On June 12th, 2026, I entered my first game jam: Godot Wild Jam. Specifically, GWJ # 94.
For the uninitiated, during a game jam, you make a game solo or with a team in a very short time period. Some are only 72 or 48 hours, though this one was a comparatively generous 9 days. Game jams also give participants a theme that the game must adhere to. GWJ94’s theme was “mutation,” with optional limitations called “wildcards,” which included Disassembly Required (demolish, break, or disassemble things), Checkout (have stuff to buy), and…I Like Turtles (include a turtle).
I joined up with two other people: Calzark and Benosse. My team and I ended up making a game about a rat head who grows limbs made of other rats to dominate and make their way through the sewers. We also included all of the wildcards: enemies to attack, a currency (food) to buy mutations, and snapping turtles (one of the enemies; the other was a three-headed pigeon).
Our game is called Ratipede, and it’s a tile-based strategy game where you try to get to the sewer exit with your entire rat crew intact. The rats consist of one “rat head,” which grows “rat limbs.” This idea was based off of the real-world phenomenon of a “rat king,” which is a group of rats whose tails get stuck together.
Players have to manage the health and food of their rat head and limbs. They must also adapt to their environment by applying mutations that allow them to attack enemies and bypass areas with toxic sludge. Food is used for rat upkeep, growing new rat limbs, and buying mutations.
I should have done a game jam much sooner. I was intimidated by the time limit (which is especially daunting with a full-time job) and my sub-par programming skills, but there are many ways to contribute to a game jam team. In my case, I assisted with the concept and design of the game, created a few small art assets (I made the snapping turtles and a couple of UI elements!), provided some writing for the game and Itch.io page, selected some royalty-free audio, and participated in playtesting/quality assurance.
I was extremely impressed by my teammates. Calzark is an incredibly talented programmer with at least a dozen game jam experiences under his belt. Benosse, like me, was a newbie, but he created amazing art assets so quickly. I was humbled by their abilities and honored to work alongside them.
Although I don’t plan on doing another game jam in the immediate future (jams are a commitment, and I need a break!), I would love to participate in another one at some point. Right now, I plan to focus primarily on my art skills alongside my general Godot skills. Thankfully, my fellow developers assured me that my communication and collaboration skills made the experience smooth for them, so I know I have value as a teammate!
You can give Ratipede a try here!
Arielle Shander 