On this Monday & Tuesday, we held our annual Sponge Hammer game jam.
The setup and the rules were very similar to last year’s one, but at this time, we had more people in each group. Csaba announced the teams on Sunday (the day before the event started), but we had to wait until Monday morning to discover the theme of the jam.
What is a game jam?
In a few words, a game jam is a contest where the participants (teams in our case) need to create a video game from scratch. The duration of a jam was two days, 18 hours in total. None of the teams was allowed to put more hours into the project. At the end of the contest, the games are judged by usually a panel. In our case, we did an anonymous survey and we voted for the best art, best idea and best showcase presentation.
The Jam
The jam started on Monday morning when Csaba announced the theme on a Zoom call, ‘Love is in the air’.
Nobody expected a theme like that.
The teams went away, hopped on their private Zoom calls and figured out their game ideas. Csaba kept his eye on each team in case they needed help in Unity.
Team A
The first team name was Luvmilla, and the team had Anett Kindl, Gabor Szabo, Leon Alexis and Patrik Patassy. They had the least experience in Unity, but they managed to create something outstanding.
Their game idea was to shoot hearts up to the clouds. You win the game once you shoot 3 arrows (hearts) up to the same cloud.
Team B
Team b became Lovengers, and the group included Rudolf Major, Miklos Hajma, Attila Csizofszki and Robert Mucsi-Kurinyecz.
Their game idea was to pair up random people in the park based on their interests. Their strength was programming as they had no artists in the group. They built a back-end service to the game and all players could compete with each other like a Tetris championship.
The people who appeared in the game scene had randomly assigned interests from a vast database, and the scores were based on how good is the match you made.
Team C
Their team name came from their initials, JAMM. Janos Szabo, Adam Kovacs, Magdolna Hegyi and Matyas Terstyanszki.
Their game idea was to match two objects which will create a third one.
They managed to bring a lot of fun to their game with the art and extensive combinations.
The Showcase
Tuesday evening, all the teams showcased their game and explained a bit of the mechanics. Everyone was exhausted because of the intensity of the jam, but also happy and enthusiastic. The games were unique in their way and surprisingly polished if we consider the short time frame.
It was an excellent opportunity for the teams to get closer to each other and work together. We will improve the event and do it again next year!
Follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook and you won’t miss the detailed descriptions of each team’s work and the results of which team’s game won this year’s annual Sponge Hammer game jam!
