Yes, I know: more game jam stuff – yawn, right? Heck no, because this time it’s less about coding and more about organizing and/or running one. After some fun times with #LOWREZJAM, Glitch Jam, and the (still running) Indie Quilt, the Game Jolt crew felt like trying their hand at helping other people host one too. Introducing… Game Jolt Jams!
Believe it or not, hosting your own jam is anything but easy as there are a ton of variables to deal with: designing the website/page, vote counting, social media integration and so on. Well, as far as I can tell, this up-and-coming jam-hosting platform makes that stuff much less overwhelming, which – no matter how you look at it – is definitely a positive. Oh, and it’s completely free to use, requiring only a Game Jolt account (which, incidentally, is also free).
All you need to get started is a Game Jolt account and an idea.
Given the time-limited nature of these things, with some lasting as little as 72 hours, needless to say, the inclusion of a calendar feature is a must. This way, those interested in hosting a jam can plan ahead, (hopefully) avoiding overlapping with existing jam(s); game developers can only do so much at once, after all. So be sure to keep that in mind, when picking the start and end date.
Now, while Game Jolt Jams is readily available at the time of writing, there’s still plenty of behind-the-scenes activity. For starters, live chat and forums are in the making, both of which I’m sure will be useful for even medium-sized jams. But when hundreds of people are involved – yeah, that’s when those features are really going to shine. Good stuff.
Those interested in hosting their own jam, or checking out the feature list, can do so on the Game Jolt Jams website right now. Just remember to tell me about it, eh?
