differently from each other there is no one correct production pipeline out there. It has been a great experience to learn how the pre-production, production and post-production stages work within the game development pipeline. It is at these stages we are able to identify where we could have been more efficient.
Teamwork and efficiency: By taking part in game jams, it has helped myself and the teams I have worked with grow. One area is teamwork and learning how to work efficiently as a team.
But what part of development worked efficiently and what part did not?
A standout positive for me is being able to handle two projects simultaneously while keeping up with the narrative and production for both projects. A lesson learned scenario; how important communication and organisation is within game development. If one area of development crumbles, it can be disastrous for a studio/team. Noting how important keeping up communication is and making sure all areas of development are coping with their respective roles.
This situation happened with a Metroidvania game jam I took part in back in February 2023 where the programming team disbanded. This resulted in the unfortunate unsuccessful jam completion. However, it is important to look at the positives that during the time the team worked on the project development was moving efficiently and deadlines were being met.
Below is a small showcase of some character, weapon and environmental designs along with our health bar system.
The idea behind this project is:
Vella Narrative 