Post

How to Approach A Game Jam

A Guide on Game Jams

Posted
Preview Image
By Sinful Bobcat
views 36 min read
How to Approach A Game Jam

The Duo’s Gauntlet: An Expert Guide to Conquering a 48-Hour Game Jam

Introduction: The 48-Hour Crucible

A 48-hour game jam is not merely a competition or a weekend project. It is a crucible-a concentrated, high-pressure trial by fire that forges skill, creativity, and teamwork in a way that months of casual development cannot.1 For a two-person team, this crucible is even more intense. It is the ultimate test of collaboration, efficiency, and shared vision. Stripped of the resources of a larger team, a duo must rely on flawless communication, ruthless prioritization, and a deep understanding of each other’s strengths. The clock is a relentless adversary, and every decision, from the choice of a game engine to the moment you decide to sleep, carries immense weight.

This guide is a complete survival kit and strategic roadmap for that journey. It is designed to take a two-person team from the pre-jam jitters to a successful submission and beyond. The goal is not simply to finish, but to finish well-with a playable game you can be proud of, a portfolio piece, a host of new skills, and a positive, memorable experience.3 Many aspiring developers believe that technical prowess is the key to jam success. They are mistaken. After countless jams, both as a participant and a mentor, a core truth has emerged: success in a game jam is 20% technical skill and 80% strategic execution. This guide is your master plan for that 80%. It is built on a foundation of hard-won principles: ruthless scope management, disciplined self-care, and the kind of seamless collaboration that turns a pair of developers into a single, efficient game-making entity. Prepare yourselves for the gauntlet.

Part I: The Pre-Jam Checklist: Setting Your Duo Up for Success

The 48 hours of a game jam are a sprint, but the outcome is often decided before the starting gun ever fires. The preparation phase is where you make the foundational choices that will either set you on a path to a finished game or doom you to a weekend of frustration. For a two-person team, every tool, process, and agreement established beforehand is a force multiplier.

Subsection 1.1: Assembling Your Toolkit: Choosing Your Engine and Tools

The single most significant pre-jam decision a team can make is the choice of a game engine. This is not about selecting the most powerful or feature-rich engine on the market; it is about choosing the one that is fastest and most familiar for your specific duo.4 Selecting an engine you know inside and out is a form of proactive scope management. Every minute spent wrestling with an unfamiliar interface or debugging a cryptic engine-specific error is a minute not spent making your game fun.

Engine Recommendations

The ideal engine depends entirely on the skillset of the two team members.

  • Godot: This open-source engine is a jammer’s dream, particularly for 2D projects. It is lightweight, intuitive, and boasts a powerful scene system that simplifies project organization-a massive advantage when time is short and things get chaotic.6 Its scripting language, GDScript, is Python-like and easy to pick up. A vast library of quick-start tutorials and official documentation makes solving common problems incredibly fast.9 For a duo where rapid prototyping and a clean workflow are paramount, Godot is a top-tier choice.12
  • Unity: A true industry powerhouse, Unity is a versatile choice for both 2D and 3D games.7 Its greatest strengths for a game jam are its enormous community and the Unity Asset Store. If you hit a problem, chances are someone has already solved it and posted the answer online. The Asset Store can provide ready-made solutions for complex systems, saving invaluable time.13 However, this power comes with a steeper learning curve. A duo should only choose Unity if both members are already comfortable and proficient with its interface and workflows.15
  • GameMaker Studio / Construct 3: These engines are perfect for duos where one or both members are designers first and coders second. Their drag-and-drop interfaces and visual scripting systems remove the initial barrier of complex coding, allowing the team to build and test core mechanics almost immediately.6 This enables a focus on game feel and fun factor from the very first hours, which is a significant strategic advantage.7
  • Twine: For duos focused on narrative, Twine is unparalleled. It is an incredibly simple tool for creating interactive, branching stories.17 Its simplicity is its strength; it allows a team to bypass complex programming and asset pipelines to focus almost exclusively on writing, player choice, and narrative structure. A polished, compelling, and complete narrative experience is far more achievable in 48 hours with Twine than a mediocre platformer in a more complex engine.18

Asset Creation Software

Even with a wealth of free assets available, you will likely need to create or edit something. Your toolkit should be free, simple, and fast.

  • 2D/Pixel Art: For pixel art, Aseprite is the paid industry standard for a reason, offering powerful animation and palette tools.21 Excellent free alternatives include
    Pixelorama, which is built with Godot, and the browser-based PiskelApp.22 For general 2D art and image editing,
    GIMP and Krita are robust, free alternatives to Adobe Photoshop.4
  • 3D Modeling: There is one clear answer here: Blender. It is a free, open-source, and incredibly powerful 3D creation suite that can handle modeling, sculpting, animation, and rendering.4
  • Audio: For sound editing and recording, Audacity is the simple, free, and effective standard.4 For creating music,
    LMMS (Linux Multi-Media Studio) is a free, FL Studio-like digital audio workstation (DAW) that comes with built-in instruments, while Waveform Free is another full-featured, no-cost option.26 For instantly generating retro, 8-bit sound effects, browser-based tools like
    Bfxr or jsfxr are indispensable time-savers.14

Table 1: Game Engine Smackdown for a 48-Hour Jam

Feature Godot Unity GameMaker Studio Twine
Learning Curve Low-Medium Medium-High Low Very Low
Ideal Duo Skillset Programmer + Artist/Designer Experienced Programmer + Artist Designer + Coder-Lite Writer + Designer
2D/3D Strength Excels at 2D, capable in 3D Strong in both 2D and 3D 2D only N/A (Text-based)
Prototyping Speed Very High Medium Very High Extremely High
Key Jam Advantage Lightweight, fast iteration, intuitive scene system 7 Massive community, Asset Store for pre-made solutions 13 Rapid mechanic creation with minimal code 12 Focus entirely on narrative and choice; guaranteed to finish 17

Subsection 1.2: The Jammer’s Arsenal: Curated Free Asset Repositories

The mantra of a successful jammer is: “Do not create what you can borrow.” For a two-person team, leveraging pre-made assets is not a shortcut; it is a core strategy for survival.5 Most game jams explicitly permit the use of pre-made assets, as the goal is to create a new

game, not necessarily new art or sound from scratch.29 Spending hours modeling a perfect chair is a waste of time when a free, perfectly good chair is just a download away. Building a library of go-to asset sites before the jam begins is essential. Always double-check the license; assets under Creative Commons Zero (CC0) are ideal as they require no attribution, but many others simply require a credit in your game’s description.28

  • Multi-Discipline Goldmines: These sites should be your first stop.
    • Kenney.nl: Often called “Asset Jesus,” Kenney provides enormous packs of high-quality, cohesive 2D, 3D, and UI assets for free. They are perfect for prototyping and even final games.24
    • OpenGameArt.org: A massive, community-driven repository of art, sound, and music. The quality varies, but the sheer volume makes it an invaluable resource.14
    • Itch.io (Free Assets Section): Many creators release free asset packs on Itch.io. It’s a great place to find unique and stylized assets that haven’t been used in thousands of other games.24
  • Music & Sound Effects (SFX):
    • Freesound.org: A comprehensive library of sound effects under various Creative Commons licenses.24
    • Incompetech: Home to Kevin MacLeod’s prolific library of royalty-free music, perfect for finding a background track quickly.24
    • Free Music Archive: Another excellent source for a wide variety of free-to-use music.28
  • Fonts:
    • Google Fonts: A vast collection of high-quality, open-source fonts that are easy to browse and download.28
    • DaFont: A huge repository of fonts of all styles, though license checking is particularly important here.28

Subsection 1.3: The Two-Person Team Dynamic: Roles, Rules, and Repositories

For a duo, effective collaboration is about achieving a state of flow where both members can work in parallel with minimal friction. This doesn’t happen by accident; it requires establishing clear systems before the jam begins. Every process should be designed to prevent one person from becoming a bottleneck for the other.34

Defining Roles

Even with just two people, formally defining primary responsibilities is crucial for efficiency and avoiding time-wasting debates over creative decisions. The goal is to grant each person autonomy within their domain.34

  • Programmer & Artist/Designer: This is the classic pairing. The programmer owns the code architecture and implementation of mechanics. The artist owns the visual style, asset creation, and overall game feel. Design decisions should be made collaboratively, but when a final call is needed, the person whose domain is most affected gets the tie-breaking vote.
  • Lead Programmer & Support Programmer: In a two-programmer team, one person should be designated the “Lead” or “Architect.” They are responsible for setting up the core project structure, the main game loop, and the player controller. The “Support” programmer then builds specific features-like UI systems, enemy behaviors, or level-building tools-that plug into the core architecture. This prevents them from stepping on each other’s toes in critical codebases.

Communication Protocol

Constant, clear communication is the lifeblood of a duo.

  • Primary Channel: Set up a Discord server or a dedicated channel for the jam. This provides a central hub for real-time chat, voice calls, and, most importantly, screen sharing, which is invaluable for quick debugging and collaboration.34
  • Regular Check-ins: Agree to a schedule of brief, regular check-ins. A quick 5-minute sync-up every 3-4 hours is ideal. The agenda is simple: 1) What have you done? 2) What are you doing next? 3) Are you blocked by anything? This simple ritual prevents the common disaster of team members working in silos for hours, only to find their work is incompatible or redundant late in the jam.36

Version Control: Your Non-Negotiable Safety Net

Using a version control system (VCS) is not optional, even for a team of two. It is the single most important tool for enabling true parallel work and protecting you from catastrophic data loss.38 A VCS provides a running history of every change, allowing you to revert to a previous working state if a new feature breaks everything. It is your ultimate safety net.39

  • Recommended Tool: Git, hosted on a free service like GitHub or GitLab, is the industry standard. It is powerful, versatile, and a critical skill for any developer’s resume.14
  • Pre-Jam Setup: The repository must be set up before the jam starts.
    • The programmer creates the new repository on GitHub/GitLab.
    • They create a new project in the chosen game engine on their local machine.
    • Crucially, they add a proper .gitignore file tailored to that engine (templates are widely available online). This file tells Git to ignore large, auto-generated library files, preventing the repository from bloating.
    • The programmer makes the initial commit with the empty project structure and pushes it to the remote repository.
    • The second team member then “clones” this repository to their machine. This ensures both members start from the exact same, clean base.

This pre-jam ritual, which takes less than 15 minutes, can save hours of headaches on Day 1.

The most common failure point for version control in a duo is when one member (typically the artist or designer) is unfamiliar with Git. This turns the programmer into a bottleneck, as they have to manually commit all assets, interrupting their own work. The solution is not to abandon version control, but to establish a simple, repeatable workflow. The programmer must take 10-15 minutes before the jam to teach the other member the basic Git loop using a simple graphical user interface (GUI) client like GitHub Desktop or Sourcetree. This loop is:

  • Pull: Always get the latest changes from the server before starting work.
  • Make Changes: Create or edit art, sound, or scene files in the project folder.
  • Commit: Save a snapshot of your changes with a clear message (e.g., “Added player jump animation”).
  • Push: Send your committed changes back to the server for the other person to access.

Mastering this simple, four-step process transforms the second team member from a passive dependent into an active collaborator. It unlocks true parallel development and is one of the highest-leverage skills a duo can establish.

Part II: The 48-Hour Countdown: A Step-by-Step Gauntlet

The jam is on. The next 48 hours will be a whirlwind of creativity, problem-solving, and sleep deprivation. Having a structured plan is the key to navigating the chaos. This master schedule is not a rigid set of rules, but a strategic roadmap. It provides clear goals for each phase, defines separate focuses for each team member to maximize parallel work, and highlights the most common pitfalls to avoid at each stage.

Table 2: The 48-Hour Master Schedule

Time Block Primary Goal Programmer Focus Artist/Designer Focus Key Pitfall to Avoid
Fri. PM (Hours 0-3) Solidify a simple, achievable game concept. Participate in brainstorming; vet ideas for technical feasibility. Lead brainstorming; create a mood board for the chosen concept. Analysis Paralysis: Overthinking the theme or aiming for a “perfect” idea.5
Fri. Night (Hours 4-12) Build a playable, end-to-end prototype of the core mechanic (MVP). Code the MVP using only primitive shapes (cubes, spheres). Player control, one action, one goal/threat, win/loss state. Create final concept art; begin producing key assets (player sprite, main enemy). Do not integrate yet. Premature Polish: Wasting time on art or effects before the core mechanic is proven fun.5
Sat. AM (Hours 13-24) Achieve a feature-complete, playable MVP with placeholder art. Refine core mechanics; build secondary systems (UI, scoring); prepare prefabs for the artist. Integrate core art assets; begin building a test level/scene; design UI layout. Scope Creep: Adding features not on the initial MVP list.41
Sat. PM (Hours 25-36) Content creation and recovery. Implement highest-priority “Should Have” features; aggressive bug fixing. Build levels/scenes; create environmental and secondary assets; add placeholder sounds. Burnout: Skipping sleep or breaks. A tired developer writes bugs, not code.42
Sun. AM (Hours 37-46) Polish, “juice,” and final bug hunt. Add “juice” (screen shake, particles); implement audio hooks; fix critical bugs. Feature freeze. Create title screen/menu art; find and implement final audio (SFX, music); playtest relentlessly. Perfectionism: Tweaking minor details instead of fixing game-breaking bugs or adding high-impact audio.44
Sun. PM (Hours 47-48) Package, submit, and celebrate. Create the final game builds (especially WebGL) at Hour 46. Assist with submission page. Write game description; capture compelling screenshots/GIFs; manage the itch.io submission process. Last-Minute Build: Waiting until the final hour to build, only to discover unexpected errors.45

Subsection 2.1: Hours 0-3: The Spark - Theme Reveal and Brainstorming Blitz

The jam begins with the theme announcement. The pressure to come up with a brilliant idea instantly can be paralyzing. A structured approach is essential to move from theme to concept quickly and effectively.

  • Deconstruct the Theme (30 mins): Resist the urge to settle on the most literal interpretation. Take the theme word or phrase and break it down. Brainstorm synonyms, metaphors, puns, and even direct opposites.5 If the theme is “Falling Apart,” ideas could range from a Jenga-like physics game to a narrative about a relationship ending.48 This expands the creative possibility space.
  • Rapid Idea Generation (60 mins): Set a timer. For the next hour, both team members should generate as many game ideas as possible. Write them all down on a shared document or whiteboard. The rule is simple: no criticism allowed. Every idea, no matter how strange or silly, is valid at this stage. The goal is quantity over quality, as even a “bad” idea can spark a great one in someone else.49
  • Ruthless Filtering (60 mins): Now, switch from creative to critical mode. Go through the list of ideas and vet each one against the single most important question of the entire jam: “Can we build a fun, playable version of this core loop in about 24 hours?”.5 Be brutally honest about technical complexity and asset requirements. A simple, polished game is infinitely better than an ambitious, unfinished mess.5 The simplest idea that excites both of you is almost always the correct choice.50
  • Commit and Document (30 mins): Once an idea is chosen, commit to it. Do not second-guess. The final step of this phase is to write a one-paragraph “mini Game Design Document.” This document should clearly state the core player fantasy (what the player feels), the primary mechanic (what the player does), and the win/loss conditions.36 This paragraph is your North Star for the next 45 hours. When you get lost or disagree on a feature, you will refer back to it.

Subsection 2.2: Hours 4-12: The Blueprint - Defining the MVP and Prototyping

This is the most critical phase of the jam. The decisions made here will determine whether you spend the weekend building a fun game or polishing a fundamentally flawed one. The goal is not to build the final game, but to build and validate the core gameplay loop as quickly as possible.52

The Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

The MVP is the absolute bare-bones version of your game that is still playable and can prove the core concept is fun. To define it, break your game idea down into three lists 43:

  • Need to Have (The MVP): These are the non-negotiable elements. For a platformer, this would be player movement (run, jump), one type of enemy or obstacle, a collectible, and a win/loss state (reaching a goal or dying). This list should be painfully short.
  • Should Have: Features that would significantly improve the game but are not essential to the core loop (e.g., a scoring system, multiple enemy types, sound effects).
  • Nice to Have: Polish and bonus content (e.g., a special particle effect, a leaderboard, an animated intro).

The “skateboard” analogy is a powerful mental model for this phase.53 You are not building one wheel of a car with the hope of adding the rest later. You are building a complete, functional skateboard. It might be crude and unpainted, but it can take a user from point A to point B. Your prototype must be a complete, playable experience, even if it uses grey cubes for art and lasts only 30 seconds.

Parallel Prototyping

During this phase, the duo works in parallel but on separate tasks.

  • Programmer: The programmer’s sole focus is implementing the “Need to Have” list. They should use primitive shapes-cubes, spheres, capsules-for every single game object.5 The player is a cube, the enemy is a sphere, the collectible is a smaller cube. There should be zero final art in the project at this stage. The goal is to get a playable build, a “digital skateboard,” as fast as humanly possible.
  • Artist/Designer: The artist’s job is to define the visual identity of the game. They should create a mood board and concept art that establishes the color palette, character design, and overall aesthetic. They can then begin producing the highest-priority final assets, such as the player character’s sprite sheet and the main enemy design. They are creating the “paint and decals” for the skateboard, but they do not try to apply them until the skateboard itself has been built and tested.

Subsection 2.3: Hours 13-24: The Grind - Parallel Paths to Production

The goal for this block is to have a feature-complete, playable MVP with integrated core art by the 24-hour mark. This halfway point is a massive psychological milestone.44 Hitting this target proves your scope is manageable and energizes the team for the second half. If you are behind schedule at this point, you must immediately and ruthlessly cut features from your MVP until it is achievable.

  • Programmer’s Focus: With the core loop functional, the programmer’s job is twofold. First, refine the mechanics based on initial playtesting. Does the jump feel good? Is the enemy too fast? Second, build out the essential secondary systems from the “Need to Have” list, such as a basic UI framework for displaying score or health, and a simple game state manager. A key task is to create prefabs or blueprints of game objects (player, enemies) so that the artist can easily duplicate and place them in scenes without needing programmer assistance.
  • Artist/Designer’s Focus: This is the integration phase. The artist takes their final art for the core elements (player, enemies, key environmental pieces) and begins replacing the programmer’s primitive shapes in the game engine. They can start building out a proper test level, designing the layout of the UI, and creating any remaining critical assets. Constant communication and use of version control are vital here to ensure a smooth workflow.

Subsection 2.4: Hours 25-36: The Wall - Navigating Fatigue and Integration

This is the midnight of the soul for most jammers. The initial adrenaline has worn off, fatigue is setting in, and the true scale of the remaining work becomes apparent.55 This is where teams break down and projects stall. Survival in this phase is less about coding and more about discipline and self-care.

Survival Strategy

  • Take a Real Break: Both team members must step away from their computers for at least one solid hour. Eat a proper meal together (not at your desk), go for a walk outside, and talk about anything other than the game.1 This mental reset is not a luxury; it is a necessity for effective problem-solving.
  • Sleep: Do not pull an all-nighter, especially on the first night. Aim for a minimum of 6 hours of sleep.43 A developer who has slept for 6 hours is exponentially more productive and less likely to introduce subtle, hard-to-find bugs than a sleep-deprived “hero” who has been coding for 20 hours straight.42
  • Re-Scope, Again: Look at your “Should Have” list. Now look at the clock. Be honest and ruthless. Cut any feature that is not 100% essential or that you are not 100% confident you can implement quickly. A small, polished, and finished game will always be judged more favorably than a sprawling, buggy, and incomplete one.5

During this phase, the work shifts primarily to content creation. The programmer focuses on fixing bugs from the integration phase and implementing only the highest-priority features from the “Should Have” list. The artist/designer is in full production mode, building out levels, populating scenes with environmental art, and creating any secondary assets needed.

Subsection 2.5: Hours 37-46: The Polish - Adding “Juice” and Hunting Bugs

With the core game built, this is the phase where you make it feel good. “Juice” refers to the collection of non-essential feedback elements that make a game feel alive, responsive, and satisfying to play.5 This is what separates a functional prototype from a memorable experience. At this point, a

feature freeze is in effect. No new mechanics are added. The focus is entirely on polish and stability.

High-Impact Polish Checklist

  • Audio (Top Priority): The single most impactful addition you can make is sound. Add sound effects for every major player action: jumping, shooting, collecting an item, taking damage, UI button clicks. Find a simple, looping background music track that fits the mood.5 A game with simple graphics but great audio feels more complete than a beautiful but silent one.
  • Visual Feedback: Add simple effects that reinforce player actions.
    • Screen Shake: A tiny, brief shake when the player takes damage or causes an explosion.
    • Particle Effects: Simple bursts of particles when an enemy is destroyed or a coin is collected.
    • Sprite Flashing: Make the player sprite flash briefly after taking damage to indicate invincibility frames.
  • UI/UX: Create a simple start menu with a “Play” button and a game over screen that shows the final score and a “Play Again” button. Most importantly, ensure the controls are clearly explained, either through in-game prompts or, at minimum, in the game’s description on its itch.io page.57

While one team member focuses on adding juice, the other should be relentlessly playtesting, identifying bugs, and logging them in a shared list. Fix game-breaking bugs first, then minor visual glitches.

Subsection 2.6: Hours 47-48: The Finish Line - Packaging and Submission

The final two hours are treacherous. Many well-paced projects fall apart at the very end due to poor time management for the submission process.45 Do not underestimate the time it takes to build, upload, and create your game page.

Submission Checklist

  • Build Early (Hour 46): Begin your final build process at least two hours before the deadline. WebGL/HTML5 builds, in particular, can sometimes have unexpected issues or take longer than expected to compile.45 A web build is highly recommended, as players are far more likely to try a game they can play in their browser than one they have to download.54
  • Create Your Itch.io Page (Hour 47): While the game is building, create a compelling itch.io page. This is your game’s storefront.
    • Write a clear, concise description of the game’s concept and how to play.
    • Take several good screenshots. Better yet, record a short, exciting GIF of the gameplay.46
    • List the controls clearly.
    • Credit any third-party assets you used.
  • Upload and Submit (Hour 47.5): Upload your build files to the itch.io page. Go to the official jam page, click the “Submit Your Project” button, select your game from the dropdown, and fill out the jam-specific submission form.59
  • Confirm (Hour 47.75): Once submitted, go to your own game page and test the download or web build yourself. Make sure it is the correct version and that it runs properly.
  • Celebrate: You did it. You survived the gauntlet. Regardless of the final ranking or feedback, creating a complete game in 48 hours is a monumental achievement. Take a moment to appreciate what you and your partner have accomplished.

Part III: The Aftermath: Maximizing Your Jam Experience

The clock may have hit zero, but the game jam experience is not over. The post-jam period is where the most valuable and lasting growth occurs. This is the time for reflection, learning, and deciding the future of your creation.

Subsection 3.1: The Art of Feedback: Playing, Rating, and Learning

The rating period of a game jam is a community-driven process. The unwritten rule is simple: to get feedback, you must give feedback.52 The more games you play, rate, and leave thoughtful comments on, the more visibility your own game will receive on the jam’s page. This is because many jam platforms, like itch.io, have systems that promote the games of the most active raters.62

  • How to Give Good Feedback: Your goal is to be constructive, not critical. Remember that the developer on the other end was facing the same brutal time constraints you were.
    • Start with the Positive: Always begin your comment by mentioning something you genuinely enjoyed. The unique concept, the charming art style, a particularly satisfying sound effect.
    • Be Specific: Vague criticism is not helpful. “The controls are bad” is useless. “The jump felt a bit floaty and hard to control in the air” is actionable feedback.63
    • Consider the Developer’s Experience: If the game page indicates they are a beginner, tailor your feedback to be encouraging and focus on their successes. They are likely trying to learn and have fun, not create a masterpiece.63
  • How to Receive Feedback: Receiving criticism of something you just poured 48 hours of your life into can be difficult.
    • Don’t Be Defensive: Your first instinct may be to explain why a feature is the way it is. Resist this urge. Simply listen and absorb the feedback.
    • Look for Patterns: A single negative comment might be an outlier. If three, five, or ten people all say your game is too difficult, then your game is too difficult, no matter how easy it feels to you (the creator is always the worst judge of difficulty).57
    • Show Gratitude: Thank every single person who takes the time to play and comment on your game. They are giving you their most valuable resource: their time.

Subsection 3.2: Writing Your Post-Mortem: The Single Most Important Step

A game jam is a chaotic, compressed learning experience. A post-mortem is the process by which you decompress that experience, extract the key lessons, and make them permanent. It is arguably the most important part of the entire jam process, as it solidifies what you’ve learned and prepares you for the next challenge.64 This should be a collaborative document written by both team members.

Post-Mortem Template

  • Introduction: Briefly introduce your game, its core concept, and how it related to the jam’s theme. State your initial goals for the project.
  • What Went Right: This section is for celebrating successes. What decisions paid off? Did your chosen engine work well? Was your pre-jam preparation effective? Was there a moment where your teamwork really clicked? Identify the processes and choices you want to replicate in the future.64
  • What Went Wrong: Be honest and analytical, not self-critical. Where did you lose the most time? Did scope creep get the better of you? What technical hurdles did you face that you didn’t anticipate? Were there communication breakdowns? This is about identifying problems so they can be solved next time.64
  • Lessons Learned: This is the most crucial section. Distill the “What Went Right” and “What Went Wrong” sections into a short list of concrete, actionable takeaways. For example: “Lesson 1: Our pre-jam Git setup saved us hours. We will always do this.” or “Lesson 2: We spent too long on the main character’s animation and had to rush the level design. Next time, we will block out levels with primitives first.”.65

Subsection 3.3: The Prototype’s Future: To Continue or To Conclude?

You have a finished prototype, positive feedback, and a head full of ideas. The natural question is: should you continue development and turn your jam game into a full commercial release?

A Framework for Your Decision

This decision should be made deliberately and with a clear head after a period of rest, not in the immediate post-jam glow.

  • Passion: This is the most important factor. Are both team members genuinely passionate about this specific idea, enough to potentially spend months or even years working on it? A game jam is a sprint; a full release is a multi-year marathon. If the passion isn’t there, the project will die.68
  • Feedback & The “Sticky” Loop: Look back at the feedback you received. Was it polite praise, or was it genuine enthusiasm? Did players comment on a “sticky” core gameplay loop that kept them playing “just one more time”?.69 Positive reception for a core, repeatable action is a strong indicator of commercial potential.
  • Potential for Expansion: Can the core mechanic be expanded in meaningful ways? Can you imagine adding new levels, enemies, abilities, and systems that deepen the experience without just making it longer? If the game is a one-trick pony, it may be best left as a successful jam game.

If the answer to all these questions is a resounding “yes,” then you may have a future project on your hands. However, the next step is not to simply keep adding to your jam project. The code written under a 48-hour deadline is inherently messy, inefficient, and not built to scale. You must start a new project from scratch, using the jam game as a playable, validated blueprint, not as a technical foundation.44 Most importantly, before writing a single new line of code, the duo must have a serious conversation about expectations, ownership, and commitment, formalizing the partnership for the long road ahead.70

Conclusion: Forged in the Fire

You have faced the 48-hour gauntlet and emerged on the other side. The exhaustion is real, but so is the sense of accomplishment. In a single weekend, you have conceived, designed, built, and shipped a complete video game-a feat that many aspiring developers never achieve.

The core principles that guided you through this crucible are the same principles that define successful game development at any scale: scope small and focus on a single, compelling core loop. Prioritize a playable experience-the MVP-above all else. Take care of your most valuable assets: your own health and your partnership. Communicate constantly, clearly, and honestly. And when the dust settles, reflect on the experience to cement the lessons learned.

A game jam is a rite of passage. It is a chaotic, challenging, and utterly draining experience. But it is also one of the most exhilarating, rewarding, and profoundly educational journeys a developer can undertake. You have tested your skills, pushed your creative limits, and proven that you can finish what you start. You have been forged in the fire. Congratulations, developers. Now, get some sleep.

Works cited

Game Development
gamedev
This post is licensed under CC BY 4.0 by the author.

Trending Tags

gamedev tutorial