![]() ![]() That only became financially possible when the jam took on sponsors. Kasprzak worked full time on the jam for about five years, although he now also runs indie studio Limited Snacks. But as it gained popularity, there was a point where he and the team decided that either it dies or someone has to keep it going. “ it was this hobby, side project, fun thing we did just as a bunch of friends that kind of got out of control,” says Kasprzak. It took time to stabilize to where it is now, which Hommel and Robinson both mostly credit to Kasprzak. “We were disorganized, but we were still obsessed with it,” says Kasprzak. The event went through many changes, with dates and websites inconsistent between events, making it difficult to build a base of participants. ![]() “The was code sharing, impromptu photoshop challenges, desk pics, food pics, philosophical debates, just everything,” he says. Seth Robinson, who was another member of the group that picked up from Howland, recalls finding a community even when the competitions themselves weren’t running. The competition grew in popularity, bringing more people together. “But the theme was “indirection interaction,” and I made a 1v1 local RTS called Castle Smash…It was definitely a rush and fun for all involved, so moving forward and making it an ongoing thing was inevitable.” “My memory, before I checked the Wikipedia and found out I was wrong, is that I won,” says Hommel. Howland continued to run the jam several times a year, but then passed the reins to a group that included Kasprzak and Mike Hommel, another participant in the very first Ludum Dare. “We did that, we loved it, we made lots of mistakes, and we were like, ‘we’ve gotta do this again, this is great.’” With each person making a game from scratch, there were 18 entries at the end of the 24-hour period. He, Howland, and the other participants coordinated on IRC and forums. “ kind of suited my wacky personality,” says Kasprzak. That’s what made the intense, brief energy of Ludum Dare interesting to him the first time he heard about it. He kept working on personal projects, but developing all day didn’t leave him with a lot of enthusiasm for going home and continuing personal programming projects. “ don’t really necessarily have a passion for kids’ games,” he laughs. Kasprzak joined the games industry at age 19, thanks to his passion for gaming, but found himself somewhat disappointed developing for a younger audience than himself. Ludum Dare was originally proposed and created by developer Geoff Howland, but for many years has been run by Mike Kasprzak. 20 years later, Ludum Dare is the longest-running game jam in the world, with thousands of participants. Be sure to email us if you stumble across any particularly awesome titles or suggest some others in the comments below.In April 2002, about 20 friends challenged one another to make a game from start to finish within 24 hours. Judging will end in 20 days, which just doesn't seem like enough time to play all of the Ludum Dare 23 games. Finally, I recommend the above-pictured metroidvania Recluse, whose "expanding" mechanic was neat to experience, despite the overuse of white flashes. Matt Thorson pits tiny world versus tiny world in the two-player galactic fighter Ra Ra: Extreme Star Boxing. Studio Miniboss ( Out There Somehwere) produced Planet 161 a multi-weapon, puzzle-platformer with a "small and claustrophobic level design." Andrew Morrish ( Super Puzzle Platformer) created puzzler Scape, where players must watch their steps as they plant trees and later turn terrain fertile. ![]() We'll be picking out lots of great gems over the next few weeks, and I'm already fond of several titles below. In an impressive showing for its 10-year anniversary, over 1100 "tiny world" themed games were developed for Ludum Dare 23, with more to come from the 72-hour Jam. ![]()
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