FAQs
1. "What is a game jam?"
- a creative, accelerated event where individuals or teams design, develop, and publish a playable video game from scratch within a strictly limited timeframe, usually 24 to 72 hours.
2. "Why is this game jam called Reciprocity?"
- One of the main reasons we are organizing this game jam was to bridge the gap between the skillsets of us Ethiopians as game developers and that of the rest of the world. Best way to do that in our opinion was to give the contestants 6 months to learn, plan, design, and implement their entries while at the same time sharing their experiences and learning from each other, i.e "reciprocating".
3. "Why does it last 6 months? Why not 2 days to a week?"
- The biggest hurdle most of us organizers faced in all the game jams we took part in is that we were always unable to learn a new tool, skillset or try experimental ideas within a 48 - 72 hour timeframe. Going out of our existing knowledge base always ended up in a disaster as our final submissions were often underbaked as a result of mismanaged short time. To solve this issue, this game jam will last enough time such that nobody will feel rushed and be in survival mode while working on something that should be considered as a hobby.
4. "Are there prizes?"
- No. The aim of this game jam is to make videogames and get better at the craft. It was initially planned to be held among 8 friends but we decided it'd be more fun if we had more competition. That being said, if a sponsor is willing to cover the costs of a prize they have in mind we will gladly assist their charitable spirit in any way.
5. "How will the winner be decided?"
- So as to avoid getting review bombed by a public audience, whether its positive reviews left by friends and family who haven't even tried the game or negative reviews from people who are being toxic, the game jam submissions are going to be evaluated and ranked by select judges that won't be participating in the game jam.
1. "What is a game jam?"
- a creative, accelerated event where individuals or teams design, develop, and publish a playable video game from scratch within a strictly limited timeframe, usually 24 to 72 hours.
2. "Why is this game jam called Reciprocity?"
- One of the main reasons we are organizing this game jam was to bridge the gap between the skillsets of us Ethiopians as game developers and that of the rest of the world. Best way to do that in our opinion was to give the contestants 6 months to learn, plan, design, and implement their entries while at the same time sharing their experiences and learning from each other, i.e "reciprocating".
3. "Why does it last 6 months? Why not 2 days to a week?"
- The biggest hurdle most of us organizers faced in all the game jams we took part in is that we were always unable to learn a new tool, skillset or try experimental ideas within a 48 - 72 hour timeframe. Going out of our existing knowledge base always ended up in a disaster as our final submissions were often underbaked as a result of mismanaged short time. To solve this issue, this game jam will last enough time such that nobody will feel rushed and be in survival mode while working on something that should be considered as a hobby.
4. "Are there prizes?"
- No. The aim of this game jam is to make videogames and get better at the craft. It was initially planned to be held among 8 friends but we decided it'd be more fun if we had more competition. That being said, if a sponsor is willing to cover the costs of a prize they have in mind we will gladly assist their charitable spirit in any way.
5. "How will the winner be decided?"
- So as to avoid getting review bombed by a public audience, whether its positive reviews left by friends and family who haven't even tried the game or negative reviews from people who are being toxic, the game jam submissions are going to be evaluated and ranked by select judges that won't be participating in the game jam.