How to Win a Game Jam

Abyssal - by Team Meeting Room 1 (Duck Sauce Jam 2024)

As all good projects start, we began with the mandatory—overly drawn-out—brainstorming phase. We needed to try and tie the theme into a game idea that would be feasible with our limited game development knowledge. 

When it comes to making games, projects (or anything for that matter) under time pressure, selecting a realistic scope is one of the most important parts. Winning the jam wasn’t about having the best idea; it was about best implementing the idea relating to the theme. 

After a long (and slightly heated) discussion on the game idea, we eventually settled on a simple, Subnautica-inspired diving exploration game. We used an underwater setting to convey a sense of wonder and stepping into the unknown to help tie in the theme of discovery, and intentionally kept a lot of details hidden from the player. As it turns out, making the player create their own narrative for you is an easy way to cut down on time writing a story.

We had (very flexible) roles within the team: artist, designer, and programmer. We kept our levels extremely simple, relying on Unity’s tilemap system to make level design quick and straightforward. 

Early on, we prioritised getting the core movement mechanics and UI functional, using placeholder graphics to avoid getting bogged down on visuals in the initial stages. This gave us a clear framework for the rest of the project. 

For the art, we kept things simple by using pixel art and basic vector shapes; we recommend Aseprite for anyone working in pixel art. 

And finally, we found that implementing a particle system is a low-effort, high-reward way to make any game feel more polished and visually engaging.