road_rage_bunny

This past Weekend i had the privilege of documenting TOJam a 3 day event where teams from all over North America get together and make small but good video games. A "Jam" session of video game making madness. The Event Runs 24 hours a day for 3 days and the teams need every second of this time. Everyone always starts off in high sprites' being surrounded with so many like minded people with such different backgrounds is really inspiring. The food is free and good but as time goes on people start to get to work. Realizing that there is never enough time they try to put off sleep for just the weekend but eventually everyone crashes. It really is like a programming marathon in ever sense of the word. But then comes the 3rd day where every ounce of everything that you can do has been put in to that computer and with the last of the fumes that you are running on. you celebrate.

The Following is kind of my photo short story of what it is like to be a part of TOJam.


Toronto everyone`s or home away from home. But tonight home is in front of a computer monitor and beside your team.



Lets start working out this Game





TOJam isn't a contest. there is no prize for first place so you might as well have fun with your sleepless nights


Now these guys are awesome. A father daughter team making a game together. the girl is 5 years old and came up with the story for the game and all the art work for it! 


She may be able to make a game but this young master still has much to learn.


A hint to what the that game may be.


As the clocks start to get in to the not so wee hours of the morning the programmers get creative. in his hands is a bowl of deep fried meatballs covered in a reduced "red bull" sauce! 


around this time everyone is thinking the same thing


but they push on and on...

and on...

and on red eyes and all.

but at last one can only go so long with no sleep so one by one they start to fall and before long you can find them all over the place. some people too tired to go home, others are from so far away that they can't go home. not until the job is done.










People sleep and people work.


This i found very japanese. Taking your shoes off before entering the room that you sleep in even if it is a dark hall way.


But at long last its play time and people get to see for the first time what everyone else was working on and try out these new and raw ideas.




Geeks crowed into a room to listen to a guest speaker from montreal show to them all the different games he has developed at different Jams from all over.


It was an exciting event but eventually everyone has to go home and look forward to another year and another TOJam.


special thanks to this man Jim McGinley and Miguel who opened the doors of TOJam to me.


EDIT: TOJam is put together and operated by Jim McGinley, Emilie Mcginley & Robert Segal all of who did amazing beyond amazing! 


Visit TOJam's site for more info: http://www.tojam.ca

more photos can be seen on my flickr page here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadragebunny/
or on facebook
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150617424145601.685146.583930600