When most people – myself included – refer to 7DFPS, the popular first-person game jam, they immediately think that every submission must be a first-person shooter, because… you know, FPS; it’s right there in the title. As it turns out, the shooting part is entirely optional, meaning one could just as easily end up with a so-called walking simulator and no rules would be broken. Don’t know about you, but I like that.
Sure, violence in video games can be fun and all, but what say we try cutting back on it a bit, emphasising other aspects? Even more so since this particular viewpoint all too often leads to something involving guns or other weaponry, featuring a borderline inhuman protagonist able to shrug off all but the largest wounds – all while forgetting things like plot, characters, and world-building. Yes, there are examples of gun-driven first-person experiences with a really good story, they’re just too few and far between, really.
Challenge yourself, and first person games, by creating a game that takes us to new places in new ways.
All that said, there appear to be absolutely no rules for this particular game jam, and no theme restrictions either. So whatever you want to make, go for it. Whatever engine you want to use, eh, it’s all good. Just, you know, stick to the jam dates: between December 4th and 13th, 2020. May the power of first-person game-making be with you.
