OD
Olivia Dunlap
  • Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Class of 2020
  • Little Rock, AR

Olivia Dunlap helps develop 5 games in 48 hours at Global Game Jam

2018 Feb 19

Olivia Dunlap of Little Rock, AR, was among a group six University of Arkansas at Little Rock students who developed five games in 48 hours during the Global Game Jam.

This is the first time UA Little Rock has participated in Global Game Jam, which is similar to a hackathon but is focused on game development. Nearly 43,000 people participated in Global Game Jam 2018, resulting in 8,597 games developed at 803 sites in 108 countries. Participants were given the theme "Transmission" and had 48 hours to create a game.

"It was exhausting, but incredibly rewarding," said Olivia Dunlap, a UA Little Rock senior and co-founder of Little Rock Game Designers who led the event. "I was able to stay up for 36 hours straight without dying. Everyone was very energetic and positive, but there were a few tense moments as the clock started to run out."

While many people assume that art, design, and coding skills are needed for game development, Dunlap hopes to show people that anyone can help create a game.

"The cool thing about game design is that there are some really accessible tools," she said. "For example, there is a tool called Twine that is a text editor that allows writers to easily create branching stories. It's a robust tool, but is also easy to pick up for first timers or anyone who isn't programming-minded. There are a lot of options for people who can't do art or code. Anyone who is interested in game design can come to an event like this and learn a lot."

The student's games can be checked out on the Global Game Jam website. They include:

  • "Apus" by Zack Bolt, Geoffrey Townsley, Loren Snow, and Jay Zak
  • "Chaotic Good" by Joe Williams
  • "Chromaticity" by Olivia Dunlap
  • "Got a Moment?" by Kyle Hooks and Alex Barton
  • "Salgreb" by Robbie Hunt and Tanner Marshall

UA Little Rock's event was sponsored by the Department of Rhetoric and Writing, Little Rock Game Designers, and Little Rock Games.