Stage 1 · Lesson 6 of 7

Game jams

A is an event where people make a game on a set theme within a fixed time, usually 48 to 96 hours. Afterwards, everyone plays and rates each other's entries. The GMTK Game Jam and Ludum Dare are two of the largest, and lists many more every week.

Jams force you to keep the game tiny and to finish a build other people can play. You also get feedback from real players within days. Many people find teammates and their first portfolio pieces at jams. Treat your first jam as practice, and aim to submit anything playable.

Common trapspending the first day on menus, settings or a title screen instead of the .

A question to check yourself, an AI practice session and 1 cheat sheet entry come with the full roadmap. Unlock

Resources for this stage

Start with

VideoFree
Game Maker's Toolkit
Mark Brown (YouTube)
Short, clear video essays on why games work, so you start thinking about design from your first clone

Practise

GMTK Game Jam
A large, beginner-friendly jam: the best first deadline for a tiny finished game
itch.io
Browse the jam calendar, play small games, and later publish your own for free

Keep handy

roadmap.sh: Game Developer
A map of the whole field, to see where gameplay, maths, physics and graphics fit
Pro Git
The free Git book, for branching and recovering when a change breaks your game

Also worth your time

Game Loop (Game Programming Patterns) (opens in a new tab)Read
A clear, free chapter on how the loop your engine runs actually works