Developing a game in less than 48 hours is hard. It’s hard to stop your brain from melting, and hard to produce anything near useable code when you’re blood is 98% supermarket own-brand carbonated caffiene drink substitute at 4 in the morning. With less than a week to go until Global Game Jam 2010, I thought I’d share my top tips for surviving a quick-fire game development event…

1. Don’t limit your ideas

Given such a short time, you may be panicking about just what is possible in the time. Don’t. At least, don’t in the ideas stage. Take 15 minutes at the start for everyone in your team to come up with ideas, no matter how ambitious or stupid-sounding. Discuss them together - someone’s failed idea could spark the next big thing from someone else’s brain!

2. Don’t try to be a robot

You’ll perform much better if you take time out to sleep. Ok, you’ll lose a few hours of development time, but the vastly increased productivity of a fresh team will more than make up for it. Don’t rely on energy drinks to get you through.

3. K.I.S.S.

Keep It Simple (and) Stupid. If there’s an easy way of doing something, do it! You don’t have time to reinvent the wheel. Just be wary of any copyright or rules restrictions on the competition you’re in.

4. A good mix

There’s no point in having a team of 8 people, entirely made up of programmers who’ve only ever made one game in their life between them. Get a mixture of game artists and programmers and don’t make the team too large - Otherwise it’ll be a nightmare at the end when you’ve got to tie everyone’s stuff together and find half of it doesn’t work. In my experience, 2 artists and 2 programmers are plenty without going over-the-top.

5. Play to your strengths

Don’t make your amazing 2D artist struggle around with 3D modelling software; likewise don’t throw a Source engine specialist in at the deep end with the Unreal Development Kit. It’ll end up like porridge in a blender - a big sticky mess spread all over the kitchen.

6. An army marches on it’s stomach

Gummy bears and an IV drip of cheap syrup-y supermarket own-brand caffeine drinks should be supplied and refilled as required.

7. Don’t get tied to the computer

If you get bored, do something else for a while. Play a game, take a walk, talk to fellow developers, eat, sleep, do a handstand, learn to drive… oops, too far. Just do something away from the computer for a while to recharge.

8. Watch this video!

Last year’s Global Game Jam keynote video should be your first port of call… well, after this blog entry now I suppose… Anyway, it provides 8 tips for making the actual game itself, rather than simply staying alive through the event!

(Kyle Gabler’s tips section starts at 1:36 if you want to skip ahead)

9. Don’t be afraid for it to blow up in your face

Yes this is just a repeat of Mr Gabler’s last tip, but it bears repeating. The less you care about your game, the less it’ll suck. You’ll be more open to input from other people and be in less of a frantic rush to fix every little thing right at the end.

So have fun, and try not to pass out from exhaustion. If you’re doing the Global Game Jam next week, keep an eye on the webcams and I shall see you then!