InnoGames Game Jam #15: 24 computer games in 48 hours
24 new computer games to experience - that is the enjoyable result of the 15th InnoGames Game Jam. On the second weekend in November, 130 budding and professional programmers, graphic artists, game and sound designers showed off all their creative skills for 48 hours.
Innovation, collaboration and the joy of experimentation - combined with pizza, sleeping bags and lots of fun: this is what the popular Game Jams from InnoGames, one of the leading German developers and publishers of mobile and browser games, stand for in the jammer scene.
With 15 editions to date, the IGJAM is not only one of the most popular, but also one of the most traditional game jams in Germany. With 130 participants, the current edition also attracted a particularly large number of jam talents. Accordingly, the second weekend in November was full of action: in the packed ‘Townhall’, the in-house event location of the Hamburg game developer, a whole host of fresh game ideas were once again created within just 48 hours, this time on the topic of ‘Bottleneck’.
As always, the focus was on having fun. Jammers, for whom competition with others is the salt in the soup, were not neglected this time either: after the end of the event, all participants were given the opportunity to play and evaluate all the games they had created at several play stations.
While previous Game Jams only had one overall rating, this year's Jam offered three additional categories: Graphics, Gameplay and Theme.
An overview of all the games developed, including details, can be found at https://igjam.eu/jams/igjam-15/games/1
Overview of the winners and runners-up by category:
Category: Graphics
1st place: Neko Pa-nya by team ‘SalsaShark’. Platform: Windows.
Category: Gameplay
1st place: Bubbleneck by team ‘Bubbleneck’. Platforms: Linux, Windows.
Category: Realisation of the "bottleneck" theme
1st place: Bottle to Neck by team ‘Die Kampfbläser’. Platforms: Linux, Mac, Windows.
Overall ranking
1st place: Bubbleneck by team Bubbleneck. Platforms: Linux, Windows. A couch co-op game in which players fight each other.
2nd place: (shared): Gamecon Mania by team ‘Kipfele + Friends.’ Platforms: Linux, Windows. The biggest gaming trade fair opens its doors once again. Make sure that visitors don't get stuck anywhere.
2nd place: (shared): Starboard by team ‘Anderley’. Platform: Windows. After a long journey, the player reaches a mysterious destination.
Hendrik Rakemann, Software Developer and Project Manager, comments: ‘The theme was “bottleneck”, but we experienced the exact opposite: once again, the creative ideas just bubbled out of the jammers! Congratulations to the winners and a big thank you to all participants and co-organisers. Without you, this jam would not have been possible. I'm already looking forward to next year!’
Looking ahead to the announcement of future Game Jams, it's worth keeping an eye on the official Game Jam website https://www.igjam.eu/ and InnoGames' social media channels.
About InnoGames
InnoGames (www.innogames.com) is one of the leading German developers and publishers 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 many 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. Most recently, InnoGames launched Heroes of History, a novel combination of city-building and hero-collection.
Marc Morian