Global Game Jam Nets 360 Games In 48 Hours

The first annual Global Game Jam development event concluded this week, with 1,650 participants creating 360 free games over the course of 48 hours. Teams pitched and developed games in 54 locations across 23 countries, all using the theme "As long as we have each other, we'll never run out of problems." The resultant creations are available at the event's official site. Some will be showcased at the IGDA Education Summit, taking place March 23rd and 24th during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. "Collaboration is an extraordinary thing, and I am so amazed at what people were able to accomplish in 48 hours," said founder Susan Gold. "Once people realized what they are capable of doing when they worked together, they became more creative, more innovative and drove themselves to do things they did not know they could do." Teams were given 15 minutes to pitch their games before beginning production, and in addition to the official theme, were required to adhere to various other criteria that differed between locations and time zones. The rules stipulated that finished games be playable in five minutes or less. "I heard from some of the sites that when the constraints were introduced there was total silence in the room," said co-organizer Ian Schreiber. "But it was the silence of the 'people thinking hard' because in 15 minutes they had to pitch a game.