Creatives get their game on
Game developers working alongside artists, musicians and other creatives in Southland are gearing up to develop games with others across the world.
A team from Invercargill will take part in the Global Game Jam challenge to develop a game during a 48-hour period, with thousands of teams entering across the globe.
All teams will be given the theme. Once the 48 hours is up, each entry must be published on the Global Game Jam website, completed or not.
Southern Institute of Technology game design tutor and Invercargill team organiser Rachel Mann said typically a small game would be made in a six-month period, so to cram everything into 48 hours was a challenge.
Communication was key, as teams developing the game would include a range of creatives including traditional artists, graphic designers, animators, musicians and coders, Mann said.
People with similar expertise would be paired up and they would meet for two meal breaks to make sure everyone was on the right track, she said.
Last year was the first time they had a team in the event. The resulting entry, Preserver, was set in an underwater post-apocalyptic Invercargill.
The strict time frame proved difficult when their computer broke down between 1am and 4am, Mann said.
Ten people participated last year. They have already received 15 registrations for this year’s event and were aiming for more than 20, which would mean they could make more games and introduce a rotating sleeping roster, she said.
The Global Game Jam starts on January 31 and ends on February 2.