Dozens of gamers from across Saskatchewan gathered together to put their skills to work in creating an original video game within a 48-hour time period, joining thousands worldwide in the same pursuit.
Michael Long, the organizer of the contest, which was held at the University of Saskatchewan, is a success story that emerged from the event.
He attended his first Game Jam 10 years ago, which eventually led to a career in game development.
“I started my career at Game Jam,” Long told CTV News. “I did them in university and really enjoyed it, and now I’m making games full-time as a career.”
There are 90 participants in Saskatoon, with a similar event being held in Regina this weekend, coinciding with Global Game Jam Day.
“There are lots of commercial games globally that started as Game Jam games,” Long said. “As for Saskatchewan examples, I don’t know if there’s been many here. We don’t make a lot of games yet, but we’re hoping to change that.”
Entries can be individual or team-based. One of the largest groups has nine members, including Arianna Ceslak, an art student from The Recording Arts Institute of Saskatoon.
She’s confident their team concept has potential, keeping with the global theme this year, “bubble.” All teams must include that in their design, whether it’s literally or figuratively.
“So, we have tiny little mini-like toy cats riding around in toy boats, shooting little toy guns that shoot bubbles at each other, and trying to sink each other. The last person standing wins,” Ceslak said.
There’s even a group that chose to create a board game, calling it “The Bubble Kingdom.” Another group went with a scuba diving theme called “Bubble and the Fury.”
Long says the potential for games like these to develop into mass-market video games is possible because of online platforms like Steam or Google Play.
Anyone can upload their game to a worldwide audience.
“That’s been the case for maybe 15 to 18 years,” he said. “Before that, it would have been impossible.”
If a game were to become a commercial product, Long says it would take about six months from this phase.
However, being realistic is key to not burst any bubbles.
Another Game Jam event will be held in September, and Long encourages anyone to attend, saying the process requires many skills to contribute to the end product, whether that’s art experience, coding knowledge, or marketing expertise.
