In the past month, from January 22nd to 28th, various locations worldwide hosted yet another edition of the Global Game Jam 2024. In this game jam, participants with diverse backgrounds were given approximately 48 hours and a central theme to create games. Portugal, as always, actively participated with 12 sites spread from north to south of the country: ETIC Algarve (Faro), Universidade de Aveiro (Aveiro), Laboratório de Jogos – Técnico (Lisboa), NOVA FCT (Almada), NCGM FEUP (Porto), NJDM / IPL – Startup Leiria (Leiria), IPCA GGJ24 (Barcelos), Lusófona University Lisbon (Lisboa), UBI (Covilhã), VAM Lusófona Porto (Porto), World Academy (Lisboa), Freiheit.com (Lisboa).
The theme for this year, “Make Me Laugh,” united 357 ‘Jammers’ in Portugal who, with diverse backgrounds as artists, programmers, writers, audio designers, and other creatives, collaborated harmoniously in crafting a humorous game. From all the sites in Portugal, a remarkable 96 games were created. In addition to the competition, exhibitions were organized to showcase the projects created during this jam with the community.
Guilherme Pereira, a master’s student in Computer Science and Engineering, participated in the event at the Instituto Superior Técnico. He shares that “this year’s theme was a challenge.” He took on the role of a programmer in his team, revealing that he used the jam to become more familiar with the multiplayer aspects of the game. He emphasizes the importance of the in-person jam as a place for sharing knowledge, not only improving internal communication within the team but also exchanging valuable insights with members of other teams present at the location.
From the University of Beira Interior, João Santos, a PhD student in Media Arts, not only participated but also organized the event . He has been participating since 2019 in the Global Game Jam and revealed that the theme was one of his favourites. As a Game Designer, he took on the role he enjoys the most, Project Manager, using the jam to learn how to “work with the ideas of other colleagues”. He was pleased with the final result, revealing, however, that the experience of organizing as a participant was “very stressful” but “rewarding,” expressing an intention to assist with the organization once more.
On February 15th, the Portuguese Association of Video Game Producers (APVP), in collaboration with CloudFlare, Gaming Hub, and Escola 42, hosted another edition of the “Game Break” meetup. The focus was on showcasing games developed during the Global Game Jam, fostering networking opportunities between students and industry professionals. This dynamic event featured 80 participants and more than 15 gaming exhibitors, each presenting a unique game developed during the Global Game Jam.
As the echoes of laughter from Global Game Jam 2024 settle, mark your calendars for the upcoming edition scheduled from January 20th to January 26th, 2025.
