Global Game Jam 2017: Keynote Address - Extra Credits

Welcome everyone to the Global Game Jam from the Extra Credits team. You made it. This is going to be a glorious weekend. 48 hours of very little sleep, the pungent odor of the people around you, and staring into a screen. Good times. Seriously, this is going to be an amazing weekend. Rarely do you get to just create unfettered. Here, whether you're a veteran of the industry or if this is your first game ever, this is your weekend to bring something to life. But you dive in, know that it's not just about this weekend. All of this is just a jumping off point. The people you'll meet here, the ideas you'll discover, and the things that you'll learn will carry with you long after you limp exhaustedly out of those doors. And so will the feeling that you did it. Even if your game doesn't fully come together, you get to leave here knowing that you pulled as hard as you could at a time when you could have been doing other things. At a time when you could be laying back and ending up well rested for the week ahead. But no, you did this to work on something you love. And then

there's the games. A small portion of you will take what you create here and go on to build them out into full products to take the world by storm. Another group of you will use these as prototypes, which you will later refine and hone to the point where you can find a publisher or an investor to take it all the way. But perhaps most of all, many of you will take these games and show them to the people you love to explain in a way that words never can who you are, to communicate the world that you're so passionate about, or just to share something that you worked so hard on with the people that matter to you. So here are a few thoughts that will hopefully help you as you go. Number one, keep it simple. It's really easy to dream way beyond the scope of what you can do in a single weekend. That's okay. Take that big dream and distill it down to its core. Take one simple bit and make it great. The more you can focus and keep things simple, the more time you'll have to focus on making that thing great. And in the end, it's the refinement that shows through. So if you've got some grand story that you want to tell, choose one small

scene, a scene that shows why that story matters. Do you want to do a sprawling RPG? Well, maybe distill that down to just making a great combat system that tries out those ideas that you always believed could improve RPG battles. Are you doing a platformer? Give the world one great level instead of 10 mediocre ones. Number two, communicate. Communication may be the single thing that most separates the successful teams from the ones that struggle, especially if you didn't come here today with a pre-made team. So, talk. That's one of the great things about the Global Game Jam. You are right next to the people you're working with. If you're struggling with something, just ask. And remember that it's okay to reach out beyond your team. Is there a programming problem that you just can't figure out? Well, there's probably some super experienced programmers sitting in this room. Don't hesitate to ask for help. I mean, don't abuse anyone's time. Everybody's got a game to make here, but most people will be happy to help. And it's part of the point of the Global Game Jam, to meet new people and to learn new things. Also, don't feel like

you have to put the world on your shoulders. If something's not coming together, if you're being bottlenecked by somebody else on your team not moving as fast as you need them to, talk to them. Don't just decide that you're going to do it yourself, because that just leads to doubled work, confusion, and resentment. Sometimes these conversations are hard. Sometimes the person may not know how to do what you need them to. That's okay. Compromise. Help them find the information they need. Most of all, make this a safe and friendly environment for anyone to ask for help. It's the best thing we can do here, in our workplaces, and in the world. Number three, keep the brainstorming session short. It's a huge temptation to try and think of the perfect idea before you start working. Don't worry about that. In fact, trying to do so will probably hurt you a lot more than it'll help. Every game changes as you build it. You'll learn what you can't do and what could be even better than the initial idea as you create. The more time you have for that process, the better your game's going to be. Because many great games have been made from bad ideas. Mario's core concept is a jumping

plumber on drugs. Sonic is a blue hedgehog in red sneakers that runs real real fast. BioShock? Ayn Rand, the underwater first-person shooter. Listen, it's not about the idea, it's all about the execution. Number four, compromise. Games are a massive collaborative effort. No one in here is the director or the author. Nobody is the idea guy. Making games is about compromise. Now, there may be some places where you can't compromise, of course, but those places are pretty rare. Always try to make sure it's absolutely necessary before declaring something ironclad. It doesn't matter if it's a game jam game or a big AAA project, one person digging in and insisting that everything be the way they envision destroys projects. So, just be aware, because sometimes it's hard to see because you're so passionate about what you're doing. Take the step back, especially when your team is coming up with an idea, and say to yourself, is this something I absolutely can't work with? If it's at all possible, then meet your team halfway.

Number five, know what to save for next time. As you build, you're going to come up with all these cool ideas that could make your game better, but time here is a limited precious resource. So, don't get too distracted by those ideas, because that rabbit hole goes infinitely deep. You will make a much better game by staying focused and really prioritizing the new ideas that come up mid-development. Because if you chase too many of those, you'll end up with a thousand half-finished ideas rather than one great one. Every designer I know has a file tucked away simply called for the sequel. That's where they throw all those great ideas that, even if they would have improved the game, they just couldn't fit in with the resources they had. Don't be afraid to do this. There'll always be another year to jam. And finally, number six, get some sleep. Trust me, even if you only squeeze in four hours per night, you will get a lot more done this weekend if you do. So, good luck, Godspeed, and know that there's no failure here, only the first steps towards greatness.