When this community was brand new I got to talking with a few people who fancy the idea of taking part in a game jam, but are too nervous. Whether because they’d never done one before, or at least not in a while, or just a general lack of confidence in their ability to “keep up” with more experienced devs.

Well, I’ve taken part in a lot of jams over the last few years. Some of them successfully completed, some of them utter failures, one of them somehow both. And the two jams that I can personally recommend for beginners or nervous folks, both just happen to be on their way. So I thought I’d share!

My First Game Jam

• Dates: July 22nd - August 6th (14 days)
• Itch: https://itch.io/jam/my-first-game-jam-summer-2023
• Discord: https://discord.gg/8p8KtKtDvQ

Why this jam is great:

This was in fact my first ever game jam, back in 2020, and it was a great experience. The community is helpful and welcoming to everyone regardless of experience level, with more experienced folks (including myself, now!), hanging around and responding to pings for help.

The jam runs for two whole weeks which is a much easier prospect for a first-timer than the typical 48-72h ones. It’s well-established, well-moderated, and quite big so if you’re looking to join a team you’ll have a solid chance.

The My First Game Jam actually runs twice per year, so if you’re still not ready to jump in you can look out for this one happening again in Winter.

Rainbow Jam

• Dates: September 8th-24th (14 days)
• Itch: https://itch.io/jam/rainbowjam23
• Discord: https://discord.gg/wyZfC9ddrv

Why this jam is great:

The Rainbow Jam is a jam for LGBT+ folk and their allies, with all the inclusivity and friendliness that suggests. It’s much smaller than My First Game Jam, but has been running for 7 years with the result that most of the regulars get to know each other from year to year. By far the nicest jam community I’ve joined, to the extent that many of us now keep in touch year-round.

As well as just being a lovely wholesome jam, which again lasts for two weeks to avoid stressful time-crunch, the organisers are also very active in finding sponsors and opportunities for under-represented devs and artists. You’ll often see job postings, talks, funding opportunities posted there that aren’t easily found otherwise.

And of course, it’s not starting until September so you have some time to build up the courage to join!

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Personally I’m so excited for both of these, they’re by far the highlight of the game jam calendar for me. Longer jams tend to attract a more mature audience (in outlook if not in actual age) and are generally just a lot less stressful in every possible way, so they’re a fantastic place to start.

If you have any questions about either of them or about taking part in game jams in general, I’d be very happy to answer. Maybe a few of you fancy taking part and can even team up!

Or maybe you have similarly beginner-friendly jams to recommend, in which case the more the merrier. Just leave a reply with the jam details in a similar format to the above, I know I’d love to hear about them for future reference even if nobody else is interested 😄