The Best Games from 5 Years of Playcrafting's Global Game Jam Site
Global Game Jam was my introduction to the awesome power of game jams to unite and inspire creators through the shared passion of making games. Amazing things can happen when you give a vibrant and diverse group of active and aspiring game developers the environment to let their imaginations run wild.
For those who have never heard of it before, the Global Game Jam (GGJ) is the world's largest game creation event. Think of it as a hackathon for games. GGJ sites across 118 countries unite developers to build a game embodying the same theme. It’s a pure community-first event seeking to get as many people learning and building as possible.
ABOUT OUR SITE
Playcrafting launched our own GGJ site in 2016. It quickly became the largest in North America, and has been for 4 years! In 2020, 773 developers made 93 games in just 48 hours. We welcome active and aspiring developers of all backgrounds. Our site is so special because we’ve added to the core GGJ template, including free talks, educational workshops, mentorship from industry pros, and an optional competition for more experienced developers.
Each year, we take over 2 floors of the Microsoft office in Times Square with 48 hours of game-making goodness. There’s a palpable energy in the air that takes shape in our kickoff presentation. It’s been a thrill to look out on hundreds of excited faces, all united through the shared passion of making games. All weekend long, that energy grows to one of learning, building, and connecting. Roaming through the halls, you’d see clusters of developers everywhere hard at work on their projects. This all culminates 2 days later, when each team excitedly demos their game for everyone else at our annual expo. The weekend caps off with the announcement of the winners of our competition! Everyone breathes a sigh of relief and accomplishment at a weekend well-spent, full of making games, learning new things, and building connections with other developers.
On the eve of Global Game Jam 2021, I wanted to highlight some of the games made at our site in past years.
2016: RITUAL
The theme for 2016’s Global Game Jam was “Ritual.” I had no idea what to expect in my first Global Game Jam. Suffice to say, I was moved to laughter and tears by these games.
Pray Play pits 4 players against one another in ritual cattle sacrifice.
Witchualistic places you and 3 friends in the shoes of witches working together to complete a spell over your cauldron.
Jukai: Among Trees is a somber tribute to a lost friend where you force bad thoughts away in an effort to save a life.
2017: WAVES
The “Waves” theme in 2017 was brought into a number of traditional digital and tabletop games. Some of the most surprising games were those that used alternative controls and virtual reality! And of course, I seized on the chance to have our jammers do about 15 audience waves for both the kickoff and closing ceremonies!
Wave Boy is like a VR version of Paper Boy, rewarding points for successful deliveries and bonus for a friendly wave on your route.
Unwavering is a meditative tale of skipping rocks on a pond to honor your long lost dog.
Thar She Blows is controlled via a wheel controller and microphone to aid you as a captain seeking to avoid a deadly whirlpool.
2018: TRANSMISSION
From radio signals to germs, 2018’s “Transmission” theme created so many directions for developers to take their games. This year really showed the diversity in thought and background of our mostly New York-based jammers.
Deadline: Ransom Note Agency puts you on the job to solve word puzzles as a ransom note designer.
Trans* Mission encourages you to offer support to your friends at a party by honoring their preferred pronouns.
Ghoul's 'n Golf melds a golf game and platformer into one as your soul inhabits the ball to fight off monsters with each swing.
2019: WHAT HOME MEANS TO YOU
When I saw “What Home Means to You” as the theme for 2019, I thought for sure that most submitted games would aim to tug at the heartstrings. Boy was I wrong! Some of the top games from this year reflected the funny, cynical, and off-beat ways in which jammers looked at their homes as a playground.
Rats, Roaches, and Roombas is a hilarious one-on-one matchup between 2 vacuums trying to suck up the most dust and pests in 60 seconds!
Please Leave By 9 places you into the shoes of a not-so-friendly ghost trying to politely push their party guests to leave.
Blobfish Massage invites 3 players to bring a sense of calm to stressed out sea creatures.
2020: REPAIR
The “Repair” theme for 2020’s jam was simple and direct. Jammers embraced everything from direct (computers) to more outside-the-box (communication) interpretations.
Lost In Translation tasks you with helping bridge the gap between cats and dogs once and for all.
IT IRL makes a puzzle game out of the mundane task of helping fix computers around the office.
Fairy House transports you to an animated world where you and your dog are trying to get your home in order.
GGJ 2021 STARTS NOW
2021’s Global Game Jam theme is “Lost and Found.” Unfortunately, COVID has forced this year’s jam to be completely virtual. While I’ll miss roaming those halls charged up with the energy of games being built in every corner, we’re able to welcome folks from around the world without needing to come to the Big Apple. I’m so excited to see what everyone comes up with!
Want to build, learn, and connect with us? SIGN UP HERE to join our site.
Our site is live January 27 - 31st. Everyone is welcome - from total beginners to experienced developers. The winning team will get a virtual meetup with Innersloth, the makers of the indie megahit Among Us! We've got free workshops on Unity, Unreal, Narrative, Audio and more all weekend. And we'll be joined by Google Stadia, Epic Games, Avalanche Studios, and Move38.
Head to Twitch for the reveal of this year's top games on Wednesday, February 3rd.