Global Game Jam Sees Biggest Year Yet With 6,500 Participants

The Global Game Jam's just-concluded third year was its biggest yet, organizers have announced, revealing that some 6,500 people participated. Developers around the world put heads together for the 48-hour challenge, and together created almost 1,500 games, all based on this year's theme: "Extinction." The stats come from the GGJ's official website, where a large number of entrant titles are now available to be played and receive feedback. For the first time, this year's event allowed non-digital games, designs that could be played physically by people in a variety of settings. In the end, the event registered 169 jam sites in 44 countries, and this year's jam featured a video keynote from renowned Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi. Anyone is eligible to participate in the event, hosted and encouraged by the International Game Developers Association. An organizer assembles his or her at a host site that meets certain requirements, and they have 48 hours to develop a game in accordance with the theme. The philosophy is that when everyone is given the same constraint and rules, it presents an interesting opportunity to engender innovation and experimentation. It also lets people on all levels, from skilled developers to students and hobbyists, learn from the experience of working together. Last year's event saw 4,300 participants, meaning this year's turnout represents significant growth. "Once again we broke our own record for the single largest game jam ever!" says a statement on the event site. "Thank you to all the participants and organizers for making it so great. We hope to be even better next year."