{"id":678,"date":"2025-03-23T08:29:38","date_gmt":"2025-03-23T08:29:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shuffle8games.com\/?p=678"},"modified":"2025-03-23T09:48:26","modified_gmt":"2025-03-23T09:48:26","slug":"what-i-learned-from-my-first-game-jam-before-the-studio-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shuffle8games.com\/?p=678","title":{"rendered":"What I Learned From My First Game Jam (Before the Studio Days)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Two years ago\u2014before Shuffle 8 Games was even an idea\u2014I signed up for My First Game Jam<\/em> on itch.io<\/a>. I had no studio, no team, and no idea what I was getting into. What I did<\/em> have was curiosity, some Unity skills, and a burning desire to try something new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result? A 2D survival arcade called Zombie Friends<\/em>, where you shoot zombies with a healing gun to bring your infected friends back to life. It was chaotic, exhausting, occasionally frustrating\u2014and one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post is a reflection on that experience: what I learned, what I\u2019d do differently, and why solo game jams are one of the best ways to grow as a developer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Premise: Heal Zombies, Don’t Kill Them<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The game jam theme was open-ended, so I focused on keeping the idea small but quirky. After bouncing a few concepts around, I landed on a first-person 2D survival arcade where the goal wasn\u2019t to destroy, but to heal. I had some doubts at first, but I reminded myself of something I kept hearing from other devs online:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cKeep it simple. Less is more.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

And that became my guiding light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Planning: The Pre-Jam Secret Weapon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before diving into development, I laid out a full roadmap. I broke the entire project down into small daily tasks\u2014movement, shooting, enemy behavior, UI, effects, etc.\u2014and estimated how long each would take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That schedule didn\u2019t just keep me on track. It gave me direction, reduced stress, and helped me avoid getting distracted by shiny new ideas (well\u2026 mostly<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Grind: Wearing Every Hat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a solo dev, you are<\/em> the studio. Every day was a crash course in something new:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • One day I was programming the healing mechanic.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The next, I was fumbling my way through character animation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Later in the week, I was figuring out how to make sound effects using free audio tools I barely knew how to open.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Sometimes it was painful\u2014like realizing the characters didn\u2019t look remotely how I imagined. Other times it was exhilarating, like finally getting the healing beam to connect and trigger a happy zombie animation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But most days, it was both. And that\u2019s the magic of solo game dev.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    What Worked (and What Didn\u2019t)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    \u2705 What Worked<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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    • Cutting features early:<\/strong> I removed anything that wasn\u2019t essential to the core mechanic. That gave me time to polish what really mattered.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Scheduling everything:<\/strong> Having a clear daily goal helped me avoid burnout (well, until the last few days).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Post-jam iteration:<\/strong> After the jam ended, I kept working on the game and released Zombie Friends v2.0<\/em>\u2014with ammo pickups, new effects, better difficulty balance, and more mechanics. That second version felt more like the game I wanted<\/em> to submit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      \u274c What Didn\u2019t Work<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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      • Time management:<\/strong> Even with a plan, I often spent way too long perfecting things that could\u2019ve waited. The final days were full of late nights and heavy eyelids.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Trying to do everything:<\/strong> I took on art, sound, and development all at once. That was a great learning opportunity, but also overwhelming at times. Next time, I\u2019d consider collaborating\u2014or at least preparing a few assets ahead of time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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        Post-Jam: The Second Version<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        One thing I didn\u2019t expect was just how much fun it would be to keep working on the game after the jam. Inspired by feedback from the jam community, I spent the following weeks adding:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        • Ammo limitations and pickups<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Supercharged healing blasts<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Shield mechanics<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Knockback and poison hazards<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Improved UI and clearer difficulty progression<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          The game evolved, but so did I. Every bug, every workaround, every small feature I got to work\u2014it all added up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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          Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          Game jams aren\u2019t just a test of development skills. They\u2019re a test of patience, prioritization, and persistence. And when you\u2019re doing it solo, the lessons come fast and hard\u2014but they stick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          This jam happened before Daniel and I started Shuffle 8 Games. Looking back now, it feels like a personal milestone\u2014proof that I could take an idea from sketch to finished product, even if it wasn\u2019t perfect. That experience gave me the confidence I needed to eventually build something bigger, with a team, and with a vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          So if you’re a solo dev out there wondering if you can pull off a game jam on your own\u2014you can<\/em>. It won\u2019t be easy, but it\u2019ll be worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          And if you\u2019re already running a studio? Encouraging your team members to do solo jams could be the fastest way to grow their skillsets and strengthen their creative confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          I went into this jam hoping to make something playable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          I came out of it knowing I could make games<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n