Introduction
This is a 2D platformer centered around bubbles. Players alternate control between four characters—a designer, a programmer, an artist, and a sound designer—who must work together to push and guide a bubble forward. The gameplay symbolizes how participants with different roles in a Game Jam collaborate within their own areas of expertise to create a sparkling, bubble-like work together.
Although the participants come from different places, after the collaboration they drift apart like bubbles—floating away or bursting, each returning to their own lives. What matters most is that, during the Game Jam, they create a brilliant and shimmering piece, much like a bubble itself, and in that moment, each of them shines in their own way.
Main Discussion
During this competition, there was an unexpected incident that left a deep impression on me. After forming my team, I met a programmer on site who had not joined any group and wished to participate with us. I welcomed him and invited him to join the team. However, during the brainstorming phase, he strongly opposed my idea of giving the game a meaningful theme. He believed that a game only needed to be fun and addictive, and since the theme was “Bubble,” he wanted to create a bubble-themed slot machine. I explained in detail why this concept was not suitable for the competition, but he responded rudely and personally insulted me by making offensive remarks about my father.
Feeling deeply upset, I decided to resolve the situation through a team vote. In the end, three out of the five team members (including myself) supported continuing with my original direction. One kind teammate abstained out of consideration for both sides, while the programmer still refused to begin work, resulting in the loss of a significant amount of development time.
To avoid further unproductive conflict, I made the decision to split the team into two groups. One artist stayed to help him develop his idea, while the remaining three of us focused on completing our game. We worked intensively under pressure—an artist and I stayed up all night to hand-draw all the assets—and successfully finished the game on time. The project eventually won an award.
This experience left a strong impression on me and became an important moment of personal growth, teaching me valuable lessons about leadership, conflict resolution, and perseverance under pressure.
Key Takeaways
During this competition, there was an unexpected incident that left a deep impression on me. After forming my team, I met a programmer on site who had not joined any group and wished to participate with us. I welcomed him and invited him to join the team. However, during the brainstorming phase, he strongly opposed my idea of giving the game a meaningful theme. He believed that a game only needed to be fun and addictive, and since the theme was “Bubble,” he wanted to create a bubble-themed slot machine. I explained in detail why this concept was not suitable for the competition, but he responded rudely and personally insulted me by making offensive remarks about my father.
Feeling deeply upset, I decided to resolve the situation through a team vote. In the end, three out of the five team members (including myself) supported continuing with my original direction. One kind teammate abstained out of consideration for both sides, while the programmer still refused to begin work, resulting in the loss of a significant amount of development time.
To avoid further unproductive conflict, I made the decision to split the team into two groups. One artist stayed to help him develop his idea, while the remaining three of us focused on completing our game. We worked intensively under pressure—an artist and I stayed up all night to hand-draw all the assets—and successfully finished the game on time. The project eventually won an award.
This experience left a strong impression on me and became an important moment of personal growth, teaching me valuable lessons about leadership, conflict resolution, and perseverance under pressure.