MakeGamesJLM: Elevating Jerusalem developer talent through game jams

In recent years, the gaming industry has experienced a rise in the number of platforms created by various groups that allow aspiring game designers, developers, artists, and writers to gain professional experience in the field, make connections with amateurs and professionals in the field, and possibly find a job at one of the companies in the country.

One such initiative is Jerusalem’s own MakeGamesJLM, which strives to connect games enthusiasts and empower “people working on games to succeed financially and from a business perspective,” Amir Blum, MakeGamesJLM community founder – and co-founder with Simon Gross of the gaming studio Unboxed, which recently launched a Switch game called Scramballed – told In Jerusalem.

When asked why MakeGamesJLM chose Israel’s capital as their base of operations, Blum emphasized, “It is where I am focusing my entrepreneurial efforts and community organization efforts. So, first and foremost, the organization exists to serve people in Jerusalem. It was created when a bunch of us were meeting on the train on our way to meet-ups in Tel Aviv, and we were like ‘Why are we meeting on the train to tell each other about meet-ups? Let us just organize something for ourselves, so it exists to serve Jerusalem.’”

In July, MakeGamesJLM announced on social media that on August 16 and 17, the Game Maker’s Toolkit (GMTK) international game jam would take place in Jerusalem at Lightricks offices in the Givat Ram neighborhood. This is the third year that MakeGamesJLM has organized the GMTK game jam event in Jerusalem, and it has seen a significant increase in participants, growing from 20 people last year to approximately 50 this year, further showcasing MakeGamesJLM’s work promoting the industry in Jerusalem.

Game jams provide an opportunity for people to gain experience in game development, design, art, and writing. During these events, individuals or teams create a video game, or part of it, from scratch within a limited time frame. Participants are normally given a theme or a set of constraints to inspire their games, creating adventures such as Goat Simulator, Celeste, and The Binding of Isaac.

“GMTK is a YouTube channel about game development [created and run] by Mark Brown that does this [game] jam once a year, which has been growing to become one of the largest [game] jams in the world,” Blum explained, further noting that this is the third year that “we have participated as a community.”

The Built to Scale theme of this year’s event encourages participants to design games that play with the scale of objects, challenging them to “take something in one scale and apply it to a different scale.” To illustrate the GMTK’s theme for the year, Blum’s team created a “canoeing mechanic in space” game (available on their GMTK Jerusalem event’s online page, also featuring a collection of games created by other teams at the event: https://itch.io/c/4695590/gmtk-in-jlm-2024).

When asked how many games he expects to be made during this year’s event, Blum said it was hard to estimate. However, “usually a few games continue to be worked on afterward, at least for a few weeks, and that creates a lot of energy in our community.”

The curtains had yet to close when In Jerusalem interviewed Blum, but when asked if it was a success, he immediately responded, “Yeah,” and further noted that “in the end, as a community, our biggest asset is [the notion that] the more people, the more opportunities created.” This demonstrates that the event’s growth has created a double success: It has given more people the opportunity to gain experience in game development, and it has also enhanced Jerusalem’s role as a focal point in the Israeli gaming industry.

“Any team that wants to apply from anywhere in the country can, but where all the events, like the lectures and closing ceremonies, opening ceremonies, all that will happen in Jerusalem. So, it gives an advantage to the Jerusalem team,” noted Amir regarding his ongoing plans to promote the industry in the capital.

The event’s host, Lightricks, is a Jerusalem-based company that specializes in developing innovative AI-based tools for images and videos on mobile phones. In recent years, the company has also launched some of its tools for the web. Their tools are highly relevant for game promotion on social networks. Another event sponsor is Diversion, a Tel Aviv-based company that offers a platform for code management, allowing developers to share code and work more efficiently as a team.

The MakeGamesJLM community meets weekly on Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m., at‭ Hamiffal, where “everyone interested in the topic” is welcome, Blum stressed.‬‬

One of MakeGamesJLM’s staunchest supporters, Roy Munin, CEO of city development nonprofit Made in JLM, emphasized the organization’s ability to promote its community. “MakeGamesJLM has proven again and again that there is incredible artistic and technical talent in Jerusalem. These award-winning creators have compelling stories to tell. The only missing piece is funding,” he said.

“Investors, publishers, and game companies who aren’t in touch with Amir [Blum] are missing out,” he asserted.■

Gaming and game development in Israel

Digital games began to appear as early as the 1950s with games such as Tennis and the legendary “Spacewar!” Since then, they have experienced a significant rise in complexity, inclusivity, and relatability, with iconic games such as Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Skyrim, and World of Warcraft. While the concept of gaming usually refers to the activity of playing electronic games, it is not limited to just consoles, computers, mobile devices, and other similar platforms but includes board and card games as well.

Similar to literature and art, gaming enjoys the freedom of genre and a wide range of game types; from single-player puzzles and stealth games (such as Assassin’s Creed, which pioneered the stealth genre of gaming) to complex open-world, role-playing games (RPG), and massively multi-player online games (MMOs, such as Star Wars: The Old Republic, which combines RPG and MMOs).

As games encompass a wide range of platforms and formats and can be played solo or with others, they have become a significant part of modern entertainment, with competitive gaming, also known as esports (electronic sports), attracting millions of viewers and participants worldwide. In the League of Legends World Championship, for example, the winning team took home a whopping $2.23 million in 2023.

Game development in Israel has seen remarkable growth over the past few years, becoming a key part of the country’s tech and creative industries. Israeli studios have been behind some iconic games such as MoonActive’s Coin Master and Plarium’s Raid: Shadow Legends. Shattering glass ceilings, Israeli companies like Playtika and Plarium have found global success and continue to spearhead the global mobile gaming industry.

As the industry continues to expand, it draws in fresh talent, fueling the rise of low-budget (indie) games and blockbuster projects. 

To learn more about previous community-run game jams organized by MakeGamesJLM and hosted in Jerusalem, visit the organization’s website: makegamesjlm.com