Next weekend from the 14th - 16th of December I will be participating as a solo team for the Ludum Dare 48 Compo. This will be my 3rd time participating in Ludum Dare, it still remains as my favourite jam to participate in purely because I always learn so much - it strains your skills and ability to work as an individual to the max. Ludum Dare is the perfect excuse to simply try something new and experimental.
They currently have a theme voting system in place which I have been spending time voting for good & bad ones. I'm really hoping for something undefined and interesting so that there's a ton of weird game entries.
Ever since attending Game Hack and having a discussion with the 'Super Flash Bros' about the theme 'Childhood' and why it wasn't a good theme I have been considering what makes a good jam theme and why. A bad game jam theme is one that triggers a lot of cliché games to be made. When a theme is so undefined it gives a lot of room for designers to think outside the box. When a theme is clearly defined it seems that designers struggle to think not think so literally when considering the theme - this can often hider the sophistication of a jam concept. At Game Hack there was a ton of games that centered around the same or similar concepts which felt was due to the clearly defined nature of the theme (Childhood). The Global Game Jam theme Ouroboros was a good jam theme because feels like the kind of thing that doesn't have as strong cliché connotations compared to something like 'Childhood' triggers.
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