A game jam is an event where people interested in game development get together to make games quickly, usually based on a shared theme. Event length varies from a few hours up to a month. Some jams are online and some are held in person. Some jams are for solo devs, others are for teams. There’s even a jam in the US that is held during a train ride across the country.
The Wyoming Game Devs events run roughly 48 hours, usually over a weekend. Participants join teams at a central location to write code, create art, and compose music to create a video game within the deadline. We usually run two events per year, the Global Game Jam in Casper and the Wyoming Game Jam in Laramie.
The core reason we do this is because it’s fun. We have a great time with one another doing something we love. Game jams are also incredible opportunities to learn from more experienced developers, encourage one another, and grow skills quickly. By subjecting yourself to a deadline, you are forced to learn, experiment, and develop in ways you haven’t before. This can be invaluable for hobbyists and professionals alike.
We discourage folks from doing anything dangerous to their health. Participants are free to set their own schedules for participation. Both of the current host locations provide rooms that allow for participants to sleep on site, but they are also free to leave to homes or hotels.
Programmers, artists, musicians, and game designers are all welcome to attend. All levels of background and experience are encouraged. Really, anyone interested in game development is welcome. Expect to learn a lot.
Because of the time constraints, please be prepared as best you can before the event! If you haven’t made a game before, do your prep work! Try some Unity tutorials or other game design tutorials, learn your game engine/editing software, and have everything installed and setup before the event begins.
Participants must be 18+ or accompanied by a guardian at all times. We would like to add events for high school or junior high age kids in the future. Please contact us for details.
