It’s a hectic scene at the Noble Robot coworking space in Minneapolis, where about 25 indie video game developers are huddled around monitors to test out their friends’ latest creations.
On each screen is a different game made by one of 14 groups last month as part of the “Global Game Jam,” an international annual event where game developers gather in their respective cities before attempting to make a game from scratch for one prompt based weekend.
Last week, the designers gathered again at Noble Robot to show off the games they’ve made and get feedback. This year the prompt was “make me laugh” and the resulting games did not disappoint.
Event organizer Marc Lacroix said at first he was skeptical that the game creators’ ideas and jokes wouldn’t happen.
“I was pleasantly surprised and a little embarrassed to be so skeptical because all the groups came up with amazingly smart and nuanced approaches and concepts,” LaCroix, 40, said.
Andre Denny, who works as a business analyst and website designer, was showing his band Voyage Dans La Loons playing. The title is a play on words from the 1902 French film Le Voyage dans la Lune, and has players control three moons in a rocket ship as they fly it to the moon.
Although Denny had no experience in game programming, the 28-year-old contributed by creating the game’s visual effects, music and text. The 48-hour deadline led to some stress, but Denny said it catalyzed his group’s focus to finish on time and made him want to come back.
“When our group got together to try out the game yesterday, we all just thought, ‘I haven’t had a more productive two days since playing the game,'” Denny said. “It was such a kick.”
Several of the developers said they were glad the event brought together people who envision one day making game design a career.
“It feels like a space to keep pushing myself in and one where, if I want to find more of a future in it, this event, these people and this group seem like everything I’d want to be a part of,” Denny said .
LaCroix is a board member of the Twin Cities Chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), which hosted the event last Wednesday to showcase the creations of the Global Game Jam. It’s a volunteer-run group that aims to connect game makers and welcome newcomers who might otherwise feel intimidated trying to break into the industry.
LaCroix is excited about the growth of the game development community, but there is still work to be done to improve its inclusivity, given how white and male-led it has historically been, he said. In recent years, the IGDA has offered monthly events for women in gaming and for people of color.
“If we’re going to stand up and say we represent the community, I think it’s a moral obligation to go the extra mile to make sure we don’t have those invisible doors that keep people out,” Lacroix said.
Game developer Stephen McGregor, who leads the gathering of people of color, said he was thrilled when someone encouraged him to lead the event. He said there isn’t much turnout for people of color at gatherings, but that he thinks it’s important to discuss the challenges that exist due to the lack of diversity in the game development world.
“As much as I appreciate being part of the community here, I often feel like I’m one of two people of color who go to certain events, the other being my brother,” said McGregor, who is black and now works full-time creating video games. “Even though the event I’m running now isn’t very well attended, I’m still able to be around people of color and talk about the issues we face working in games.”
McGregor first discovered IGDA events about nine years ago when he and his brother were looking for help with a game they were working on. He said the skills and connections he gained from the group helped him land his first full-time job as a game developer.
In the game McGregor made for the “Apocalypduck” game, players control an army of rubber ducks that shoot laser beams and turn household objects into extra ducks as they escape from their bathtub and explore the house around.
Some other games highlighted last week include a co-op original Nintendo console game where two trainee clowns compete to make a giant clown face smile by throwing pies at each other or placing banana peels to slip on. Players then break the clown’s teeth with a hammer before going inside to find a message that reads: “Sorry, but your clown diploma is in another stomach.”
Another, titled “Stand-Up Battle,” has two stand-up comedians battling it out in a turn-based fighting game. The twist is that they fight using different types of prank abilities such as “dad joke”, “punch line” and “joke”. Most of these games can be found online to play for free at globalgamejam.org/games/2024. IGDA event dates are online at igdatc.org.
