Participants at the Morrisville State GGJ site prepare to make their games during this year’s Global Game Jam. (Photos by Franci Valenzano, Public Relations Associate).
(Morrisville, NY – Jan. 2015) There was a common element challenging the seven-member “KThx” team as they ardently worked together to create their video game, “Project: Nightmare.” Each had slept no more than five hours in a 48-hour timeframe.
But it didn’t diminish their excitement or innovativeness during this year’s Global Game Jam (GGJ) held Jan. 23 to 25 at Morrisville State.
Morrisville was one of only a handful of sites in New York State to host the event, a chance for gamers throughout the world to collaborate to explore creativity, tout inventiveness and let imaginations roam as they created playable video and board games in the course of one weekend.
Morrisville State students, alumni, staff and community members formed teams on-site, joining thousands of participants from all over the world taking part in the GGJ, nowrecognized as the largest in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records.
The annual event is for amateurs, professionals, hobbyists and those with a passion for making video and board games. All sites worldwide were challenged to make games based on the same theme, “What Do We Do Now?”
Participants met at the college on Friday, then spent the next 48 hours brainstorming and designing a new game from scratch without any outside help.
“I was so excited to be a part of this,” said Joe Smith, a Morrisville State student and first-time participant on team “KThx.” “It was great to share my ideas and to create a game with my team.”
Courtney Mooney, an information technology: web development, and network administration dual major, and member of team “KThx,” had a chance to tout her artistic talents in their game, “Project: Nightmare.” Shortly after game jam began, she requested a drawing tablet, two computers, an Ipad, music, food and energy drinks.
Others brought candy and snacks to help fuel their minds throughout the weekend.
David Stablein, head of the Morrisville-LaFayette STEP (Science Technology Engineering Program), a partnership with Morrisville State and the LaFayette Central School District, brought a team of eight students to participate in this year’s event.
Among them was game jam veteran Evan Pelton. “It was fun working with a team to create a game,” Pelton said about his decision to return. “We had more programmers this year which helped us create a better quality game.”
Many followed their sheer passion toward “gaming.” “I love this event,” said Dakota Lukasik, of the LaFayette STEP team. “I am always thinking of new ideas to make games based on characters and stories.”
Taylor McDowell, an information technology: application software development senior and member of “Team Powerpuffs,” realized the importance of getting ample sleep having participated in four previous game jams.
“Sleep makes it easier,” he said. “It was also easier for me this year because I knew what to expect.” His team created a comedy game video that focused on making your own adventure.
When it was all said and done, 35 participants at the Morrisville site produced five video games, and consumed 12 pizzas and 10 cases of soda.
“This was our largest number of participants ever,” said Richard Marcoux, Ph.D., associate professor in the college’s Computer and Information Technology Department, and coordinator of the Morrisville GGJ event. “It was a very successful jam with many new and innovative games created this year.”
Approximately 25,000 “jammers” overall participated in the GGJ, with nine new countries and territories joining as host sites; Belarus, Cuba, Ecuador, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guernsey and Luxembourg.
All finished GGJ games get archived onto a Game Jam website for everyone to play.