hyperPad catches the spotlight and greets the Global Game Jam community!
hyperPad is an iPad app that allows non-technical people to create mobile games and interactive apps without ever writing a single line of code. Using the drag and drop interface you can connect actions and events to construct your game logic and bring your imagination to life.
Thus, with hyperPad you don't need to write lines of complicated code or have a background in programming. Instead, you can use a simple drag-and-drop interface to put together your app's different elements, like buttons, images, and animations. There are lots of helpful features included too, like physics, touch gestures, and sound effects, that help you make your app more engaging and fun.
Once you've created your project, you can publish it directly to the App Store, so that anyone with a phone or an iPad can download and use it. So whether you have a great idea for a game, or want to build an app to help people solve a problem, hyperPad can help you bring your vision to life and share it with the world.
We first learned about the Global Game Jam through LinkedIn in 2021, and our connection was made through GamePons, who invited us to host a webinar for participants of the Global Game Jam Next (back in August). Since then, we have established a relationship and planned to be one of the diversifiers of the GGJ this year.
This year, we were thrilled to host a hybrid event that focused on the creation of education games and education apps using our mobile app development software, hyperPad. We held several online workshops in different languages, including English, Portuguese, and Spanish, and also an in-person workshop at Western University in collaboration with the University of Waterloo. At these institutions, we partnered with the Game Development clubs, providing them with swag, free hyperPad codes, and training sessions to create their own educational games and apps.
Participants in our workshops were able to gain valuable experience using our game development software, which is specifically designed to create engaging education games and apps. We also provided free hyperPad access to all participants and gave them a chance to join the GGJ with hyperPad to win prizes. We created materials for participants to follow, so they could successfully create their games during the workshop. Additionally, we provided workshop completion certificates to all participants to enhance their resume experience, allowing them to add their workshop experiences as part of their experience background.
Although we didn't receive as many submissions as we hoped, we had a considerable number of attendees joining our workshop livestreams and asking questions. Hosting these workshops both online and in-person was an enjoyable experience for us, and we were thrilled to see what the participants could create. Overall, our focus on education games and education apps using our mobile app development software proved to be a success, and we look forward to continuing to empower students and educators to create engaging and effective learning tools.
All of our submissions are on the hyperPad Hub, which is where all projects go when you submit them to hyperPad. This gives everyone a chance to play your game, like, share, and comment. We graded the submissions based on innovation, fun, theme, and graphics. Previously, we also invited the community to vote and comment to increase the chances of winning, but we have decided to keep the decision-making process internal.
We used our Discord, forum, and social media to remind participants of due dates, but despite giving an extra week for participants to submit their games, the number of submissions was still relatively low. However, this was the first time in a while that we hosted such a short game jam, so we were happy with the submissions we received.
The winners were announced a few weeks ago on our Forum page. We judged our participants based on innovation, fun, theme, graphics, and audio. The first prize went to "Plucks" by hyperPad’s user TheMagicDesign. It is a fun game with creative audio and theme concepts. Most participants used plants and nature as part of their game, but TheMagicDesign's use of human hair as roots was out-of-the-box thinking. The second prize was awarded to "Reborn Roots" by Kamdroid. The storyline of this game was beautifully made with a message of sustainability. Not to mention the wonderful graphics that were created for this game. Finally, the third prize went to "The Apple Tree'' made by Jack8680. This puzzle game was quite creative, as they added a tree in the middle and we had to find ways to pick the apples. The graphics were also well-done, and the game was well-polished.
Thank you to all participants who joined our live sessions here and the other ones in Portuguese and Spanish! Special thanks to the GGJ staff Tim and Tarja who let us join this amazing event and be part of your game development journey. We hope to see all of you active in the hyperPad community as well here and on our socials!
PS: Recently, we held a webinar panel in celebration of Women’s Day. The discussion focused on how to create more opportunities for women in gaming, and featured amazing women (including Tarja Porkka-Kontturi, GGJ Director of Community Engagement) in the game industry who shared their experiences as female gamers and career paths in gaming. At hyperPad, we strive to make game development accessible to everyone, and we believe that creating spaces like panels and game jams can help ensure that everyone's voice is heard. If you missed the webinar, you can watch the recording here.
