Gamecity Hamburg Online Game Jam at the PLAY20 Festival

Gamecity Hamburg organized an online game jam as part of the PLAY20 Festival, held from November 6 to November 8, 2020. The primary purpose of the event was to foster community engagement among individuals interested in game development, providing a collaborative platform for both solo participants and teams to create and showcase new projects.

The event utilized a digital-first approach, coordinating participants through a dedicated Discord server to facilitate team formation and communication. The development window spanned approximately 45 hours, concluding with a showcase where a selection of the best submissions were featured in a live stream hosted by Twitch streamer OddNina. While the jam was non-competitive and offered no formal awards, it emphasized the importance of community visibility and networking within the industry.

Participation requirements included developing games compatible with Windows PC and submitting them via the itch.io platform. While the event encouraged the creation of original content during the jam, participants were permitted to utilize pre-existing assets provided they held the necessary usage rights. The initiative was supported by several industry partners, including Games Germany, HH Indie Treff e.V., and the Indie Game Fest, highlighting a collaborative effort to support the regional and broader indie game development ecosystem.