Anonymous User asked: Game jams are good for meeting people??? This is incomprehensible to me. Like I know there are usually sections for people looking for others to collaborate with but I can't imagine that being anything other than a scarier version of the universally-recognized-as-unpleasant environment that is School Group Projects. Particularly if you're not confident in your ability to contribute
SO YOU WANT TO MEET PEOPLE AT GAME JAMS
- do a local one, don't go online. if it's worth its salt, there'll be a portion for people to meet one another and form ideas, and then form groups based on who likes what idea
- be honest about what you can contribute and where you want to grow
- approach with an earnestness towards wanting to meet new people and work together
- remember that the primary difference between game jams and school group projects is everybody at a game jam wants to be there. there's no consequence to failure beyond a wasted weekend. this doesn't mean there won't be crying but at least the crying will feel silly later
- enter with a light heart and open mind and the world will be your oyster
you can spend your life with the flinch that certain things will be miserable and it's impossible to enjoy them, and as a result those things will be miserable and you won't enjoy them. or you can let go of the flinch, see every situation as an opportunity for growth and connection, and understand the beauty of the world. it's not easy but it is worth it
the thing about game jams is, if you're intimidated because you only heard about the big jams where people vote on a "winner", know that many jams, especially locally organized ones, don't have that sort of competitive aspect.
if you release a game before the jam ends, you won.
if im ever doing a jam and dont already have people im jamming with i go around until i hear someone say "we need 2d art" and then i go "i do that i'm joining you"