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Global Game Jam 2022
Global Game Jam is a global hackathon focused on creating games in an inclusive and friendly environment. Some members of Nerd Otaku leadership have actively participated in Global Game Jams for over 6 years, and as an organisation we started hosting the Zambia regional jam since 2020. Global Game Jam is an exciting event that is known to foster new friendships, develop new skills, and connect people accross multiple disciplines and backgrounds into a creative community! The 10-day event was held concurrently in a whopping 860 locations worldwide with 113 countries represented!
Over 50 jammers registered for the Nerd Otaku Zambia Game Jam, placing us in 4th spot on the African continent in terms of participants!
The theme for this year was “duality”, and our teams enthusiastically imagined unique game concepts to portray the theme in their digital creations. The participants were divided into teams with each team including at least one programmer, artist/designer, musician, and writer/concept developer. As organisers we are incredibly proud of the active participation of all the team members on our online Discord server, we loved following along as each game progressed from brainstorming and settling on a concept, to programming code and digital art, and eventually playable prototypes with sound effects and interesting gameplay mechanics!
The Jam gives people of any background an opportunity to explore and experience the process of game development regardless of their experience or ability. Our focus at Nerd Otaku is to foster a community of acceptance, inclusion, and positivity, and we are delighted with how the teams embraced these ideals and cooperated.
The Teams
Blue Team
ike, c-z, thekidd, ren3gad3, KEITH, MangakaHanten, elkay_shemi, The Phoenix, D4RKM47R1X, El-Mojan
Green Team
uᴉɯɐɾuǝq, Fitzgerald026, OddBoy, RaiC, 天TIN MAN天, Yannick, Adande, Zwaggerswrath, ryoadventures
Yellow Team
babokaizen, AmigoFantasma, dylankachaka, JesterMaroc, Kathykita94, ravenx3l, Jaybzm, _.omen._, Damon
For the first 8 days, our Jammers participated virtually via Discord, a platform designed to empower communities with tools to communicate, share ideas, and collaborate.
The game concepts from the three teams were surprisingly unique, with Blue Team’s game portraying Duality via sacred orbs that maintain balance in the world. The antagonist, who is from another kingdom gains control of the the orb from our world and in turn disrupts the balance of the world. Our player needs to recover the orb by controlling two characters from the land of Alpha and Beta to restore the Duality, and in essence, balance of the universe.
D4RKM47R1X
“The Game Jam was a real eye opener and the perfect sample of actual indie game development on a professional level. As someone who would like to join the industry I think this was “essential”. I am participating next year for sure. For anyone reading this, I hope to see you there next year.”
Everyone can contribute to a global game jam regardless of experience or skill level.
The Global Game Jam 2022 was made possible because of the kind sponsorship of the event by Liquid Intelligent Technolies. Thank you Liquid for your committment to the community and gaming.
Mizz_Rai
The Game Jam was a wonderful experience. It was my first time participating and I had no prior experience in game production which gave its challenges, but we were able to come up with a working project. The Jam also gave me the opportunity to have a glimpse at what goes into making games and has given me more insight into the field.
Overall it was a fun experience and allowed me to meet so many new people as well as learn a lot of new things. I am looking forward to trying more games and hopefully making a few in future.
Green team decided to embed the concept of duality into their game mechanics and enabled their action hero, Gumi, to jump between different dimensions or time periods. A lab accident has shattered the space time continuum into different dimensions. In order to solve puzzles and access different paths in the game, Gumi needs to jump between these time periods in order to proceed towards victory, restoring the space time and fixing the shattered world.
Early Prototyping
Early Environmental Art
Fitzgerald C
For a first timer attending an event of this nature I must say it was an eye opener for me. I had heard of the event before and had always wanted to take part but honestly wasn’t sure if I had the skills to take part, I am glad I was wrong. The 2022 Global Game Jam was very inclusive to all skill sets as I got to learn there was more that went into game development and everyone had something to bring to the table. It also served as a platform to network with people who had a similar interest, while learning how the games we love, as a gaming community, are made. Looking forward to the next one to come.
The cool thing about Global Game Jam with Nerd Otaku is that none of the participants are game developers. We are all a community passionate about gaming and this event is our way to learn about the game development world.
Dylan
So, this was my very first gamejam and I honestly didn’t know what to expect. In actuality the entire experience was beyond even what I thought.
I had a very dedicated team and met a lot of people that share the same passion and love for gaming that I have. Working on the game and seeing our ideas come together and create something amazing was incredibly fun. I only got to meet two members of my team in a controlled environment because of covid, but that didn’t subtract from the fact that we got the job done and had fun doing it.
I came for the gamejam and ended up leaving with not only a new experience, but also new friends that I can talk about gaming with. Even the people outside my team were great company. It actually felt like being hired under an indie game studio for 15 days. I am definitely attending the next gamejam.
_Omen_
The Global Game Jam was an extremely fun experience and I’m very happy to have participated in it. This was my very first game jam and I’m sure I will continue to participate in the coming years. I very much loved getting to see so many people with a love of gaming get together and create a game of their own. It allowed us all to add to the medium in a way that was very meaningful in our eyes, whether through providing art, creating a story, making music or just straight-up programming. I have no prior experience in game development and I wouldn’t say I have any skills that I thought would be particularly useful in making games. Because of this, I was unsure about participating, but after talking with others who have had experience with the game jam, I was reassured that all I needed was a love for games and a willingness to help in whatever way I could. I ended up working on the story and writing for our game and thoroughly enjoyed it even though I am not very experienced in that area. I have recently started pursuing a degree in computer science with the hopes of getting into game development as a career. I wasn’t sure if this was the right choice for me. But after actually experiencing what is involved in game development, I’m certain I love this line of work and the community around it. This event gives me high hopes for the future of game development, especially in Zambia and I would 100% recommend it to anyone who loves games and wants to try out game development.
Yellow Team’s game intro goes as follows… In the year 2222, Apricity Inc sent an expedition of specialists on Project Foundation to create a pioneer settlement on Kepler-10c, a mega-earth habitable planet. Upon landing the specialists discover that the planet has an extraordinarily strong magnetic field, so strong that most electronic equipment is rendered unusable. The expedition team will have to make choices to ensure their survival while honouring the company mandate to settle the planet in harmony with nature. The player will take control of the team expedition leader, and their choices will determine the future of both the settlers and the planet. The Duality theme of GGJ 2022 is represented in the saturation levels of natural assets and human assets, dimming or becoming more vibrant, based on the choices of the player. The player will need to choose between the needs of his settlement or the protection of the natural environment.
Babo
For people with discombobulated minds, (myself included), creating something as deep and complex as a video game can prove to be quite the challenge. But when events like this happen, we’re given the opportunity and privilege of combining our power with people who have the same ideals, the same vision as we do! Then, and only then do we have a chance to break through the cloudy skies, and disintegrate the heavens!
Unfortunately, Due to Covid-19 restrictions, we could only attend the final 2 days of the event in person. However, I feel that was just enough time to get acquainted with some fellow aspiring game dev’s. If it were up to me, I’d have everyone quit their jobs and collaborate to develop games full time, all day, every day! But that’s kind of a stretch huh?
Awesome Liquid Internet!
Yellow Team thanks Nerd Otaku Zambia Team for facilitating this amazing event once again and welcoming us jammers! Liquid Intelligent Technologies for sponsoring the physical venue, internet access, and other good stuff!
We hope to see you all again next year for Global Game Jam 2023!
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