myfirstgamejam - Tumblr blog

[myfirstgamejam]

Hey all, to say we as a team running and modding this jam are thrilled and humbled with how our jam community has grown in the past few jams is an understatement. When we started this jam back in 2016 we had no idea then that we would get 500 participants or that we would choose to continue running it 7 years later to multiple jams, the last of which was over 6x that size (and is currently standing as the top unranked jam on itch.io ever).

At this size however, the amount of work required to moderate the community has grown somewhat exponentially, and despite some attempts we haven't quite gotten been able to grow the moderation team along with it. To stick to our own values of avoiding burnout and make running the jam more sustainable in the long term we decided (like many other jams of its current size) it would be best to swap to an annual format, which means the next jam will be in summer/mid-year 2024.

Thank you for joining us this far, and we appreciate your understanding!

[myfirstgamejam]

🌱 My First Game Jam: Summer 2023 is finished! 🌱

Go play some games!

Over 600 really awesome games have been submitted for this jam! It’s an incredible effort to learn something new and create a project under a two week deadline–especially for first time (and learning) game creators! Also, thank you for joining us in

🌱 Play some games!

Your fellow jammers made some incredible games! Be sure to check them out and leave constructive comments. We’ve also created a playtesting thread if you would like some specific feedback!

🌱 Watch your game get streamed!

Our community mod Browntul will be streaming some of your games. Check out the Discord for upcoming info!

🌱 Fill out the exit poll!

If you participated in the jam (even if you didn’t submit a game), remember to fill out our exit poll! This will help us improve the next jam! (And yes–you can still participate if you’ve done previous jams!)

🌱 Share your game!

If you get the chance, be sure to post your game to the #MyFirstGameJam, #ScreenshotSaturday and #gamedev tags!

🌱 Fix some bugs?

We’ve gotten this question a couple times: Yes, it’s perfectly okay to update your game post-jam! Feel free to continue working on your jam games.

🌱 Continuing a project or starting a new one?

It can be tough to keep up your productive momentum after a deadline. Check out these suggestions for wrapping up your game or continuing it in the future!

Check out these productivity tools!

Don’t forget to back up your work!

Learn version control!

Write a post-mortem!

Connect with other devs from the jam!

Check out upcoming jams happening on itch.io!

Great job everyone! See you next jam!

[myfirstgamejam]

will there ever be another my first game jam? i was planning on joining but it sadly caught me at an unfortunate time

Yes, this jam is recurring.

Normally I would mention that this jam is twice a year, but after running the largest jam so far (and also the largest non-competitive jam thus far on itch) I'm actually going to use this ask to announce we're considering potentially moving to an annual format to account for the amount of work that is added for its current size. We want to make sure we continue to run the best jam possible and ensure that as little falls through the cracks as possible (aforementioned resource guides needing updating, running a Discord of 4k members with 3 active mods, etc.).

The alternative is that we may move to freezing the Discord server and moving to using itch community only, since moderation accounts for the bulk of the work of running the jam. We've never done this before though and it would definitely present some challenges as well, but it's an option we may experiment with.

[myfirstgamejam]

🌱 My First Game Jam: Summer 2023 is finished! 🌱

Go play some games!

Over 600 really awesome games have been submitted for this jam! It’s an incredible effort to learn something new and create a project under a two week deadline–especially for first time (and learning) game creators! Also, thank you for joining us in

🌱 Play some games!

Your fellow jammers made some incredible games! Be sure to check them out and leave constructive comments. We’ve also created a playtesting thread if you would like some specific feedback!

🌱 Watch your game get streamed!

Our community mod Browntul will be streaming some of your games. Check out the Discord for upcoming info!

🌱 Fill out the exit poll!

If you participated in the jam (even if you didn’t submit a game), remember to fill out our exit poll! This will help us improve the next jam! (And yes–you can still participate if you’ve done previous jams!)

🌱 Share your game!

If you get the chance, be sure to post your game to the #MyFirstGameJam, #ScreenshotSaturday and #gamedev tags!

🌱 Fix some bugs?

We’ve gotten this question a couple times: Yes, it’s perfectly okay to update your game post-jam! Feel free to continue working on your jam games.

🌱 Continuing a project or starting a new one?

It can be tough to keep up your productive momentum after a deadline. Check out these suggestions for wrapping up your game or continuing it in the future!

Check out these productivity tools!

Don’t forget to back up your work!

Learn version control!

Write a post-mortem!

Connect with other devs from the jam!

Check out upcoming jams happening on itch.io!

Great job everyone! See you next jam!

[myfirstgamejam]

I FINALLY DID IT

I'm working on the demo, if I'm taking part in @myfirstgamejam it's due in two days, and I've been struggling with Zirc's knife not sticking to him when he bumps into things, and I FINALLY SOLVED IT after trying for all of one week out of the two week project. (If you want details, basically I was misunderstanding the use of the parent-child object relationships, and instead I just set the knife to always be on Zirc's Y and X+100. Just trust me here)

Anyway HAHA the game is officially playable. Now I've got all of Friday to refine some levels, enemies, and sound, and this small-scope demo is DONE.

[myfirstgamejam]

just wanted to let you know most of your task management links are broken on desktop, at least for firefox post/723527145407807488/my-first-game-jam-summer-2022-is-on#notes

Sorry for the late reply and thanks for the heads up! Honestly we do need to do a blanket pass on our resources so this is a good reminder.

[myfirstgamejam]

We have a team of 7, is there anything special that everyone has to do to submit the project? It looks like only one person does, but one of our teammates said something about getting a code for their submissions.

Nope! Only one person needs to upload and submit the game to the jam, but if you would like to add more contributors to the page you can do so by editing the game project under More > Admins.

[myfirstgamejam]

Hey, I am a developer, but a newbie in game dev. Is there a team who might need me? I tried to add some info to introduce myself in itch io community thread, but nobody responded. So I wonder if you might know someone or a team who might need free spare hands. Also I tried to join Discord servers but all the link invites are invalid.

Sorry you've been having trouble! Unfortunately, we don't pair up teams for you. Something you could try is also replying to other teams in that thread to ask if they need help. Also try this link to the Discord server. If not, you can always try jamming a small project on your own and use asset packs from itch.io to fill in the rest!

[myfirstgamejam]

Why was my game removed?

Can you provide more info? We have 100+ submissions and probably over 60% were removed at this point (most of them being spam or submitted outside jam timeframe).

[myfirstgamejam]

Hello there! I wanted to ask about the current game jam. Prior to the beginning of the game jam I made some of my game, however I have not finished it. I am aware that you have to make the game inside the window of the game jam, but can I still submit if I've done some (being the key word) of it prior to the start? Thank you very much!

For the sake of fairness + consistency the game should be made within the jam timeframe, so we'd prefer a new game for this jam!

[myfirstgamejam]

My First Game Jam Summer 2022 is on!

The optional theme is: "Cycles"

Here’s a few tips and links to get the most out of the jam.

Make a dev log on the community!

A development blog is a blog in which a game developer or team talks about the process they’ve made over the course of the game’s creation. Maintaining a devblog keeps your audience in the know and helps facilitate productivity so you’ll have something to blog about. It also serves as a record of problems you encounter as well as the solutions you find for those problems.

Development logs are essentially the same thing, except we’ll be using the jam forums rather than a blog. However, you are free to use both the forums and your own blog as you develop your game.

Doing so is not necessary at all, but check out all the logs from last jam! In order to get the most out of your jam experience, it is vital that you interact with your fellow jammers and the community surrounding it. They’ll provide valuable feedback and support to help you along the way. So please, we encourage you to mingle, post in other logs, and of course post your own!

In addition, you are encouraged to add images and gifs. Here’s some programs to help facilitate that:

ShareX

Greenshot - a free and open source screenshot tool for productivity

Lightshot — screenshot tool for Mac & Win

Gyazo

ScreenToGif

Licecap

Start your dev log today!

Respect your community!

Take a moment to review our code of conduct. We strive to create a safe, supportive, and productive environment, and we appreciate your efforts to make our community welcoming for everyone!

Post daily updates!

Post screenshots or fun mishaps to your dev log, twitter, tumblr, or your own blog to track your progress and get feedback. Tag your posts as #MyFirstGameJam so other jammers can find your work! To get the most exposure you can also tag #gamedev or #ScreenshotSaturday for Saturdays! Share your work and link back to your devlog to get feedback.

Manage your time and tasks!

We updated our list of useful time and task management tools with tips and ideas for staying on top of your project. Set goals early and keep track of how fast it takes you to reach them!

Use our resources!

Still deciding on an engine? No problem. Check out this post to see what fits your project best or try the sortingh.at!

Unity resources

Gamemaker resources

RPGMaker resources

Ren'py resources

Twine resources

Free assets

Winter jam resource list

Resources tag on blog

If you still have questions about the jam itself, take a look at our rules page!

Join the jam chat!

Want to share your work or ask for help? Or even just take a break from dev? Join discord chat here! (Please note you must be at least 14 years old to join!) Feel free to say hi and share your work! If you need help with a specific skill or engine, you can @Unity or @2D Art to notify mentors. If you think you would like to help other people with some part of games–join us as a mentor! You can get notifications when someone has a question about engines or skills you have expertise in!

Here’s a quick guide to how you can become a mentor.

Heed advice from previous jammers

This jam we took the time to write up a quick summary of advice from previous jammers: Know how to scope.

You can read about the number one game jam killer here!

Take care of yourself!

Game-making can be exhausting as well as rewarding! You are more important than your work, and we compiled a list of helpful tools for getting the most out of you!

Aaaand good luck!

Game dev can be exciting, frustrating, and extremely rewarding. We hope to give you the tools to help you succeed in your goals in the next two weeks!

[myfirstgamejam]

I'm having trouble accessing the discord server. (discord username: lordgrima) I've read the code of conduct, reacted with the emote, and pressed submit on the popup (it didn't list any remaining tasks), but I'm still unable to access the rules channel (I only have access to code of conduct and announcements). I'm unsure if I'm missing something, or if I'm experiencing a glitch. Any help is appreciated, thank you!

Thanks for letting us know! A few people have reached out to us about this and the fix seems to be to re-react to the conduct acceptance. We'll look into why this pop-up is appearing (in general, it really shouldn't since we have a unique double-verification) but in the meantime this seems to be the workaround. Let us know if you have any further issues!

[myfirstgamejam]

Hi, I'm going to join the jam and I just want to make sure I can develop the build of a previous unfinished game I built a while ago, can I or not?

For this jam we require you to make the entire game within the jam timeframe--so you should be starting a new game!

However, if you are interested in finishing an old project for a jam there are other jams out there for finishing previous projects, such as Finally Finish Something Jam.

[myfirstgamejam]

My First Game Jam Summer 2023 will run from July 22nd - August 5th!

◾ Rules and FAQ

◾ Official Discord server - Join us! (Please note that you must be 14 years or older to join the server.)

◾ Fill out the optional entrance survey! Not required, but helps us assess jam needs!

My First Game Jam is an online game jam for people of all skill levels to learn something new. Never made a game before but always been curious? Set aside two weeks to join the jam and learn how to make a game along with others. Absolute beginners encouraged to join!

Our goal is to organize resources and make game development more accessible. We hope to foster an online space where you can share your progress with other first-time game makers and get help from experienced devs. By the end of two weeks, you hopefully will have some working game or prototype to share—it’s an exciting first step to making games! Individuals and teams are welcome, and we encourage you to both play to your strengths and try something new.

This is our 16th jam, and we’d like to thank our community for supporting new jammers! You can see some past jams here and here. We appreciate you taking the time to spread the word and look forward to seeing your games this summer!

[myfirstgamejam]

My First Game Jam Summer 2023 will run from July 22nd - August 5th!

◾ Rules and FAQ

◾ Official Discord server - Join us! (Please note that you must be 14 years or older to join the server.)

◾ Fill out the optional entrance survey! Not required, but helps us assess jam needs!

My First Game Jam is an online game jam for people of all skill levels to learn something new. Never made a game before but always been curious? Set aside two weeks to join the jam and learn how to make a game along with others. Absolute beginners encouraged to join!

Our goal is to organize resources and make game development more accessible. We hope to foster an online space where you can share your progress with other first-time game makers and get help from experienced devs. By the end of two weeks, you hopefully will have some working game or prototype to share—it’s an exciting first step to making games! Individuals and teams are welcome, and we encourage you to both play to your strengths and try something new.

This is our 16th jam, and we’d like to thank our community for supporting new jammers! You can see some past jams here and here. We appreciate you taking the time to spread the word and look forward to seeing your games this summer!

[myfirstgamejam]

I'd love to get into game dev, but I know NOTHING about programming. Would y'all's Jam be a good start with game-making, or would I be better off taking some pre-req classes on programming or Unity or something and then joining the next one?

This jam is perfect for you! You don't even need to know how to program; many engines are beginner-friendly and do not require you to know how to program in order to use, such as RPGMaker, Twine, Renpy, etc. I recommend you check out our resources list linked on the blog.

[myfirstgamejam]

My First Game Jam Summer 2023 will run from July 22nd - August 5th!

◾ Rules and FAQ

◾ Official Discord server - Join us! (Please note that you must be 14 years or older to join the server.)

◾ Fill out the optional entrance survey! Not required, but helps us assess jam needs!

My First Game Jam is an online game jam for people of all skill levels to learn something new. Never made a game before but always been curious? Set aside two weeks to join the jam and learn how to make a game along with others. Absolute beginners encouraged to join!

Our goal is to organize resources and make game development more accessible. We hope to foster an online space where you can share your progress with other first-time game makers and get help from experienced devs. By the end of two weeks, you hopefully will have some working game or prototype to share—it’s an exciting first step to making games! Individuals and teams are welcome, and we encourage you to both play to your strengths and try something new.

This is our 16th jam, and we’d like to thank our community for supporting new jammers! You can see some past jams here and here. We appreciate you taking the time to spread the word and look forward to seeing your games this summer!