In case you missed it, last weekend was the 10th anniversary edition of the Ludum Dare 48-hour game-making competition & jam.
I entered, and completed, the competition for the 5th time in a row. It’s been one of the constants in my game development life since I went independent nearly two years ago.
I still remember how much of a stressful rush the first one was. I was basically in a manic panic for 48 hours straight, and when I finally and nervously published my entry I collapsed in a shivering heap and slept for a whole day.
Back then I had only the slightest idea what I was doing with the tools I’d chosen. Then, as now, the mandate was only to “ship” a playable build within the time limit.
I didn’t really think too much of the consequences of “winning” the competition back then, but the simple act of entering and chronicling the process in the blog netted me a minor boost in exposure. To anyone casually observing the event the benefits of crafting a good game and winning entry were pretty obvious. Many independents don’t want to admit it, but there is a very legitimate business angle to competing in the Ludum Dare. You can go from unknown to well-known in independent gaming circles in 48 hours (plus 3 weeks for rating and results, of course).
When there were only 300 entries to the competition, I felt like I had a shot.
[Lost content, a graph by Jari Komppa showing the increase in Ludum Dare entries over time.]
This time there were just over 1400 entries. It’s become less of a contest of skill and more of a lottery. I’m still down for the challenge, but I don’t think I’m going to be trying as hard to “win” as I have in the past. And maybe this is better for the soul.
As for the resulting game, I’m satisfied with what I produced. I know that my greatest weakness as an independent game developer is the creation of emotional and meaningful gameplay. Fortunately this is a common weakness and typically the key ingredient when crafting a hit. It’s the lightning in the bottle, that perfect mix of charm and engagement that gets people playing and then subsequently talking about your game.
I know I can make a game that works. It’s making one that charms that remains the last hurdle that should transform what I’m doing into an actual money-earning livelihood.
To all Ludum Dare’ers who submitted a completed compo entry, I salute you. Especially you first timers, good show and I hope your game gets all the recognition it deserves.
[Lost content, image. Alt-text “Click here and add Jack RIGHT NOW!”, likely an image link to Add as Friend on Facebook.]
Concerning Facebook. I used to think like this, and maybe even back then it was a bit wrong-headed.
I’m tired now. I get physically and mentally tired, when I go to Facebook and stare at that Wall. It just seems like such a clusterfuck, like I’m looking at the guts of something and watching it sputter and wheeze without really accomplishing anything meaningful for me.
Twitter has nearly completely supplanted my broadcasting needs. It’s unfortunate that the handful of folks who I’ve collected to my Facebook don’t really use it, but whatever.
So I’m reversing my policy, and opening up my account to whomever wants to be Friends. I want to take advantage of some of the gaming opportunities presented by Facebook, most particular the current alt-game that Funcom is running for The Secret World. This seems like a worthy use of the system.
So, to that end, I’m now accepting any and all Friend requests on Facebook. Add me, I’ll add you back. Check out all the crap I’ve collected on my Wall so far and I’ll take a look at yours. Let’s see if we can wring some use out of that terrible network before the whole thing implodes.
While we’re on the vein of social networking, I’ve also added a Twitter “terms of service” page that’s linked to the personal account. It explains a bit of the hows and whys and wherefores of my behavior on that fantastic 140-character merry-go-round.
Work continues on Project Prevengeance. Apple Developer licenses have been renewed and the iPad should be swallowing a hot load of our tower brawl sometime this year.
Writing has all but stopped in favor of game development. It’ll come around again. It always does.
I’m heavily invested in Guild Wars 2. I’ve put a few hours into the beta and I can tell you it’s good. I’m looking forward to launch, and hope to run/manage a guild, something I wanted to do in the World of Warcraft but never really made the time for.
I guess that’s it for now. In case you skipped down here to the end:
Oh, and the new Jack White is pretty darn good:
2012.04.01 – 2012.04.30