1. Hi there! What's your name? Want to introduce yourself?
Hi! I'm Oleander, but most people just call me Ollie! I'm 21, my pronouns are vi/vim, and this is my first ever jam!
2. Did you participate in the last jam we held? If so, what do you plan on doing better this time? If not, what's your reason for joining?
I didn't, but I was really excited to try this one because I've never made a game before, and I don't really have experience with an engine. I also struggle with convincing myself to do things if I don't have a time limit, so I decided to look through the game jams on itch and this one seemed perfect! I'm so grateful for a game that is specifically welcoming to people that are as new as me!
3. What games are your favorites? Did any of them inspire you, or made you want to make your own?
I really love Pokémon games, but I've gotten frustrated with seeing potential in them that they just aren't living up to. I began seeing this in almost every game I play, seeing stuff I would have changed to make the experience better (from my point of view). Being disabled and queer, big AAA games just seemed to forget people like me. I started playing indie games, and realized, I could try to make the accessibility and inclusion MYSELF. Eventually, I played Hollow Knight, and couldn't find a single thing I'd change. When I found out it was made by such a small team of people, it's really what pushed me to actually try instead of procrastinate. So here I am!
4. Do you have experience with game development? What did you do/with what engine?
Nothing, except halfway finished tutorials in Godot! I have glanced at engines like Unity, but none of them were immediately comfortable to me like Godot is.
5. Tell us about something you're passionate about!
I'm really passionate about frogs! I love frogs so much. I own like 30 frog plushies, and who knows how many frog pins, hats, little figures, umbrellas, etc. I love frogs so much that my partner thought that the best thing to get me for Valentines Day was a GIANT stuffed frog - and they were right!!! I eventually plan to have my own real frogs, but only when I can properly care for them with the knowledge and income. I will also try a game solely because I know there's a frog in it. Frogs are the best thing on earth to me.
6. What are your goals for this game jam?
My goal is honestly to just actually work on something for more than a few hours. I have a huge problem with procrastination, and if I can overcome that then I will consider this a success. I've also always struggled with joining communities, so I'm hoping that I can at least make a connection or two here so I have someone to discuss and bounce ideas off of with, maybe even work with in the future? I've heard so many times about how having those connections is extremely important, so yeah!
tldr; I'm Ollie, I want to make games to increase the amount that have inclusion and accessibility, I love Pokémon and frogs, I have minimal engine experience with Godot, and I just hope to not procrastinate!
I know my introduction has been extremely long, I'm just really excited!