https://engage.improving.com/app/main/learning/offerings/d9554b11-c52e-4552-9530...

The Game Jam is back, and better than ever! Each year, Bit Quill (now Improving Vancouver) runs a Game Jam that has employees forming teams and competing with each other to create the best game. This year, we’re doing it again, but for the first time ever, we’re going to be doing it in person, in the office (if the renos ever finish)!

The Improving Game Jam 2023 will be taking place from June 9th to June 11th and will begin at 4pm, lasting for 48 hours. Participants will be creating games based around a theme that will be selected the day of the event.

FAQ

What is a Game Jam

A game jam is an event where participants try to make a game from scratch, independently or within a team.

What is the goal of Improving Vancouver Game Jam 2023

To make a game you are passionate about while making connections, gaining experiences and most importantly, have fun.

Who can participate in the Game Jam

Anybody! Whether you are a developer or not, and with or without game dev experience!

A game requires more than just coding, e.g., art, music, story, etc., don’t let a lack of coding or game dev experiences stop you from participating.

Whether this is your first game jam or your 100th, check out our resources section to find useful tools and websites to prepare for this game jam!

Resources

Game Engines

A game engine is a software development environment created to help people develop games. Some game engines are beginner friendly and some require more time to ramp up. Below are some popular engines.

• Unity (https://unity.com)
• Unreal Engine 4 (https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US)
• Scratch (no coding required and great for beginners)
• PICO-8 (Top-Down Adventure Game Tutorial, https://www.lexaloffle.com/pico-8.php)
• GameMaker (simple to use and great for beginners, car parking game tutorial, https://gamemaker.io/en)
• Godot Engine (open-sourced, allows various scripting languages, official tutorial from Godot, https://godotengine.org)

HTML5 / JavaScript

• p5.js (chrome dino game tutorial, https://p5js.org)
• p5.js web editor (https://editor.p5js.org)

Frameworks and Libraries

• Love2D (arkanoid game tutorial, http://love2d.org)
• PyGame (tutorials, https://www.pygame.org/wiki/GettingStarted)

Game Assets

• Itch.io (contains a large library of free or paid assets, https://itch.io/game-assets)
• OpenGameArt (All assets are free, https://opengameart.org)
• A collection of open-sourced pixel art tools compiled by Github (https://github.com/collections/pixel-art-tools)