Global Game Jam 2014 Begins its Spread

The sixth annual 48 hour Global Game Jam began yesterday afternoon in over 450 locations, up from 319 the previous year.

The sixth annual 48 hour Global Game Jam began yesterday afternoon in over 450 locations, up from 319 the previous year. Vancouver celebrated the title of largest jam this year so far with 368 participants; the University of British Columbia venue was literally jammed full. Meanwhile, over 20,000 participants have registered worldwide.

As usual, jammers have been assigned a theme to help shape their game. “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are” is this year’s prompt, but it is not a requirement for those who wish to veer off in their own direction. However, more adventurous jammers also have the option to adhere to one or many of the “Diversifiers”, challenging secondary prompts that could add a brag-worthy spice to their game.

This year’s keynote included motivating talks by Richard Lemarchand, Kaho Abe and thatgamecompany’s Jenova Chen. GGJ Vancouver featured an additional speech from Don’t Starve and Mark of the Ninja developer Jamie Cheng.

Starting in 2009, Global Game Jam has offered developers and artists of all experience levels the chance to power build an indie game in a 48-hour period. Since its inception, GGJ has become the largest worldwide game jam, bringing forth thousands of new games and giving game creators the chance to meet new people and learn new skills.

You can follow GGJ on Twitterfor new updates, check up on the Twitch stream, or play previous GGJ games here, but make sure to keep an eye on IGM over the weekend for more on Global Game Jam.