The last weekend of January around the world is traditionally reserved for Game Jam - a creative event that brings together programmers, designers, artists and video game enthusiasts with the aim of designing and creating a completely new game in a very short period of time. These events are not a competition in the classical sense, but a space for experimentation, learning and teamwork, where participants, guided by a theme that is revealed only at the beginning, test their ideas, skills and the limits of creativity.
The Electronic Sports Association will organize Game Jame here for the third year in a row, and this time, creatives from this industry will gather in Bar.
"This year's Global Game Jam in Bar will be held from January 30 to February 1 at the House of Olives, while the final judging will be organized at the Hub Stari Bar. We expect over 100 participants, international judges from Croatia, Turkey and Montenegro, as well as a prize fund of three thousand euros. The event is being implemented with the strong support of the Municipality of Bar, the Tourist Organization of Bar and numerous partners, who continuously support the development of gaming, esports, phygital and IT projects in our city," he points out in an interview with Vijesti Filip Šoć, president of the Electronic Sports Association of Montenegro. As he points out, he is pleased that interest in this event is growing year after year.
"This is the third year in a row that the Electronic Sports Association of Montenegro, in cooperation with 4Future, has organized the Global Game Jam in Bar, and year after year we see a clear increase in the number of registered teams and participants. This clearly tells us that the game development scene in Montenegro is developing, that young people are recognizing this area as a serious career opportunity earlier and earlier, and that there is real potential for the growth of the creative and technological industry in our country," says Šoć.
In previous years, Game Jam has brought together a diverse community of participants, from those who already have experience from similar events abroad, to beginners who are experiencing this type of work for the first time. Through Game Jam, participants not only gain technical knowledge, but also learn teamwork, problem-solving under pressure, and turning an idea into a functional product, which can be crucial for their professional development and future career opportunities.
"Every year, Game Jam brings together different profiles of participants, from IT faculty students and young programmers who are participating in such a competition for the first time, to more experienced teams that have already had the opportunity to try their hand at international game jams and similar events abroad. It is precisely this combination of beginners and experienced developers that creates a healthy community in which knowledge is shared, motivation grows, and young people get a clearer picture of how far they can go in this industry," Šoć proudly points out, adding that it is particularly important that students and young people studying in the field of information technology come into contact with video game development in a timely manner.
"Game development is not just about making games, but a combination of programming, design, art, music, teamwork and entrepreneurship. For many Game Jam participants, it is the first step towards more serious work, startup ideas or later employment in creative and technology companies," notes Vijesti's interlocutor.
On a given topic, teams and individuals who apply have only 48 hours to create a game, but there are those who don't give up on their idea even after the competition.
"A large number of teams continue to develop their projects after Game Jam. We have had examples of ideas started at this event later developing into more serious prototypes, student projects, and even commercial products. Game Jam is often not the end, but the beginning of a much longer creative process," emphasizes Šoć.
Participants will only learn the topic at the beginning of the event, but the creative process often takes developers away and they can stray from it. When asked how important it is to evaluate creativity and innovation or whether the answer to the topic is the most important, he answers:
"The theme, as every year, is announced only after the official start of Game Jam, which presents participants with an additional challenge. Although it often happens during the creative process that developers 'drift' from the initial idea, the jury always seeks a balance between the response to the given theme, innovation, technical execution and overall impression. Game Jam is not a test of obedience, but a test of creative thinking under constraints, and it is precisely this ability that separates average from exceptional developers," explains Šoć.
As he says, he is proud that the city under Rumija is increasingly positioning itself as a city of youth, innovation, and the digital future through events like these.
"The gaming, e-sports and phygital projects we are implementing are not isolated events, but part of a broader vision of developing Bar as a regional center for creative industries, technology and modern sports. It is precisely investing in youth, knowledge and community that builds the future of the city and Montenegro in the long term," concludes Šoć.
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