1. Hi there! What's your name? Want to introduce yourself?
Hello! My name is Jae, and i'm an aspiring writer, actor, and general creative. Been a rough road trying to accept my chosen fields, and now (as ever) is the perfect time to toss myself in the deep end of videogames, as well!
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 needed a change of pace, and i've been wanting to make videogames ever since I read a book on how to program them on an Apple II back in grade 3. Having a time limit and engine specifics makes this easier to make myself learn than if I simply set myself my own goals and timetables (which sadly hasn't worked well in the past).
3. What games are your favorites? Did any of them inspire you, or made you want to make your own?
Oh jeez, the penultimate question. My favourites are the ones I grew up with, usually: Starcraft, Pharaoh, LoZ: Link's Awakening, Homeworld, to name but a few. Nearly every game I play has inspired me in some way or another, however. Over the years, I started piecing together how the games were made; "Oh, I bet they made this NPC change their dialogue like this when you've already done something", and, "That's not animation, it's a clever trick with room transitions and graphics!". The fact that i've been dissecting even my beloved classics means I should probably apply that understanding to making my own! Besides, as a writer, i've constantly got stories pouring out of my head, so this is another medium to explore them.
4. Do you have experience with game development? What did you do/with what engine?
I have absolutely no experience with game development. The closest possible thing could be running tabletop RPGs, but that seems like a Big stretch.
5. Tell us about something you're passionate about!
I'm passionate about telling stories from a non-human perspective. So often, we see everything through human understanding, and even when we do play as aliens or robots, we ascribe things about their behaviour based on our own subconscious habits and shorthand. I love to explore Human language and habits too, especially through the lens of someone completely uneducated about them: is a bird in the hand Really the same value as two birds in a bush?
6. What are your goals for this game jam?
My goal is to make a smallish adventure in the Bitsy engine - I love the limitations and design of it, and I want to force myself to get clever when I want to do something that other engines might have no issue with. Depending on how much time I can devote to it, I would like a 15-minute game out of this, though I may end up needing to make a small demo for the jam, then building the rest of the game afterward!
Salutations to all! I may not be very active on the forums, but i'll always be on Discord (username Jaelien)!