Global Game Jam 2023 is the first in person global game jam since the pandemic, and Wally, Jackson and I were super excited to return.
For past jams I would bring my inflatable bed and sleep on the floor, as would most other attendees, but this time I opted to share a hotel room with Wally, since there was one right next door now.
The jam was going to start at 5pm, so I spent the first half of the day halfheartedly working while also packing up various clothes and tech. I had originally planned to go pretty early, to get the hotel sorted, but I kind of dragged my feet about it, and ended up leaving about the same time Wally did.
After settling in the room, we headed over to the Midtown Tech Hive to claim our spot in the cozy conference room we had stayed in last time.
The theme was announced with the usual unhinged cringe-y presentation. This year, the theme was "Roots".
After the presentation, Wally, Jackson, Logan and I met to discuss various ideas. Of course, the obvious choice was to do something involving trees, and several ideas were discussed.
Jackson and Logan decided to work together on a RTS fighting game where 2 trees try to grow in a way to outcompete the other.
I decided to work alone again on an infinite scroller where you guide a fast growing root through suburbia destroying infrasctucture.
For security reasons, the Tech Hive did not allow anyone to enter or leave after 10pm, so Wally, Jackson and I had to leave before then since we were staying elsewhere.
There was a fire pit outside the hotel that we spent some time huddling next to because it was neat.
We decided to spend a bit more time working in the lobby of the hotel before calling it a day.