Set up took place Friday June 2nd. A few artists were picked up from their homes and others transported their own gear to the studio. Once everyone was settled in, at 6pm, 28 competing artists were gathered to the center of Game Artisans' Lounge and cards were given to all... face down. After mentioning a few guidelines about the challenge, the cards were flipped and everyone had the opportunity to read the theme for the weekend jam. A dead silence ensued! The topic was – Create a Mini Destructo Bot + a supporting environment. After a long silent pause, everyone soundlessly walked to their computers, leaving the founder, Fred, unsure about his topic and guidelines. Were artists disappointed? Were they in disbelief? Did they hate making a robot? Did he screw up the challenge? Did they want a refund? What happened? What happened was, everyone’s brain went into overdrive! Unknowing to Fred, artists were were hurriedly thinking of all the possibilities that could be created within the limited budget of the challenge. After a few minutes of silence, first whispers began, and finally, the room erupted with full-blown discussions as artists poured out thought after thought to quickly find a solution and design for their entries. Discussions and the thumbnail’ing phase continued on into the late midnight hours, with a few artists staying at GA until 6 am the next morning to lock in their designs.

After a full day of setting up on Friday and a night shift to keep the studio open for passionate artists, Fred regained consciousness and made it back to the studio at 4pm Saturday. To his surprise, everyone was quietly at work. Artists were busily pushing verts and some even began setting up their uvs. This went on for a long while until finally, around 7pm, half of the artists in the studio abruptly left for a late supper - chatting about their ideas, progress and entries throughout their meals. When teams returned, they continued on with their projects with renewed belly full enthusiasm and a fresh perspective on what was worked on during the day. Artists finally began to leave for their distant homes around 11pm to 3am. 3 artists in particular decided that sleep was a luxury best left for the dead, and stayed awake til the very end of the challenge.

The day was tense. Two teams began to unravel as their members lost face in what they created the previous two days, also, a few other teams were struggling with their textures. It was a race to finish up their work, nevertheless, artists were determined to get their weekend work completed and handed in on time. 6 of the 10 teams were looking good for the deadline, but then something unexpected occurred... Come see the results of this challenge on Friday, June 10th, from 7:15pm to 10pm.


Montreal artists demonstrated that given the chance, they are up for fun and creative events that challenge their creativity. A great deal of enthusiasm for the event and its participating artists was displayed and many tricks and friendly advice was shared during the challenge. All artists involved left the Jam with smiles and a new trick or two that will help them in their journey forward as game artists. It was an awesome event and everyone was sad to see it come to an end.

Come see the results of this challenge and meet the courageous artists behind the work, this Friday, June 10th, from 7:15 – 10pm. Thank you everyone who attended the Jam and a big thanks to everyone who will come celebrate their achievements!