Spotlight on… Liz Frost, Rainbow Game Jam veteran
Rainbow Game Jam returns for its fourth year this week and to find out about it, we thought we’d talk to a veteran of two previous Rainbow Game Jams, Liz Frost!
In their team, Liz works on the Art, Fiona Peak the Code/Design and Kaspar Haines the Sound/Music.
To find out more about the Rainbow Game Jam, check out our previous article with all the info.
Hi Liz, thanks for joining me. When was your first Rainbow Game Jam?
We first took part with Prism Break in 2017. It was last minute as we didn’t find out about the jam until about 3 days in, but we were pleased with the finished game, particularly the sound design.
You’re a Rainbow Game Jam veteran, how many times have you entered?
In 2018 we entered the jam again, with a lot more time and resources. The result was The Curious Case of Timmy McRover which we were extremely pleased with. Although it could use some typos removing, its a pretty well polished narrative game for those who like mysteries and dog puns.
What inspired you to enter?
My wife and I have done the Ludum Dare Jam for many years, on and off. The LD Jam is fun but it is challenging to finish a game in 48 or 72 hours. Now we have a toddler, it’s virtually impossible to find enough time on a weekend to compete. However, the Rainbow Jam is two whole weeks, and is less intense and competitive than the LD jam, which suits our lifestyles much better. Also as strong advocates of diversity in games, an LGBT+ themed jam really appealed to us.
Why do you think the Rainbow Game Jam is important?
The games industry is dominated by voices from a very vocal demographic, which has a lot of influence on who gets to work in games and what is considered “valuable” to the industry. LGBT+ people have always made games, of course, but they have often done so from the sidelines or as guests in other peoples worlds. For example, when making games for the Ludum Dare, it’s always in the back of my mind that many of the people rating the finished games may well act negatively towards a game involving LGBT+ themes, and so it creates a pressure to censor myself when putting work out there.
LGBT+ people have a lot to contribute to the art form, so any creative space where ideas of sexuality and gender can be explored without worries about homophobia etc. is fantastic.
What would you say to anyone thinking about taking part this year?
Don’t get too hung up on the finished product.
Don’t overscope but do try something new and challenging.
Don’t expect to have much free time but do make sure to sleep!
To keep up with all the latest Rainbow Game Jam news and updates, join the Rainbow Game Jam Discord and follow them on Twitter. You can also join the discussion by using the hashtag #RainbowJam19
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