Participating in the game jam at ESA Saint-Luc Bruxelles was an incredible experience that pushed my creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills to new heights. Our group of six students started by introducing ourselves and discussing our individual strengths and interests. Although we lacked dedicated coders, we quickly divided tasks based on our skills, ensuring a balanced workflow.
The Theme: „One Rule to Rule Them All“
Once we received our theme, we immediately set up a collaborative Figma board to organize mood boards and potential ideas. Brainstorming out loud, we wrote down key concepts and ranked them based on feasibility. Our goal was to create a game in Unity with a cute yet eerie aesthetic.
After refining our ideas and receiving positive feedback, we settled on „Chill King Aka Ribbit“, a whimsical yet slightly creepy concept. The excitement was contagious as we built upon the original story, assigning roles accordingly—3D artists, coding „experts,“ sound designers, 2D environment artists, animators, and branding designers. Luckily, our team structure fit perfectly.
Day 1: Laying the Foundation
We dedicated the first day to finalizing the game’s core concept, setting up Unity, and listing all necessary assets. Our character design and rigging process began, ensuring that our protagonist was ready for animation.
Day 2: Refining the Details
The second day was all about polishing the narrative, resolving plot holes, and establishing the branding and overall tone of the game. I worked on creating the UI, setting up a 2D file in Unity for the interface. Our groupmates composed original music for some scenes, while other tracks were selected from a studio. By the end of the day, we had implemented key assets and ensured our character could move within the game world.
Day 3: Bringing It All Together
The final day was a rush of completing code, integrating 3D assets, and linking the UI elements I had designed the previous day. This was a challenging but rewarding task, as it was my first time setting up UI in Unity. We added speech bubbles for NPCs, refined character movement, and made last-minute tweaks to improve the overall feel of the game.
We almost ran out of time while building the final version, but the thrill of successfully loading our game onto the platform made the effort worthwhile. We celebrated as a team, proud of what we had accomplished in just three days.
Game Testing & Takeaways
The next day, students and other game jam participants tested each other’s games. Seeing people engage with and enjoy our work was an amazing feeling. The experience not only boosted my confidence but also inspired me to explore game design further. I gained a deeper appreciation for the different roles involved in game development and stayed in touch with my teammates for potential future projects.
Creating a game in such a short timeframe was an intense but unforgettable journey. It reinforced the power of collaboration and the excitement of bringing an idea to life. I can’t wait for my next game jam adventure!
