“Eid-Jam” Challenge

September 27, 2014

Well, it has been a bumpy beginning to the school year at work: loads of late-registrant-students, course changes, and room changes. Thankfully it looks like things are starting to settle down, so I can find some time to develop some prototypes.

In Qatar, we get holidays for “Eid” – basically celebrations at the ending of specific Islamic religious periods/events. One is Eid Al Fitr, which comes after the month of Ramadan (back at the end of July). This is probably the one you’re thinking of if you have heard of Eid before. There is also a second one, Eid Al Adha, that will be at the beginning of October. This is tied to God’s requesting that Abraham sacrifice his son, Ishmael (a story event common to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam).

At any rate, because it’s a lunar holiday and inexact, our school gives us a week holiday from work for this (yay!). Rather than travel I’ve decided to use it as a time-limited schedule to develop a game prototype. More or less, it’ll work like a “personal” Game Jam, and provide deadlines that are often sorely needed to spur development (especially when you already have a full-time job!)

So, to add to social pressures, I’ll post my progress on the blog and see how I do. I’ve never been involved in a short-development cycle (outside of class deadlines, but they weren’t merely a week), so this will be an interesting challenge! Watch this space 🙂