Global Game Jam 2013
What is a Game Jam?
It's 48 hours of intense, non-stop game creation jammed into a single weekend. If you have ever wanted to make a game or be a part of a game team, then a game jam is for you. There is no better way to learn what it's like to create games than to make one with a team of dedicated gamers. To a tight deadline!
The brief time span is meant to help encourage creative thinking to result in small but innovative and experimental games.
Programmers, artists, writers, and other game makers will be formed into small teams, given a theme, and then let loose to create. Your team will choose the type of game, the platform, and the rules. Your team will create all the art and write all the code. Don't know how to do all that yourself? That's why you'll be part of a team: programmers will be matched with designers, and engineers with artists.
Make new friends. Make your mark. Make a game!
Watch the video from Global Game Jam 2012!
What is Global Game Jam?
Global Game Jam, the largest game jam in the world, annually gathers professionals, students and hobbyists from over 44 countries worldwide with the goal of developing playable games over a single weekend. 2013 is the fifth year of the event that, in 2012, saw over 2,000 games created in 242 different locations in 47 countries.
Aside from digital video games, Global Game Jam also allows the production of board games.
Learn more about Global Game Jam.
Where will it be held?
On the Rasmussen College Ocala campus, located at 4755 SW 46th Ct (one mile south of I-75 on Rt 200). The campus is in front of West Marion Hospital and across from the Market Street Mall (and Starbucks!) Map: http://bit.ly/jMslxw
Well, Google Maps gets pretty close.
How Does it Work?
Everyone meets at Rasmussen's Ocala campus on Friday, January 25, 2013. At 5:00pm, Global Game Jam organizers will share the constraints and rules that all participants in every country will follow. Everyone will have time to come up with a pitch and then share it with the group. Small teams will then be formed around the best concepts. Everyone will become part of a team, although some people may choose to be "floaters," providing assistance (such as graphic design or audio production) to multiple teams.
Each team will have until 2:00PM on Saturday, January 26th to create a Project page on the Global Game Jam site. Each team must begin uploading their finished games to the Global Game Jam site by 3:00pm on Sunday, January 27. (Board games will consist of a single pdf with instructions and cutouts.)
The Game Jam Ocala jurors will then go around and play all the games, and at 5:00pm, each team will present their game to all participants and awards will be presented. Categories include Organizer's Award and People's Choice Award. All finished games will be archived onto the Global Game Jam website for all to play.
Who Can Participate?
Anyone 18 years and older can participate in the game jam, including experienced professionals, students and wannabes. [Under 18? You'll need permission of a parent or guardian. We'll send you a form when you register.] You do not have to (and should not) form teams to participate; teams will be formed at the time of the jam.
You don't need to be able to create a game all by yourself, that's why graphic artists and writers will be paired with developers. Think you could write some cool music for a video game? Have you been playing around with 3D Studio Max? Think you've got the chops to create the next Angry Birds? Register for the Global Game Jam and find out if you've got what it takes.
What will the event location offer?
The Rasmussen Ocala campus will provide desks, tables, chairs, and a limited number of computers in several labs. We have about 45 computers available, but we strongly encourage you to bring your own rig.
Our provided computers will have the following:
- Windows 7 and/or Macintosh OSX Snow Leopard
- Visual Studio 2008 & 2010 with XNA and Direct-X 10.
- Unity 3.x Pro with Android SDK and Eclipse
- XNA Studio 3.1
- Game Maker 8.0 Lite, Pro, and/or Game Maker Studio Pro
- Inform 7 (text adventure software)
- Adobe Creative Suite 5, including Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash and Premiere
- Maya 8
- 3ds Max 12
- Audacity
- Other various graphic and audio editing tools, including microphones and headsets.
Our Game Development Labs
The rules of Global Game Jam preclude you from using pre-made content (this includes program code, audio, graphics, models, etc.). The idea is that we want to see what people can create within the 48 hours. If you have any questions about the appropriateness of content/code, prior to the Game Jam, please email Rasmussen-Ocala's Game & Sim Program Coordinator william.sattelmeyer@rasmussen.edu or to our Game Jam email account gamejamocala@gmail.com
We will also have:
- Snacks and drinks (including coffee) available all day
- Evening meal on Friday
- Dinner on Saturday
- Continental Breakfast on Saturday & Sunday
- Paper, pens, pencils and whiteboards
- Break-out meeting spaces
- Quiet room for naps (bring your own pillow, blankets and/or sleeping bag. HIGHLY recommended.)
- Access to PS3, Wii, and XBox360 consoles and games when you're doing "game research"
- And we'll have some swag to give away
Additionally, there are many local restaurants (McDonald's, Burger King, Subway, KFC, Steak & Shake, and Dunkin' Donuts are within a few blocks) and others that deliver to the Rasmussen Ocala campus. Many more within a couple miles. We'll provide a list of these restaurants.
Teams are free to use the space at the host venue. Rooms will be set aside for storage of personal items (but host site is not responsible for theft or damage). At least one room will be blocked off so you can catch a nap, but bring your own pillow and/or sleeping bag. The floor is hard.
How Do I Get Involved?
1. Be sure to mark January 25-27, 2013, on your calendar.
2. Sign up and register for Global Game Jam - Ocala (the online registration form is below).
3. Show up at the Rasmussen Ocala campus, 4755 SW 46th Ct (one mile south of I-75 on Rt 200) by 5pm on Friday, 1/25/2013.
4. Have fun and plan to work through Sunday late afternoon (awards ceremony and wrap-up will be approximately 5pm).
Registration
To register, please fill out and submit your information on the form below. We also recommend that you send your name and other contact info (email, phone#, address, etc.) to our email (gamejamocala@gmail.com) with the subject "Global Game Jam Registration".
Registration is FREE this year!
THEN... You MUST register on the Global Game Jam website at the Rasmussen-Ocala location page. You will need to log in. (http://www.globalgamejam.org/sites/2013/rasmussen-college-ocala) Every jammer must sign up at the Global Game Jam (GGJ) website in order for your game to be recognized by Global Game Jam. To do this you must have a GGJ account (free/easy), and then you must choose our local Jam Site. (We're #11 in the list, but you can just link to it above). The login is at the bottom of the page.
Sign in with your GGJ account, or if you don't have one register first Click on "My account" from the menu on the right side. Choose your Jam Site from the drop-down menu.Participants will be registered for drawings for swag compliments of our sponsors. While prizes may be awarded in various game design categories, the intent of the Game Jam is not to compete against one another, but to collaborate to create games.
Please email gamejamocala@gmail.com if you have questions.
