Above: Train Jam attendees are able to exchange ideas, fueling creativity.
GamesBeat: How important is it that Train Jam has a showcase this year’s Game Developers Conference? Can you go into how that came about? And what opportunities does this bring about?
Adriel Wallick: Having a showcase at GDC this year was amazing. It allowed so many developers to show a game off at one of the largest professional game developer events in the world, which is an opportunity that many people in our industry never get otherwise. We were able to create so many amazing things on the journey to GDC, and being able to show off these creations that we’re all proud of to our peers was great.
GamesBeat: Are you actively promoting Train Jam? How big do you want it to get? This year’s showcase will certainly draw interest? What if it gets huge?
Adriel Wallick: I actually don’t think I would like to increase the size of the actual jam itself more than what I had this year. The point of the showcase at GDC is to give the people who created something during Train Jam a chance to show off their creations, not to turn Train Jam into a huge, huge thing.
I’ve been toying around with the idea of having two simultaneous Train Jams on two different routes, but that would definitely be a few years down the line after I have the original Train Jam settled. Basically, I’d like to keep Train Jam as intimate as possible while still having allowing enough room so that it doesn’t feel like an exclusive club.
Above: Train Jam attendees are prepared for the long ride to GDC 2015.
GamesBeat: Is there an end goal for Train Jam? Is it more about promoting game creativity? Or something else?
Adriel Wallick: There’s no real end goal for Train Jam. What I want out of Train Jam is to foster game creation, creativity, and adventure. I want to put developers a little outside of their comfort zone and push them to create and experience things that they wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.
GamesBeat: What’s your favorite thing to come out of Train Jam, game or otherwise?
Adriel Wallick: Oh gosh, I don’t think I can pick one favorite thing to come out of Train Jam. I love the way that the experience feels like a pilgrimage to a convention that, to so many of us, feels like home. It’s like we all band together to travel somewhere that makes us happy — all while working on things that make us happy.
It’s a fantastic way for people who aren’t familiar with the various landscapes of the United States to see a variety of them, and a really constructive, welcoming, and creative environment to be in right before GDC. Basically, everything about Train Jam is my favorite thing.