REGINA - Gamers and developers since 2016 have met yearly in Regina for the annual Global Game Jam (GGJ) event.
The event is run by the Saskatchewan Interactive Media Association (SIMC) in partnership with Creative Saskatchewan.
Megan Folden, manager of marketing and communications with Creative Sask., talked about what the event offers.
"They're these industry-standard platforms [that are] really, really helpful introductions to Unity Engine, Unreal Engine, [Godot Game Engine] [for developers]. These are all the industry standard tools for creating 2D and 3D games, film, and even architecture software."
To get people educated on these industry-standard engines, GGJ will host workshops during the week to prepare developers.
Developers who participate in the GGJ will have 48 hours to create their own game from scratch, with help from others. Over the past few years, GGJ Regina has seen roughly 40 developers a year try to create their own games. Once their 48 hours are up, the games will be presented during the final day of the event.
Despite it sounding like a competitive event, Folden pointed out "it's not a competition." She added, "it's really collaborative and just encourages the participants to try their hand at some new technology, some new roles, maybe foster some friendships and a bit of confidence along the way to just kind of show what's possible and build their confidence."
When discussing building relationships in the gaming world, Folden admitted she can’t fully comment on the work because she is not an expert in the interactive digital media space. However, she noted people developing a game aren’t going to be skilled in every aspect of it. So, working with others could lead one person to be responsible for the creative art of the game while another does more of the background work.
She also believes seeing the work of others could lead a person to discover their true passion, whether that be more on the creative side or the business side.
Part of the reason Creative Sask. has been a partner for the GGJ event over the last few years is to help people discover their creativity so the digital media industry in Sask. can grow.
As Folden explains, the return on the investment from Creative Sask. is to build a career for individuals in the digital media space so they can apply for funding from the organization.
Folden was asked if anyone participating in previous GGJ's here in Regina eventually did receive funding from the organization because of the potential their game had.
She couldn’t say if any previous applicants did attend the event in Regina, as not everyone is always forthcoming with their answers. However, Folden did note that Michael Long, who is the founder of Foolish Mortals Games Inc., has gone on to create titles like Kaiju Wars and participates in the GGJ happening in Saskatoon.
Creative Sask. recently gave Long funding for his title Real-Time General, which allows hundreds of players to join in a World War ll strategy game for up to two months.
Folden pointed out that Long and a few others work in a basement to develop their games. Seeing people create games from their homes shows Folden that Sask. has "hardworking, humble people, and we're sometimes kind of quiet about our wins, which we shouldn't be."
Even though the digital media world may not be for everyone, Folden encourages people to try and see what the work is like since the industry is in high demand.
Gamers and developers can participate in the event virtually or in person.
For Regina, the event is being held at the University of Regina Innovation Place, at 10 Research Drive.
The event kicks off Friday at 6 p.m. and will last until Sunday at 5 p.m.
Any additional information about the event can be
