Mega-Trip Log #2: Train Jam

Right before BitBash, on my next-to-last day in Chicago, was the first Train Jam meetup. This was my first time participating so I had no idea what to expect; I walked in, registered, and set up my little name badge with color-coded buttons stating what I could do (game design, some programming, a little art). The rest of the time was spent mingling with folks, getting to know who I'd share a train with, and trying to find a team (to no avail).

For those of you who are new to Train Jam, it's a wonderful event organized by Adriel Wallick that consists of putting hundreds of gamedevs in a train that goes along Amtrak's California Zephyr route between Chicago and San Francisco. It's 52 hours of riding inside a large steel tube barreling down the tracks to GDC, and you get to make a game before the train pulls into the final station!

The morning of departure, me and lots of my friends met up at the station and joined the large crowd who was awaiting further instruction (while eating pastries and drinking coffee because it was early by many of our standards). I was still nervous about not finding teammates; I could totally do this by myself, as I had made games solo in the past, but I really wanted to team up for this experience. Then Adriel walked up to the podium, set some ground rules, and announced the theme:

Unexpected anticipation.

My mind raced. How could anticipation be also unexpected? I sort of drifted toward a concept of a spinning-plates game where you need to do multiple tasks and you know that at a certain interval, a new task will be given to you; you anticipate it, but what it is is still unexpected.

I wandered around the room; there was maybe an hour or so left before we left for the train. Then I ran into Ashley Nicollette, a fellow jammer with an artist badge; we struck up conversation, realized we were both teamless, and decided then and there to collaborate on the jam. I wouldn't be alone! :D My biggest source of anxiety was gone; now all that was left was actually figuring out what we'd do and, well, do it, but that was okay - I knew how to do those things.

We got to talking about the theme and some concepts sprang forth. The spinning plates idea could work out... what about a party? And you need to keep guests entertained? Oh, but it'd be great if the visual theme was very silly and cute, something to let us do what we wanted with the ways to entertain the guests. Maybe they could be animals? Or aliens! Entertain My Alien Guests, I'll Be Right Back was born. We'd just need to make it over the next 52 hours, or more if the train got delayed in the mountains due to snowfall.

The train journey itself was a blur. I was lucky enough to have a bed in a sleeper car (thanks to my wonderful girlfriend Amber who reserved the roomette as a gift). Not only that, but we were right across the aisle from my wonderful girlfriend Katherine and her partner; we'd spend the next two days either meeting up for meals in the dining cart or sitting in our rooms chatting with the doors open. I was supremely grateful to have a bed to sleep in; I needed my energy, especially considering this was to be a pretty big trip, and being able to have a place dedicated to resting (instead of curling up in a coach seat) helped tremendously. Sleep was still a little difficult considering just how much a train shakes when it's going down the tracks, but I got enough rest to be productive the rest of the time.

(Also, fair warning: the regular superliner roomette's top bunk is supremely tiny and made me go into a claustrophobic panic when I tried to lie in it. I'm very grateful that my roommate was totally fine with sleeping up there both nights.)

Our fellow jammers were amazing to coexist with. The entire ride was full of smiles as folks worked on their games and discussed their plans. The train also featured two observation cars, which were perfect to chill in and work as the delightful landscape rolled on past us. I got to see parts of America I'd never witnessed before; it was surreal to see snow keep appearing and disappearing as we crossed over into different temperatures and altitudes. Thankfully (or sadly, depending on how you see it), they sent in some sort of snowpiercer train ahead of us and cleared the way quickly enough to avoid any delays; as promised, we had about 52 hours total to get everything done.

Making the game itself was a fun adventure, albeit one of careful scoping. Two days isn't a lot of time, especially when you take frequent breaks and get your good night's sleep in every day. But I worked on the programming side while Ashley drew assets and we exchanged everything via a USB drive to put it all together. By the end we had a fun little game - though one which only became a game at the very last minute. We were an hour away from San Francisco when I finally got the last remaining features in to actually give our game a beginning and an end. But it worked out, and it was an experience I'd gladly repeat again next year.

(One of my fondest memories of the trip is undoubtedly finding a few of my friends at the very bottom and back of the last observation car, in a little hidden queer folks' retreat. We spent most of the first night sharing personal stories, laughing, and working on our respective projects. I'll carry memories of those moments for a long time.)

In the end, Train Jam was a great adventure, compressed into a tube and spread out over two days. I met amazing people that I keep in touch with still, and I could think of no better way to prepare me for a week of GDC. But more on that part of the trip in my next log!