With minty fresh FX’s flying out to new users… perhaps it’s time for a ‘micro’ game jam?
Something minimal and welcoming to newcomers?
P.S. - Is anyone gonna represent here: Submissions to 1-BIT JAM - itch.io …?
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I’ve never been part of a jam before so something like that sounds really good!
Will it require use of the FX chip, like a mini-version of the FX game jam?
Personally I’d prefer something with really minimal scope (so no FX).
A kinda ‘Hello World’ game jam, to encourage projects that can be done over a long weekend…
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It takes a whole weekend to create a hello world program?
I think @acedent meant something along the lines of hello world for Arduboy games, so not really exactly a hello world program, but a game made in the manner of hello world.
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It does if you do it in assembly.
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Unfortunately I think your joke is going to be lost in translation to most across the pond.
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I cannot concede to ‘jelly’… 
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Maybe after the minis.
Not a lot of people participated last time, but it was pretty difficult. Maybe something very easy, I don’t know. Need a good theme.
We have jam and jelly here. They are different things oy
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We also have jam and jelly that are different things, but no ‘jello’.
(And most of us don’t understand Yiddish exclamations.)
I get the impression your distinction between ‘jam’ and ‘jelly’ is one we don’t have and that we just classify both as jam, but I’m not entirely certain. (Jam isn’t really something I eat, or spend much time thinking about.)
oy is just a noise, as it is an alliteration, I suppose more commonly spelled oi
Even though it’s a completely different song this title makes me think of this song:
Maybe that could be the theme, pushing the tempo lol
I’m not sure about themes, but I think having a category for people who have never created an Arduboy game before (or have only done one or two small games) might be an interesting way to give a chance of winning to people who don’t have any experience, which I think is the sort of thing @acedent was trying to aim for with the ‘hello world’ idea. Though its success would probably depend on how many people sign up and become aware of it though.
There could be a separate category for more experienced/long-term developers, so ‘the usuals’ don’t miss out.
Yeah, we’d always spell it ‘oi’. ‘Oy’ is the Yiddish way, which tends to be more common in places with a stronger Jewish presence (which there aren’t many of in Britain - I think it’s mainly just London).
(Though we did have a Jewish PM once, or rather twice - the same one. He was also a novelist.)
I think you’re getting alliteration mixed up with onomatopoeia, or possibly just interjection.
Ironically, despite the hillbilly protagonists Norman’s actually one of ours.
(Filmed in Grenada in case anyone is wondering.)
After a brief look at the video (which I’d never seen before - before my time and not really my genre), I think I suddenly understand where Sam and the Womp got their inspiration. (Particularly for that song. 11 years old now, but it feels like it was only yesterday it was flooding the radio.)
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If you watch Philomena Cunk (Cunk on Earth in particular), they cut this video across the series … very funny.
Yes, I got that 
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And the circle of references is complete! 
Spot on @Pharap.
I have never entered anything due to lack of time (and confidence!). Would be great to lower the barriers, and make really minimal entry requirements: no themes, no categories, no restrictions, just any tiny project that can be completed in a few days. Seasoned pros should self-handicap… perhaps writing in ASM or Rust, etc. to go outside their comfort zone. When posting, everyone could share their personal challenge before and discuss after. e.g. “I’ve always wanted to learn more about working with strings” or “I want to experiment with of sound generation”… etc. For many new comers, it’s thrilling to draw a sprite and animate it across the screen! The intermediate level might be doing the same using the FX chip. Then advanced coders might want to render something by parsing their own graphics scripting language, streamed from the FX. If hardware is your thing, hack on a RTC or explore some new I2C sensors for the mini, etc.
I’m imagining a weekend of focussed creativity, with people hacking around the globe on their own Arduboy-centric SW or HW projects 
… Ideally with live dev-logs on the forum?
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Yeah I guess it can making an app that uses i2c on the arduboy. That’s a good idea because it’s easy to do… you’re just implementing some library and using it in the arduboy framework. And it will quickly expand the ability for people to use various sensors and such with it.
Yeah but don’t get started yet it hasn’t been announced. 
Thought I would voice my interest in a jam. I only recently received my fx and haven’t made a game yet, and would be keen for a minimal jam. (Except for two weeks in September when I’ll be away).
Maybe it is worth having semi regular mini jams? I wouldn’t mind taking one weekend every month or two for creative output.
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I also realized that the i2c requirement makes it tough for non mini owners or diyers to participate…
Hm
There have been community sponsored jams before. It’s not a ton of work to run them but it’s not nothing either.
I think it’s a great idea!
I’ve seen other communities having regular jams (e.g. first weekend of the month) which helps to grow the interest/jams cause you see what other have created last time and it motivates (especially beginners).
@acedent volunteered to organize it (haven’t you?), so it’s just about your “ok” @bateske , no work
Sure go for it, it’s happened before, didn’t he organize the last unofficial one?