InnoGames Game Jam #14: 18 computer games in 48 hours
18 new computer games see the light of day - that is the very pleasing result of the 14th InnoGames Game Jam. For this, 83 game developers of all skill levels went full throttle for 48 hours on the second weekend in October.
Innovation, collaboration and the joy of experimentation - complemented by pizza, sleeping bags and lots of fun: this is what the Game Jams by InnoGames, one of the leading German developers and publishers of mobile and browser games, which are popular in the scene, stand for.
With 14 editions to date, IGJAM is Germany's largest regularly organized game jam. As such, it attracts participants not only from all over the country, but also from abroad - in keeping with InnoGames' corporate culture, which could hardly be more international given its 350+ employees from over 40 nations.
12 years after IGJAM #1, 83 jammers came together from October 6 to 13 to develop computer games in time-lapse under the motto "Dreams & Nightmares". The motto provided a framework that still left room for interpretation. The implementations were correspondingly diverse.
While most of the participants gathered at the InnoGames headquarters in Hamburg and rolled out their sleeping bags, 14 jammers took advantage of the opportunity to develop online.
Once again, the focus was on having fun. Jammers who wanted to measure themselves against others were not left out either: After the end of the event, all participants were given the opportunity to play and evaluate all the games that had been created. The following games won the first three places:
1st Place: Dr. McGuffin's Dream Lab by "Team Kipferl". Platforms: Windows, Linux. As a prisoner of a sleep lab, the protagonist experiences the same dreams over and over again. He has to find a door that leads to the next dream level. But the dreams don't last forever, as the lab keeps you on your toes.
2nd Place: Andenken by "Stresstest Games". Platform: Playdate. During a long day at work, you fall asleep in front of your computer at the office despite an urgent deadline. To escape the nightmare, you have to collect souvenirs from pleasant memories and drive away the distorted ghosts with the help of your lamp.
3rd Place: Dreamrail Defender by "Arndt's Team" Platforms: Windows, macOS. As the engineer of a toy train, you have to resist the gruesome skeletons of the toy landscape. Their bones are so rich in iron that you can use them as material to upgrade towers on the train cars. In addition, stones can be used to build new wagons and make the train endless.
An overview of all developed games including details can be found at https://www.igjam.eu/games/1
Hendrik Rakemann, Software Developer and Project Manager commented: "Shortly before Halloween, many terribly beautiful games were created under the motto "Dreams & Nightmares". We hope that the jammers had better dreams during the jam weekend than their projects would suggest! As always, many thanks to everyone who participated, congratulations to the winners, and special thanks to the project team for the great organization. After the jam is before the jam, so keep your eyes peeled - the next one is sure to come!"
With an eye on announcing future Game Jams, it's worth keeping an eye on the official Game Jam website https://www.igjam.eu/ as well as InnoGames' social media channels.
About InnoGames
InnoGames is one of the leading German developers of mobile and browser games and a certified Great Place to Work®. The climate-neutral company based in Hamburg was founded in 2007 and is now part of Modern Times Group (MTG). Together with 350+ employees from over 40 nations, the company founders develop unique games that provide years of fun for millions of players around the world. InnoGames is best known for Forge of Empires, Elvenar and Tribal Wars, but the company is continually expanding its now 10-game portfolio across platforms and genres. The most recent additions were Rise of Cultures and Sunrise Village, which were launched in early 2022.
Marc Morian