HakJam 2023
A Showcase of Creativity and Learning
At our game studio, we believe that learning and growth are essential parts of creating great games. That's why we host an internal game jam each year called HakJam, which gives our team members the chance to step outside of their usual roles, experiment with new ideas, and have fun. This year's HakJam was no exception, with our team members creating a diverse range of games and experiences that showcased their creativity and dedication to their craft.
Lead engineer Madison's game Grocery Grabber is a delightful game about—you guessed it—bagging groceries! The adorable handmade artwork, soft body physics, and music make it an enjoyable and engaging experience.
Dean's game, What Do You Seek?, puts the player in the role of a fortune teller. You consult your magic orb and other talismans to tell fortunes for passers-by and earn gold coins. The game has a similar feel to Potion Craft, a popular game in the TinyBuild family.
Sophia's prototype, Time Traveler, takes a novel approach to time travel, with very unique scene transitions and accompanying audio that enhance the experience. We found ourselves wanting to know more about this world the second we experienced it.
Neelam's Spyro-inspired scene, built in Unreal Engine, is a beautiful and relaxing environment that captures the spirit of the classic game. She created all of these adorable visuals in a tight timeline.
Grant, our art director, used his jam time to learn Unity's VFX Graph and created a smorgasbord of cool effects, along with an adorable axolotl to showcase them.
Character artist Emma, a fan of the Souls-like genre, pushed her sculpting abilities to the limit and created Mortis, a unique character that would fit perfectly into the world of Elden Ring. She even modded the character into the game!
William's Roblox game, a multiplayer zombie capture the flag game, was a favorite among the team. He used his jam time to learn more about the platform and expand his skillset.
Junaid bravely tackled Unreal Engine and networking at the same time, creating a functional experience that taught him a lot about working in UE. He also experienced the “joys” of UE builds and shader compilation.
Robert, a hard surface and environment artist, took a step outside of his comfort zone and tried his hand at programming. He created an awesome 3D version of Jak's head and gained a new appreciation for the work that developers do.
Our lil mascot, Jak, beginning to come to life… well, undead life?
Finally, our sound designer Michelle took a field trip to her local pigeon club to record sounds for our upcoming game Pigeon Simulator. Her dedication to creating an authentic soundscape is a testament to the care and attention that our team puts into every aspect of our games.
In conclusion, HakJam 2023 was a great success, with our team members pushing themselves to learn and create in new ways. We're proud of the games and experiences that our everyone has created, and we're excited to see how they will continue to grow and develop in the future.