BeansJam Mobile

To avoid getting bogged down in small details, we tried to proceed in iterations as small as possible. That is, first implement only the basic idea of an aspect (for example, with placeholder graphics, without animations), test whether the functionality behaves as desired, and only then expand it. The 4:44 rule was very helpful. It says that the basic mechanics of the game should be created in 4 hours and the remaining 44 hours should be spent only on perfecting/polishing. The creation of incompatible code states by developers working independently of each other was largely avoided by integrating them in the form of Git at the end of each short iteration.

Despite the short time frame, we were able to use pair programming to some extent, thanks to the participation of numerous developers. It was noticeable that even two overtired developers in front of a computer make trivial mistakes, but find them much faster than alone. Nevertheless, the importance of sleep should not be underestimated at a game jam. We regularly noticed how our performance decreased with increasing tiredness and how even the completion of the smallest tasks took a disproportionate amount of time. So going through 48 hours is only useful to a limited extent.

In retrospect, it is interesting that we unconsciously applied the Agile methods we were familiar with from our daily work routine even during the game jam, without intending or planning to do so. All the more pleasing that the above-mentioned methods also withstood the endurance test of the Game Jam.

Finally, we would like to recommend that anyone who is passionate about games take part in a game jam. Even if you don't end up with a finished game, the experience alone is reward enough. The pride of handing in a finished game is just a bonus.

The games created are available for testing here:

• The Lambs
• Blargh!

The following video gives a little insight into the jam with the highlights from Friday (german only):