Attention, aspiring app developers: Dracut-based Asinine Games will host a free Sandbox Jam this weekend at the Merrimack Valley Sandbox, 175 Cabot St., Suite 100, Lowell.
The event runs from 10 a.m. Saturday through 4 p.m. Sunday. Online registration closes at 9 a.m. Saturday, so hurry up and lock in your spot here.
Whether you’re a seasoned pro or brand new to app development, the Sandbox Jam is a great way to hone your skills in a fun, friendly competition. Participants will be placed into teams (or can choose to go solo) and given the weekend to build an app together.
Having various levels of talent on each team is a great way to help newer developers learn important skills, according to Asinine Games, Inc. founder and CEO Brian Dutton.
So what does Asinine Games get in return for hosting the free event?
Dutton urged local developers of all skill levels to give the Sandbox Jam a shot.
Asinine Games is a developer that focuses on mobile games and apps, including “Sliders,” “Barn Blitz” and “SlenderCam.” Be sure to check out their booth at PAX East in Boston April 11-13.
“Have you always wanted to make a game but never had a reason? Are you lacking the funds to finally buy the game making software you have always wanted? The Sandbox Jam is a game jam event for everyone, whether you are a game making pro or a total noob, come on down to the Sandbox and get your game on. The goal is to make any kind of game in a weekend, whether the end result is finished, kinda works, or doesn’t really work but you had an amazing time trying. The best way to learn is by doing, and game jams are a great way to get started making games.
Typically game jams start with artists, programmers, and audio people forming teams and working together. You are welcome to do a solo jam, team size will be taken into consideration during judging so if you have the guts, fly solo! We will announce a theme at the start of the jam, please send suggestions to briand@asininegames.com.
You will then work on creating a brand new game from scratch with the goal of getting it up and running by the end of the jam. Up and running could just be one playable level, but try to get far enough along that the judges can easily see your concept and game mechanics. You will have until 4pm Sunday to complete and ship your game, then the presentations and judging will begin.
We will have some creative commons licensed art and audio assets available for you to use if you need to, but the bulk of the game should be a completely original creation.
Did I mention we have prizes?? Really amazing prizes!!! Like a Unity Pro license, Construct 2 Business and personal license, and even something from Izotope for the audio guys! All game engine winners will also recieve a Spriter Pro license from Brash Monkey! Prizes are single software licenses, so take that into consideration when teaming up with others. The single license will go to one person. We are working on art prizes as well, stay tuned!
We will have Unity Pro Suite trial licenses available for atendees to use during the jam so your games can be extra awesome! This includes iOS, Android, Blackberry add ons so you can make your games mobile friendly!
After the winners are announced we will head over to Lowell Beer Works for post jam grog.
I’VE NEVER MADE A GAME, WHERE DO I START??
If you have never made a game before, I would suggest using Construct 2 software from Scirra. There is a free version that will allow you to make a full game, although some features are disabled. It is fairly easy to pick up and does not require traditional programming skills. It is a great way to get started making games, check out the beginners tutorial to get you going.
If you have some 3D experience or programming chops you should try Unity, we will have full Pro Suite trial licenses for attendees to use, there is also a free version if you want to check it out beforehand. Unity Technologies is the creator of Unity, a flexible and high-performance development platform used to make creative and intelligent interactive 3D and 2D experiences. The “author once, deploy everywhere” capability ensures developers can publish to all of the most popular platforms. Unity Technologies boasts a thriving community of over 2 million developers including large publishers, indie studios, students and hobbyists. For more information, visit: http://unity3d.com.
There are numerous tutorials on both of these game engines, so you can do a little prep before hand. I would suggest having everything installed and ready to go before the game jam to save time.
There are many other game engines you can use such as cocos2D, GameMaker, Corona, and many others. Use whatever you like!