Story being part of it was huge for me, since story is my top thing and where my strengths are clustered. But I'm not a programmer at all, so I'm pretty limited in what I can contribute to most game jams anyway.
I don't mind letting people continue to update their games after the submission deadline--I think it's good sportsmanship not to count on that, but it's not like there's a ton of time to add huge stuff after that anyway. And generally, because the stakes to this are so low, I think that kind of flexibility is a huge asset, especially since for so many people contributing this is/was their first game jam (or first game at all!).
A month was definitely tons less time than it sounded, but we had a team of four where most of us have some kind of full-time engagement (work, school). So a month wasn't really a month. But it was enough time for what it was.
I'm so blown away by what everyone made and how different each game is from the others--super cool to see just the different directions that exploded from this concept, and reaffirms my consistent belief that everyone should feel able to make art regardless of where you are on your journey, because it's all going to be different just by dint of who you are. Creative work is part of being human, no matter what form that creativity takes, and exercising that is part of being alive!
Can't wait for the next one. My life feels empty now. Feed me a project.