Summer Game Jam Themed for Life in 2020
At the end of July, UAT students and alumni wrapped up the summer semester by competing in the Summer 2020 UAT Game Jam. Hosted online from July 17–26, the 9-day jam was designed to be open to all levels, including those who had never even made a game before, with professors available on Discord to mentor and help solve problems. Veteran jammers and experienced developers were also strongly encouraged to partner with and mentor the newbies.
Mentors work with students through Discord channels.
On July 26, participants uploaded their builds to the jam page and then exhibited their games on Zoom, with awards presented immediately after judging. There were 24 registered participants and 9 games submitted. The theme was 2020, with games ranging from witty—like The Karening, a game where players avoid the Karens and the Kevins to complete the objective without getting infected with COVID-19—to just plain fun—like Party Manager 2020, a party simulator to ease worries after the quarantine has been lifted.
UAT professor and Game Jam Judge Tony Hinton commented, “The game students created amazing 2020 games. Not only were the game students inspiring, but their games were so much fun, it made me wish I could be a student again, too.”
Judges Hinton, Judy Tyrer, and Justan Mcclinton awarded teams with honors from Best Design (The Karening) to Most Experimental Game (The Visionyary).
Check out all of the games at https://itch.io/jam/uat-summer-game-jam-2020, and see the full list of winners below!
Great work to all that participated, and if you missed out, get ready, the next jam will be the Founder's Day game jam in September.
THE WINNERS
The Architect Award: Best Design
- Winner: The Karening – Chase Sweeney, Dylan Chapman
- Honorable Mention: The Visionyary – Dylan Combs
The Picasso Award: Best Art
- Winner: Party Manager 2020 – Zachary Dallas, Vanessa Adams, Marissa Williams, Carter Wolf, Brett Hoffman, Jake Fusco, Jonathon Sherwood
- Honorable Mention: Masked in Time – Malik Shaw
Pixel Perfect Award: Best 2D Pixel Art
- Winner: Masked in Time – Malik Shaw
Bardic Inspiration Award: Best Audio
- Winner: Party Manager 2020 – Zachary Dallas, Vanessa Adams, Marissa Williams, Carter Wolf, Brett Hoffman, Jake Fusco, Jonathon Sherwood
The Innovator Award: Most Technically Innovative
- Winner: No Vision – Darin Palermo
Theme Wizard Award: Best Use of Theme
- Winner: 2020 – Connor Bish
- Honorable Mention: The Karening – Chase Sweeney, Dylan Chapman
Risk Taker Award: Most Experimental Game
- Winner: The Visionyary – Dylan Combs
Uncertain Origins Award: Most Obscure Game Engine
- Winner: Corona Fighter – Addison Buettner, Bryan Block, Tucker Baskit
Check out past Jams!
Combating COVID-19: Videogames that Empower Kids
UAT was named one of 8 Best Online Schools for Bachelor's in Animation Degree Programs in 2020!
For more information about UAT gaming degrees, check out the following:
Comment