“The sleepless nights were well worth it” says Game Jam 2016 winner
30
Dec 16
Our chat with Game Jam winner Diogo Gomes
Hi Diogo, congratulations on winning the contest! Why did you decide to enter Game Jam?
Diogo Gomes: I have always liked to create games, ever since I was a kid making games using paper and pencil with my brother. Then I met the wonderful world of the Internet where Game Maker 5 and RPG Maker 2000/2003 were my first experiences. Today, I see it as a hobby.
When I saw the release of the Game Jam on Bundle Stars, I said that I was going to have to sacrifice one month of my vacation for this. I did not think twice! The prizes helped in the decision and gave me encouragement.
Every time I was tired or lost the will to continue, I looked on the website and it put me back on track!
What was your inspiration for The Mourning After?
DG: Films as The Evil Dead (1981) and Night of the Comet (1984), books as I Am Legend (1954) and games as Left 4 Dead (2008), Dying Light (2015) and How to Survive (2013). And a lot of things I like and love, things of space, zombies, DIY, friends and beer!
Game Jam winner Diogo Gomes shows off his NVIDIA Shield tablet and controller prize
How long did it take you to create the game?
DG: Much more than I expected! If you stop to calculate every day I worked, it adds up to about six weeks. Some of these days were spent working more than eight hours.
Luckily I was on vacation in the month of the competition, so I spent most of my days sitting in front of computer, building the game and trying to fix bugs and incompatibilities that appeared. When it was near the deadline, I put in sleepless nights to get closer to what I wanted. In the end, I think it was well worth it.
Will you continue to work on the game or is it now finished?
DG: The game is ready - it has a beginning, middle and end, but there are still some things to improve, especially towards the end of the game. Occasionally I still work in it, because I want optimize it and add more features.
I also want to add my native language - Brazilian Portuguese.
