Can you believe it? We’re at the very end of 2024! As many people would like to say, the new year will bring new beginnings and, hopefully, happiness and prosperity. You may find these new beginnings in 2025 with our programs at EGD as we prepare for upcoming game jams and wrap up our Studio Aspen game (which will also be uploaded to Steam, yay!). In today’s blog, we’ll summarize what you’ll see in the upcoming year and how we’ll provide our members with more experience and skills. Whether you’re passionate about coding, art, design, narrative, or audio, you’re bound to improve and expand on your talents with what we have in store for you!
First, let’s look at Global Game Jam! This is a three-day jam that will take place from January 24th to January 26th. Students will form teams of their choice and work together to create a phenomenal game in three days! At the end of the jam, judges will select some games to win various awards, such as Best Narrative or Best Art! However, participants must stay until 9 PM on Friday, as well as from 9 AM to 9 PM on Saturday and Sunday, to lock in and make their game. While this is a great opportunity to network, collaborate with others, and gain hands-on experience and skills in a short time frame, it may also be stressful to some. We put a big emphasis on taking care of oneself, especially in terms of mental health, which is why I’d like to note that you shouldn’t push yourself too hard. You and your team can put lots of effort into creating an award-winning game, but overworking to the point of burnout will only hinder your progress and make this experience less enjoyable. We want everyone to not only hone their skills and get creative but also enjoy themselves in the process. So, as you prepare to come back from winter break, remember to lock in for this jam and have a wonderful time!
We will also have Waffle Games 8.0 towards the end of this school year! Waffle Games is an annual convention and conference where game development teams and students (including our very own Studio Aspen) gather and showcase their projects. Waffle Games 8.0 also has many panels and tournaments to make the event enjoyable for everyone attending. While Studio Aspen will present their game, EXP teams will also display the final game they’ve made (which they will have two months to work on before Waffle Games). This is a wonderful opportunity for students to get feedback on their games and connect with industry professionals and other game developers! You also may learn a lot from our panelists, who will cover topics such as the environment of the gaming industry and the different aspects of game design. Though students will have to occupy their booth for their games and rotate, they can also participate in various gaming sessions, tournaments, and one-shot RPG campaigns happening throughout the day. We even have free waffles for all attendees, so don’t miss out on this year’s Waffle Games 8.0!
Compared to this past fall, I think we definitely have more going on in the upcoming spring semester! Combined with required Horizons trips and networking events, we have a lot more opportunities lined up for our members to improve and gain the skills they need to succeed in the gaming industry. We hope you continue to enjoy your time with us in the new year as we prepare for these exciting future events and deliver more experiences curated to help everyone achieve success! Here’s to a wonderful, prosperous year ahead for all of us!
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