Greetings to all!
I have noticed that game jams where games are being rated by other participants, the feedback is hardly ever critical; if it is, it is worded in extremely polite way. This is not very helpful as the developer might miss the very subtle messaging. In order for others to play YOUR game, you end up writing flattering remarks on their games, of course they won't do it in a positive way if you leave negative remarks. Therefore, I think this is a major flaw in this system, not just with this jam but in overall jam culture. A few things I think that can improve this situation:
- Allow public to vote and comment on games, and not just participants.
- Recognize the most active reviewers and also the ones with the most helpful feedback.
- Allow participants to alter the submissions based on feedback (in real world feedback is a major influence in game design), this will engage the community at a greater level as they will see their suggestions being incorporated. The improved game can be separately presented and the original submission can be preserved in some way for official judgment.
- Allow and encourage "Feature Requests" after the submission period is over and the judgment/voting is happening. Again, this will motivate more ratings/feedback, more involvement from everybody and an objectively more improved game.