#myfirstgamejam
My First Game Jam: Winter 2022 is finished! (…as of last week!)
Go play some games!
Over270 really awesome games have been submitted for this jam! It’s an incredible effort to learn something new and create a project under a two week deadline–especially for first time (and learning) game creators!
Play some games!
Your fellow jammers made some incredible games! Be sure to check them out and leave constructive comments. We’ve also created a playtesting thread if you would like some specific feedback!
Watch your game get streamed!
Our community mod Browntul will be streaming some of your games: Check out this thread for more info and how to sign up!
Fill out the exit poll!
If you participated in the jam (even if you didn’t submit a game), remember to fill out our exit poll! This will help us improve the jam this summer! (And yes–you can still participate if you’ve done previous jams!)
Share your game!
If you get the chance, be sure to post your game to the #MyFirstGameJam, #ScreenshotSaturdayand#gamedevtags!
Fix some bugs?
We’ve gotten this question a couple times: Yes, it’s perfectly okay to update your game post-jam! Feel free to continue working on your jam games.
Continuing a project or starting a new one?
It can be tough to keep up your productive momentum after a deadline. Check out these suggestions for wrapping up your game or continuing it in the future!
- Check out these productivity tools!
- Don’t forget to back up your work!
- Learn version control!
- Write a post-mortem!
- Connect with other devs from the jam!
- Check out upcoming jams happening on itch.io!
Great job everyone! See you this summer!
My First Game Jam Winter 2022 is on!
The optional theme is:
Nature
Here’s a few tips and links to get the most out of the jam.
Make a dev log on the community!
A development blog is a blog in which a game developer or team talks about the process they’ve made over the course of the game’s creation. Maintaining a devblog keeps your audience in the know and helps facilitate productivity so you’ll have something to blog about. It also serves as a record of problems you encounter as well as the solutions you find for those problems.
Development logs are essentially the same thing, except we’ll be using the jam forums rather than a blog. However, you are free to use both the forums and your own blog as you develop your game.
Doing so is not necessary at all, but check out all the logs from last jam! In order to get the most out of your jam experience, it is vital that you interact with your fellow jammers and the community surrounding it. They’ll provide valuable feedback and support to help you along the way. So please, we encourage you to mingle, post in other logs, and of course post your own!
In addition, you are encouraged to add images and gifs. Here’s some programs to help facilitate that:
- ShareX
- Greenshot - a free and open source screenshot tool for productivity
- Lightshot — screenshot tool for Mac & Win
- Gyazo
- ScreenToGif
- Licecap
Respect your community!
Take a moment to review our code of conduct. We strive to create a safe, supportive, and productive environment, and we appreciate your efforts to make our community welcoming for everyone!
Post daily updates!
Post screenshots or fun mishaps to your dev log, twitter, tumblr, or your own blog to track your progress and get feedback. Tag your posts as #MyFirstGameJam or #MFGJ10 so other jammers can find your work! To get the most exposure you can also tag #gamedev or #ScreenshotSaturday for Saturdays! Share your work and link back to your devlog to get feedback.
Manage your time and tasks!
Weupdated our list of useful time and task management tools with tips and ideas for staying on top of your project. Set goals early and keep track of how fast it takes you to reach them!
Use our resources!
Still deciding on an engine? No problem. Check out this post to see what fits your project best or try the sortingh.at!
- Unity resources
- Gamemaker resources
- RPGMaker resources
- Ren'py resources
- Twine resources
- Free assets
- Winter jam resource list
- Resources tag on blog
If you still have questions about the jam itself, take a look at our rules page!
Join the jam chat!
Want to share your work or ask for help? Or even just take a break from dev? Join discord chat here! (Please note you must be at least 14 years old to join!) Feel free to say hi and share your work! If you need help with a specific skill or engine, you can @Unity or @2D Art to notify mentors. If you think you would like to help other people with some part of games–join us as a mentor! You can get notifications when someone has a question about engines or skills you have expertise in!
Here’s a quick guide to how you can become a mentor.
Heed advice from previous jammers
This jam we took the time to write up a quick summary of advice from previous jammers: Know how to scope.
You can read about the number one game jam killer here!
Take care of yourself!
Game-making can be exhausting as well as rewarding! You are more important than your work, and we compiled a list of helpful tools for getting the most out of you!
Aaaand good luck!
Game dev can be exciting, frustrating, and extremely rewarding. We hope to give you the tools to help you succeed in your goals in the next two weeks!
The theme (completely optional!) for My First Game Jam Winter 2022 is:
Nature
My First Game Jam Winter 2022 will run from January 15th - 29th!
◾Official Discord server - Join us! (Please note that you must be 14 years or older to join the server.)
◾Fill out the survey to help us assess the jam needs!
My First Game Jam is an online game jam for people of all skill levels to learn something new. Never made a game before but always been curious? Set aside two weeks to join the jam and learn how to make a game along with others. Absolute beginners encouraged to join!
Our goal is to organize resources and make game development more accessible. We hope to foster an online space where you can share your progress with other first-time game makers and get help from experienced devs. By the end of two weeks, you hopefully will have some working game or prototype to share—it’s an exciting first step to making games! Individuals and teams are welcome, and we encourage you to both play to your strengths and try something new.
This is our 13th jam, and we’d like to thank our community for supporting new jammers! You can see some past jams hereandhere. We appreciate you taking the time to spread the word and look forward to seeing your games this summer!
My First Game Jam Summer 2021 is on!
The optional theme is:
✨Free✨
Here’s a few tips and links to get the most out of the jam.
Make a dev log on the community!
A development blog is a blog in which a game developer or team talks about the process they’ve made over the course of the game’s creation. Maintaining a devblog keeps your audience in the know and helps facilitate productivity so you’ll have something to blog about. It also serves as a record of problems you encounter as well as the solutions you find for those problems.
Development logs are essentially the same thing, except we’ll be using the jam forums rather than a blog. However, you are free to use both the forums and your own blog as you develop your game.
Doing so is not necessary at all, but check out all the logs from last jam! In order to get the most out of your jam experience, it is vital that you interact with your fellow jammers and the community surrounding it. They’ll provide valuable feedback and support to help you along the way. So please, we encourage you to mingle, post in other logs, and of course post your own!
In addition, you are encouraged to add images and gifs. Here’s some programs to help facilitate that:
- ShareX
- Greenshot - a free and open source screenshot tool for productivity
- Lightshot — screenshot tool for Mac & Win
- Gyazo
- ScreenToGif
- Licecap
Respect your community!
Take a moment to review our code of conduct. We strive to create a safe, supportive, and productive environment, and we appreciate your efforts to make our community welcoming for everyone!
Post daily updates!
Post screenshots or fun mishaps to your dev log, twitter, tumblr, or your own blog to track your progress and get feedback. Tag your posts as #MyFirstGameJam or #MFGJ10 so other jammers can find your work! To get the most exposure you can also tag #gamedev or #ScreenshotSaturday for Saturdays! Share your work and link back to your devlog to get feedback.
Manage your time and tasks!
Weupdated our list of useful time and task management tools with tips and ideas for staying on top of your project. Set goals early and keep track of how fast it takes you to reach them!
Use our resources!
Still deciding on an engine? No problem. Check out this post to see what fits your project best or try the sortingh.at!
- Unity resources
- Gamemaker resources
- RPGMaker resources
- Ren'py resources
- Twine resources
- Free assets
- Winter jam resource list
- Resources tag on blog
If you still have questions about the jam itself, take a look at our FAQ!
Join the jam chat!
Want to share your work or ask for help? Or even just take a break from dev? Join discord chat here! (Please note you must be at least 14 years old to join!) Feel free to say hi and share your work! If you need help with a specific skill or engine, you can @Unity or @2D Art to notify mentors. If you think you would like to help other people with some part of games–join us as a mentor! You can get notifications when someone has a question about engines or skills you have expertise in!
Here’s a quick guide to how you can become a mentor.
Heed advice from previous jammers
This jam we took the time to write up a quick summary of advice from previous jammers: Know how to scope.
You can read about the number one game jam killer here!
Take care of yourself!
Game-making can be exhausting as well as rewarding! You are more important than your work, and we compiled a list of helpful tools for getting the most out of you!
Aaaand good luck!
Game dev can be exciting, frustrating, and extremely rewarding. We hope to give you the tools to help you succeed in your goals in the next two weeks!
The theme for My First Game Jam Summer 2021 is:
✨Free✨
Thalassa: A Fun Little Sidescroller about Mermaids
Maya is running late on a date and she’s forgotten to get a gift. But she’s got an excellent idea: why not pick up seashells along the way? Hopefully she can get enough seashells to impress her girlfriend Thalassa!
@starrydough and I made this for My First Game Jam Summer 2019. This is our first time entering a game jam, and it was a challenge with a new engine we’ve never used before. It’s painfully short but it’s both our first game outside of classes, so we’re still proud of it regardless.
You can download and play Thalassa here on itch.io!
Post link
First time making sprites for a game jam
