How to crack the code and host the perfect game jam

At Pixonic (MY.GAMES), we host game jams in a range of formats every year. In this post, we’ll explore the pros and cons of each game jam format, how to prepare, plan, promote, and conduct the jam itself, tackle post-jam support, and provide more insights!

Organizing a game jam within a company is akin to setting up a sports competition. You need enticing prizes, clear award categories, and an atmosphere that's both friendly and competitive. A game jam is also athletic in nature because participating without preparation and honed skills can be challenging, though not impossible. Development speed and proficiency with tools are crucial, so it's best not to attempt learning a new engine or technology during the event.

These organizational costs are weighed against some pretty amazing benefits – because participating in a game jam enhances skills across all facets of game development simultaneously. Within a limited timeframe, teams can create a fully functional product that real players can engage with and provide feedback on. Additionally, the completed project can be added to a portfolio, used to test hypotheses or core mechanics, or simply used for the bragging rights: "look what I accomplished in just 2 days!"

When everything is set up correctly, the teams are there, and the necessary skills are in place, the competition becomes truly enjoyable. And what’s the secret ingredient for the successful game jam? Naturally: fun.

We’ll begin by discussing what happens behind the scenes of each jam – what it takes to organize a successful event.

The insights in this post were provided by Dmitry Ulitin, Senior Game Designer on the War Robots project, and Dmitry Osipov, Lead Project Manager on the War Robots project.

Preparing for a jam

The entire jam preparation process can be divided into four key stages:

Stage 1: Planning

The first step is to clearly determine the date of the event without revealing it in advance, as the precise timing of the announcement can also play a crucial role. Initially, the date acts as a deadline for the organizers themselves, helping to structure the entire preparation process.

Planning encompasses everything that happens behind the scenes of the event, from merchandise and potential prizes to analyzing possible participants and selecting the venue, whether online or offline. It’s advisable to allocate ample time for planning, especially if event organization is not your primary occupation.

Jam formats

Game jams come in various formats. One of the most popular is the two-day format (primarily thanks to Ludum Dare jam). This format involves developing a project over two days with limited resources, or over three days at a more relaxed pace.

There are also longer formats, such as week-long or month-long jams. These can be conveniently found on specialized forums, the "Jams" section of itch.io, and thematic sites or subreddits.

Game Jams page in itch.io

Within our company, we have experimented with several formats:

Pitching and creating a game concept.

No need to make a build, and the event is short – from a few hours to a day. Here, the team presents one or more concepts as small one-page documents, which can then be used for the company's needs or simply left to their creators. This is a very fast and easy format with a simple entry point.

Pros:

Cons:

A long format for creating a build.

With this one, participants can compete both on a team or alone and will create a full-fledged build in their free time from work. The final project can be used in a portfolio or for the company's needs – this is a decision you’ll make together.

Pros:

Cons:

A quick format for creating a build.

This format resembles Ludum Dare, but with some changes: two days of continuous work on a project with a presentation at the end. This differs from Ludum Dare like so: there is no voting for the topic, and it’s determined before the jam, and participants can use any assets that help meet the deadline. Also, unlike Jam, we have a limit on the number of participants on a team (no more than 4). Of course, the best thing is that participants are given one additional day off from work.

Pros:

Cons:

Prizes

The type and quality of prizes heavily depend on the format and initial budget of the event. More complex formats should be matched with more appealing prizes. Additionally, the value of the prizes can be increased if the teams are smaller. While people enjoy competing for higher rankings on the leaderboard, a great prize can serve as an even stronger motivator!

There isn’t a strict formula for selecting prizes; it’s always about balancing participant desires, the budget, and the format.

Jury

It’s crucial to assemble a qualified jury to evaluate the participants' games. Ideally, this includes the company's most experienced employees and those who are keen to play a lot of games. A larger jury tends to provide more objective evaluations. In our jams, the jury typically consists of around ten people who play each game, regardless of the number, and provide their assessments.

Merch and participation incentives

Aside from the main prizes, it's a nice gesture to give every participant who submits a build a small, memorable token. We usually distribute T-shirts, which helps alleviate fears and boost motivation: even if a game doesn’t win, participants still receive a pleasant souvenir.

In the context of remote work, delivering gifts can be challenging. If creating easy-to-send merch isn’t feasible, alternative approaches can be used, like promo codes or virtual incentives. While these may not be as memorable, they still generate positive emotions, which is ultimately the most important thing to consider.

A T-Shirt from one of our recent game jams. Every participant who submitted a build, received it as a gift

Choosing a location

We’ve experimented with hosting jams both in-office and online. We held a showcase day where all studio employees could walk around the teams' booths, playing prototypes. We also tried general pitches and presentations, gathering the whole studio in a mini-corporate meeting format. Of course, we also experimented with remote participation and online presentations. What we’ve found is that there’s no perfect option. That said, the hybrid format has proven very effective for us.

It's important to remember that in-office networking is one of the most engaging aspects of a jam, so it's worthwhile to encourage participants who come in, whether alone or as part of a team. Providing pizza, stickers, and coffee can help create a collaborative atmosphere, allowing participants to focus on the jam rather than on food and beverages. In our company, for instance, we distribute merchandise during the jam (such as matching T-shirts for all participants) and offer stickers that promote the event within the company, which is also valuable.

Attending to other practical matters

Before the jam begins, it’s good for the organizer to prepare some supporting materials. Once these are ready, you can move forward with the event. Let’s discuss those next.

Stage 2: Announcement and communication

We typically announce our jams about a month before they begin. Timing is crucial to ensure participants can plan their work schedules accordingly. The announcement can be made through studio chats, presentations, personal messages, or any other method that suits your company.

In larger organizations, consider coordinating with HR to determine the optimal time and format for the announcement. This approach helps ensure the message reaches the greatest number of colleagues.

Creating a chat

Once the announcement is made, it's an ideal time to establish communication with participants. Setting up a general chat allows you to share all relevant news and facilitate interaction. Leading up to the jam, regularly remind participants about the event, share updates to the rules, post humorous memes (if appropriate), and encourage open communication to keep the chat lively and engaging.

At Pixonic, we have a tradition of compiling additional resources to assist participants and entice those who haven't decided yet whether or not they want to join. For instance, we offer an internal guide titled "How to make a platformer in one hour with just a browser," which can help convince even those who hadn’t planned to participate or lack the necessary skills.

For more detailed information on how to participate in the jam and gather assets ahead of time, please refer to our previous article. To make it easier, here is a random list of valuable resources that you can share with participants:

Stage 3: It’s jam time!

In practice, the jam effectively begins even before the official start, with the announcement of the theme. We usually do this in the evening, allowing teams to brainstorm ideas and ponder them overnight, so they can dive into serious work the next morning. Some participants choose to begin working that evening, which is perfectly acceptable. Each team has its own approach, and there's no single correct method – the key is to achieve the desired results.

At this point, it’s beneficial for teams to have a foundation for participating in jams. There are numerous helpful articles and videos available online on how to successfully engage in jams and avoid common pitfalls. However, from an organizer's perspective, it’s important to remind teams of two key points:

Source: Unity

Supporting participants

While teams are hard at work, organizers should remain actively engaged. Providing support during the jam is crucial, as participants may overlook simple details while focused on their tasks.

Organizers who are familiar with basic game design principles can offer valuable guidance to participants. Suggestions like incorporating a scoring system or structuring the game into levels to foster player progression are excellent recommendations for small projects, especially for first-time jam participants.

The most effective approach is to invite a few experts who can play the games and provide quick feedback. A single person outside the development context playing the game can offer insights that are often more valuable than an entire day of internal testing.

Additionally, keep the jam chat active by monitoring participant progress and encouraging them to share screenshots and gameplay. This allows organizers to provide recommendations based on these materials. Since the jam is a competition, participants are naturally curious about how their peers are performing, which can spark inspiration and new ideas.

Ending the jam

Ending the jam effectively is just as crucial as a strong start. Once the competition concludes, you should collect a build of the game (or the relevant project, depending on the format) from each team. It's equally important to allow teams some rest-time after the jam, rather than having them work on builds over the weekend.

We typically inform participants that the jam lasts for exactly 48 hours. However, there's a twist! During PixJam, we have an additional hour – the 49th hour (Ludum Dare came up with this idea first and called it the Submission Hour). This time is allocated for teams to finalize their builds and submit them to the organizers. This extra hour can be unofficial or outlined in the rules, offering a chance for well-prepared teams to refine their games a bit more.

The point of no return?

Since the primary focus is on fun, the goal is to avoid diminishing our participants' hard work. So, the rules should specify that fixes can be made to address critical bugs – those that hinder the game's evaluation, and these issues can be resolved even after build submission.

This approach provides teams with peace of mind, as they know their efforts won't go to waste. From an organizer's perspective, it's pivotal to support those who've invested significant time in delivering their message and gameplay to users.

In our jams, builds are locked immediately after submission, and the "criticality" of bugs is assessed by the organizers. If a team wishes to add or fix non-critical elements, they can rely on the assurance that the game is still strong and the bug doesn't significantly impact it.

Stage 4: Post-jam support

Showcase the games

Once teams have had a chance to rest, it's time to re-establish communication and highlight the remarkable results of their efforts. In our studio, we host a special event called the "Presentation of Jam Projects," where team captains or designated representatives can share their games and discuss the development process.

During this stage, you can also present a gameplay video to a broader audience of employees. This not only sparks interest among colleagues and motivates them to participate in future jams but also demonstrates how impressive creations can emerge in just two days. It's important not to overly regulate the presentations; teams should have the freedom to decide the best way to showcase their games. The only limitation we impose is a time constraint for each presentation, allowing just a few minutes per team, depending on the number of participants. This is generally sufficient for most to grasp the essence and mechanics of the game.

Voting in the main category

Following the presentations, the jury – selected during the planning phase – steps into the spotlight. Voting in the main category takes place over the course of a week. Our jam rating system is based on several criteria, partially inspired by the Ludum Dare framework:

All criteria should be clearly documented in the jury’s table before voting begins. Each criterion is scored from 1 to 10 points. Once all the scores for a game are collected, we calculate the average score for each criterion by dividing the total sum of scores by the number of scores. These averages are then summed to produce the final score, which determines the winners.

Additional nominations

To make the jam more enjoyable and engaging – and to meet internal objectives beyond just entertainment – companies can introduce additional goals and nominations.

A popular nomination is the audience award, which encourages participation from across the company. Here, teams present a video and talk about their game, followed by voting among employees to pick the studio’s favorite. This award may not always align with the jury’s choice, but it adds excitement and recognition. Although prizes in additional nominations may be smaller, a higher number of awarded participants contributes to a more enjoyable experience for everyone.

In our company, we include an additional nomination to encourage the creation of mobile games with potential for future release. You might consider nominations based on genre, platform, type of gameplay, or even more abstract themes  the possibilities are nearly limitless.

Is it over yet?

Feeling ready for the next jam now that this one has concluded? Well, this is finally a great time to reflect on what went right and note key takeaways to help launch the next jam with fewer obstacles: