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Feedback on the theme

A topic by SizeKivit created 9 days ago Views: 281 Replies: 11

Viewing posts 1 to 6

SizeKivit9 days ago(+2)(-5)

I planned to made an entry...but ultimately gave up. The theme "Pulp Sci-fi" "Horror" "Size Kink" are just...not fun to work with.

1. "Pulp Sci-fi" usually doesn't take itself too seriously...and "Horror" usually does, unless use ironically.

It's already a writing challenge before any game was done, that's before SIZE was involved. Oh, also even before KINK was involved.

Try to go any of the directions, I usually find whatever result not suitable for some other theme I'm ALSO supposed to follow. To somehow make them all fit, the project scope just uh...grows out of control. Pun intended.

2. Making assets for "Sci-Fi" with "Fetish" is a nightmare.

Generic assets are far harder to come by, custom assets will need...something, something I have no idea how to achieve.

I gave up just because of that, I lift the pen and couldn't figure out a start. Oh yeah and AI usage is banned as if it's not difficult enough.

3. The themes in general just lack interactivity that game as a media processes, and also... are just boring.

Whatever game I might be able to squeeze out to fit the themes, are probably also applicable to any other random combinations like "Period Drama/Comedy" or "Medieval Fantasy/Slice of life" with visual and writing tweaks. So why do I bother try NOW to submit for THIS jam unless it's coincidentally ALSO my kink?

I'm not saying this jam should follow generic game jam theme rules (Just ask LLM what those typically are), but I'd unironically put in lots more effort if the theme is just "Bathtub". The current theme is just trying too hard to guide a direction, and it makes it boring.

That's just my thought. Good luck everybody.

Matron MysteryJam Judge7 days ago(+4)

Appreciate the feedback! The theme was chosen this year based on the theme of the convention, as folks thought it would be fun to match. It's the first time we're running this, so we didn't want to put in too many restrictions. As this is a jam that's focused on the art and fun of building games, we didn't want folks to feel the need to take the theme too seriously. We'll try to make sure it's clearer next time that you're able to bend and interpret the theme at your will. It shouldn't feel like a restriction - more like a challenge.

As to the AI ban, it's also because we don't allow AI usage at the convention itself - all of the art you'll see there is made by human artists. It's something the staff made a decision on as a group, and the jam follow's the convention's rules. We understand that some people disagree with that, but it's the direction folks want to go in.

Also: appreciate the intentional pun. You gotta have them. It's important.

SizeKivit7 days ago(-6)

...Are you saying "the theme is actually like whatever, next time we'll emphasize you don't need to care about it too much"?

Of course I know a Jam typically allows submissions to make their own interpretation, but you should be doing that by making sure your theme actually has room for interpretation in the first place. Let me be clear, "Pulp Sci-Fi" is actually fine, "Horror" is the main source of conflict, it just doesn't sit well with "Pulp" and "Kink". It kills a lot of design potential which I won't go into unless asked to.

"Just bend the rule then?", please, the restriction IS the challenge. If I'm just going to do whatever I want, why do I even bother to participate?

I'm absolutely fine on "no AI" rule on its own, it's more like a last straw thing. For how much the Jam is telling me to do, I'm also asked to take no shortcut? But to be frank, allowing AI wouldn't help at all. Just in no world is it realistic that "Horror" will be appropriately followed by a kink community jam.

TL;DR: Don't put the "tone" into the theme of a jam, just generally. Global Game Jam 2024 did that and it was horrible. Next year please consult someone that actually did a jam for a theme.

StuffedBookeeperSubmitted4 days ago (1 edit) (+5)(-1)

As someone who's not a fan of horror in the slightest, but DOES love pulp scifi and expansion- I actually think it fits perfectly. The issue is language, more than anything. The intention behind pulp scifi was never to scare the bejeezus out of someone, but present strange and eerie scenarios that made the reader think.
More importantly, almost any theme with growth or most of the kinks on display here IS horrifying to "normal" people. We who love it sit with that on the daily, so to have a chance to glorify and celebrate that- it's special.

Some buxom babe strapped to a table and shot full of energy rays until her tits fill a room is terrifying to "most" folks- but to us it's a normal day at the office. Unable to move? Horror. Mad scientist? Horror. Ballooning tits? Horror/kink depending on who you ask. A giant woman stepping on someone is "horrifying" to some, and absolute fucking goals to others. There's absolutely no reason not to include the jam theme in the title, especially when it's so important.

Saying pulp sci-fi is "restrictive" is absurd. There's monsters from the deep, robots gone amuck, mad scientists of every description, giant creatures/women, spacey shenanigans, strange new worlds, and so much more. If you can't come up with something to fit a theme that's had examples readily available for upwards of sixty years, that's a you problem. I had 10 days to come up with an idea, prototype, get art, VA, and polish- and I did it in six.

If no-ai use is a last straw for you somehow, then by all means, feel free to participate in some other jam.

SizeKivit3 days ago(-5)

1. "Since Size Kink will always be horrifying for someone it's fine to be included as a theme", by that logic it SHOULDN'T be, because it'll be always be included no matter what, otherwise you might as well put "video game" as a theme since it's a chance to celebrate that.

2. "Restriction" is not "restrictive". Whatever creative stuff you can do with the theme, you can also do it WITHOUT the theme, logically speaking the theme is only narrowing down the possibilities of what you can do. I know and agree with all the "limitation sparks creativity" stuff, but I was strictly replying to "we didn't want folks to feel the need to take the theme too seriously" with "It shouldn't feel like a restriction - more like a challenge", not the part of "I find Horror as a theme hard and boring to work with".

StuffedBookeeperSubmitted3 days ago(+3)(-1)

The theme isn't Size Kink, cause the whole Con and Jam is centered around that- the theme is Pulp SciFi. And if you're gonna put quotes around something, the least you could do is actually quote me properly. It's the very first Size Jam, maybe take it easy on the entirely volunteer people who made this happen?

That...doesn't make any sense whatsoever. The theme was, as I understand it, meant to be a guideline, not a strict set of rules. And none of that prevented 13 whole other teams from creating some rad stuff!

SizeKivit2 days ago(-3)

The theme isn't uh...you know what, I'll just be repeating myself if I continue.

Feel free to add more point, otherwise let this reply end the conversation.

StuffedBookeeperSubmitted2 days ago

Bye!

Ketter2 days ago(+3)(-1)

I don't think Kivit's feedback is particularly well-worded, but I agree on the point that the theme could have been better thought out.

The "theme" for this jam was moreso an aesthetic restriction, and had no room for interpretation in terms of concepting a unique mechanic. Judging games based on an aesthetic theme boils down to who had artists most comfortable with this niche style going into the jam, instead of serving as a creative limitation of scope.
It only really gives the artists an interesting limitation, while the rest of the designers and developers are left without any restrictions (often resulting in generic genre templates with new visuals), which I believe makes for a weak jam theme.

If I can offer some feedback as someone who was interested in participating, but disuaded by the aesthetic restriction, next time I'd avoid honing in on specific genres or visuals and aim at a theme with a more general concept, such as a subverted mechanic or scenario.

Looking forward to seeing where this jam goes in the future, hopefully we can get more people interested in participating!

SizeKivit2 days ago(-1)

Thanks, that's a much better way to put it.

StuffedBookeeperSubmitted2 days ago(+1)(-3)

I disagree, as you probably already saw. I think having a themed jam like this is excellent, as it both provides artistic limits, and some gameplay ones as well- or at least forces designers to think outside the box a bit.

Phen AKA Mara MoreSubmitted1 day ago(+1)

I’ve done any game-jamming before, so I can’t speak to that, but I like erotic horror as a general theme and I thought it made room for a broad swathe of vibes. Then again, I’m mainly looking at that in the story sense of things, not so much as a mechanical restriction (which would hardly have applied to my project, anyway, since it’s so basic).

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Feedback on the theme