Game Jams Seem Scary Till You Try One

When I first heard “game jam,” I pictured bleary-eyed coders in dark rooms, surviving on caffeine and panic.
That's… not completely wrong — but it's not the whole story either.

A game jam is basically a creative sprint. You get a theme, a deadline, and a chance to make something weird and playable from scratch.
In the gm(48), that means you've got 48 hours to dream up, design, and build a game using GameMaker Studio 2.

It's part competition, part chaos, part community event. You can join solo or with a team, and by the end, you'll have something people can actually play — and maybe even enjoy. After that, everyone rates and reviews each other's games, trading feedback, encouragement, and the occasional bug report disguised as a compliment.

There's no single “right” way to jam. Some people go all-in with spreadsheets and Trello boards. Others just open GameMaker, hit “new project,” and see where the theme takes them.
Both approaches are valid — what matters is that you make something.

It's totally normal to feel intimidated before your first jam. You see people post flashy screenshots and polished art and think, “There's no way I can compete.”
But here's the secret: everyone's winging it. Even the veterans.

That time pressure? It's a feature, not a flaw. You can't overthink when the clock's ticking. You make decisions fast, you cut features without guilt, and you focus on what's fun instead of what's perfect.
You end up learning more in two days than you would in two months of quiet tinkering.

The beauty of gm(48) is that it's built around trying. You don't have to be an expert. You just have to start.

You learn what it really takes to finish something.
You'll figure out how to make a prototype feel good with placeholder sprites. You'll debug under pressure, compromise with teammates, and maybe even surprise yourself with how creative you get when there's no time left.

And it's not just technical. You'll see how ideas evolve when different people jam together. You'll notice what parts of development light you up the most — writing, art, design, music, or that moment when your player character finally jumps right.

Plus, you'll walk away with something tangible — a finished little game that proves you can turn an idea into reality.

Start tiny. Smaller than you think you should.
Pick one mechanic, polish that, and let the rest go. Placeholder art is your friend, scope is your best weapon, and sleep is not optional.

Stick with what you know — GameMaker's strengths are in 2D games, so embrace that. Reuse old code if it saves time. Don't build a new physics engine at 3 a.m. (we've all tried, it ends badly).

And most importantly: have fun. Seriously. The gm(48) community loves seeing what you come up with, whether it's polished or totally janky. Everyone's here to learn, to create, and to celebrate what can happen when you give yourself permission to build something fast.

Because it's addictive in the best way.
Once you've finished your first jam, you'll realize you actually can make a complete game — and that rush doesn't fade.

You'll meet other GameMaker devs who get it. You'll share tips, trade feedback, and cheer each other on when the theme announcement drops next time.
And you'll look at every jam as a new excuse to experiment — to try that mechanic you've been sitting on, or to finally finish something instead of overthinking it.

Game jams look intimidating from the outside. But inside, they're just creative playgrounds full of weird ideas and good people.
If you've ever felt stuck or uninspired, the gm(48) is a perfect way to shake things loose.

You don't have to make something perfect — just make something yours.

So… when's your next jam?