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A critique on the rules from a standpoint of inclusivity :)

A topic by tiger.blue created Jun 21, 2024 Views: 630 Replies: 9
Viewing posts 1 to 7
(16 edits) (+20)(-2)

Given the state that Godot is currently in, I feel that it's not very inclusive to categorically REQUIRE a build for Windows, and Linux, and Mac. While this is more inclusive to players, I would like to believe that jams are primarily about empowering creators.

Most developers I know have, at best, access to two of these at a time; many even just one. This requirement makes submission and testing an extreme hurdle for them - both in terms of time available to jam, and in terms of having access to the actual hardware and software licenses. Also, this puts an extra burden on developers dependent on assistive devices / features of a particular OS.

Regarding web exports as an alternative - games in Godot 4.x still have plenty of issues with their HTML5 web exports (and even entirely exclude games made in C#), which exacerbates this situation further.

Taking a step back, in the bigger picture the entire rules text reads so restrictive to me, I wonder what's supposed to be "wild" about this jam. I'd wager a considerable number of people felt intimidated or turned off by the language used and the rules described within.

I did, for sure.

...
I hope that this feedback doesn't come across too negatively, as it is meant in the best of intentions - and perhaps it can make future jams better. :)

(+8)(-1)

I fully agree, we should not exclude people who care about software freedom. My machine is a Talos II that can only run GNU/Linux. I also have Android and can cross compile for Windows using Mingw.

(+2)

I am in a situation where I may be able to build other versions, but I can’t test anything besides Linux and web. I can test web on iOS or is it iPadOS? While I’m OK with providing builds for other platforms, I’d rather not do so for a jam.

Submitted(+7)(-1)

Upvote!

(+3)

I always see my Mac and Linux builds as experimental: report to me if complete broken so I can google why it might be that way. But yeah requiring sends mixed signals 

(+1)(-1)

I think that macOS and Linux support is really important for devs and users. There’s also things like GitHub actions which allow for easy compilation of those platforms.

(1 edit) (+4)

The compilation isn't the (main) problem, the problem is quality control / testing these builds. It's already a BIG BONUS for a game to have these builds; so why make it grounds for DISQUALIFICATION to omit them? Just locks out people who might have a very nice game but no energy, time, or money to afford a Mac or Windows machine. :)

(1 edit) (+3)

I fully agree! I'd greatly prefer uploading as a download. And I really don't wanna spend precious time during this gamejam exporting/testing a game on operating systems I've not used in several years/ever! From what I've seen you need a Mac to export for Mac, which is an weirdly high bar for a 3 day game jam likely full of not-super-experienced developers. I assume this rule was added to be inclusive to every user, yet it just feels exclusive to most devs.

(1 edit) (-2)

godot allows exporting to any os, from any os, and fairly easily. while learning how to do this in the scope of a 3-day jam may indeed feel a little harsh, it has been a godot wild jam requirement for the majority of its over five years of monthly game jams. it's a community that has been focusing on accessibility, which i think is a great thing, even if it demands some efforts.

also, remember that it's possible to export to html5, which is often a safe way to ensure people can try your game, no matter what system they're on.

(+1)

Thank you for your recommendation! It's certainly valid.

The problem I still perceived was ...

  1.  testing these builds takes time and access to hardware and software licenses
  2.  the jam expressly recommends using Godot 4

I still hope everyone had a good jam experience, regardless!