Thank you so much!
The best tip I can give to new game developers is to build modular systems whenever possible. They serve as reusable foundation and building blocks you can carry into every future game. Think about why Elden Ring feels so refined, it’s not because FromSoftware scrapped everything and started from scratch. It’s because they are reusing system they spent decades building, testing and perfecting across their older souls games.
Your goals for a jam also matter a lot. For this one, I didn’t aim to learn anything new. Instead I focused on creating a game I had in mind using skills I already had. I usually save learning for longer jams, because even researching and building just one new system can eat up an entire day and leave you with only a singular feature. (for example I spent 12 hours just to learn how to render water for another game jam)
Also AI is just insane Nowadays. Being able to generate hundreds of lines of code in seconds feels almost overpowered. Especially when you combine it with your own skills and you don’t just vibe code, but instead you work together with the AI, filling the gaps of each other. I wouldn’t recommend relying on AI for beginners, since repetition is still the best way to learn, but once you’ve got the skills, using AI becomes almost essential for working efficiently, especially in short jams or prototyping. You can always refactor the code for production later if the prototype turns into a full game.