"Larry James is the creative force behind UpLiftVR Studios, where impossible-feeling moments — a hot air balloon's first ascent, the eerie hush of a total solar eclipse — become immersive VR experiences people don't forget. His balloon ride "Maiden Flight" spent nearly a month in the 2018 SIFF VR Zone, earning praise from The Seattle Times and a feature on King 5's Evening Magazine. A fixture of Seattle's maker and XR community since founding the VRMakerDome, Larry builds worlds — and welcomes anyone curious enough to ask how."
Festival installations, celestial simulations, and community room-scale XR.
SIFF VR-Zone Acclaim
UpLiftVR 'Maiden Flight'
A whimsical, semi-interactive VR hot air balloon ascent. Spent nearly a month in the 2018 SIFF VR-Zone, earned praise in The Seattle Times, and was featured on King 5's Evening Magazine.
Celestial Total Totality
High Desert Eclipse
A meditative virtual reality experience capturing the eerie, breathless hush of a total solar eclipse. Debuted at KremFest Music Festival and optimized for standalone Meta Quest.
Community Substrate
The VRMakerDome (Since 2016)
A mobile room-scale XR dome bringing virtual reality directly to public festivals, makers, and first-time flyers across the Pacific Northwest long before consumer headsets were everywhere.
"Tim Cullings(he/him) is a Seattle video games industry veteran and champion for game development and climate science. He is currently the Executive Director for Seattle Indies, Board Treasurer of IGDA, and formerly the Executive Director and Director of Operations at Global Game Jam. Prior to GGJ Tim worked in Dev Ops and Enterprise Engineering at Oculus helping ship everything between Rift and Quest 2. Tim’s passion is empowering and enabling creators to create and be a part of a supportive community of like-minded people."
Community Leadership: Executive Director at Seattle Indies, organizing regional game jams, developer meetups, playtests, and the Seattle Indies Expo (SIX).
From 100+ nations in Global Game Jam to local indie incubation right here in Seattle.
Local Ecosystem
Seattle Indies Community
Nurturing thousands of Pacific Northwest creators through regular game jams, socials, playtests, the Seattle Indies Expo (SIX), and operating the GeekGirlCon Gaming Hall right downstairs!
Worldwide Jams
Global Game Jam (GGJ)
Directed worldwide operations for the planet's largest simultaneous game creation event, uniting tens of thousands of developers across over 100 countries every January.
🌍 ✕ 🥽
Climate Science & Oculus XR
Tech & Purpose
Climate Games & XR Hardware
Advocating for games tackling climate science while leveraging deep enterprise Dev Ops background from the pioneer days of Oculus Rift and Quest 2 hardware.
Meet Your Panelist • Orbicular
Heather Coles
Creative Director, Orbicular • Interaction Designer • Cornish College of the Arts
Pronouns: She/Her
Title: Creative Director
Studio: Orbicular
Intake Bio
"Heather Coles is a Seattle-based interaction designer and Creative Director at Orbicular. Her career began at a Student RND hackathon leading the team behind Monsantoware. A Cornish College of the Arts graduate with a curiosity for eye-tracking, accessibility, and immersive tech, she’s a fixture at game jams as both mentor and maker with two games currently in development: Tabby Tapper, a casual clicker that utilizes fluid dynamics and Frankly Demonic, a dress-up toy on smart watches."
Smartwatch toys, casual clickers, and inclusive interface design.
Orbicular Creative Direction
Interactive Systems & Playful Tech
Creative Director at Orbicular and Cornish College of the Arts graduate, crafting delightful, tactile interactions across emerging platforms, playful toys, and wearable tech.
🐾 💧 ⌚ 😈
Fluid Dynamics & Wearables
Active Development
Tabby Tapper & Frankly Demonic
Tabby Tapper: a casual clicker powered by real-time fluid dynamics. Frankly Demonic: an inventive, playful dress-up toy designed expressly for smartwatches.
Accessibility
Eye-Tracking & Novel Input
Pioneering interactions leveraging eye-tracking, accessibility mechanics, and tactile feedback to ensure games are welcoming and playable for all audiences.
Meet Your Panelist • Stumbling Cat
Renee Gittins
Studio Head, Stumbling Cat • Former IGDA Executive Director • Author & Advocate
Pronouns: She/Her
Title: Studio Head, Stumbling Cat
Role: Author & Former IGDA ED
Intake Bio
"Renee leads Stumbling Cat, developers of Potions: A Curious Tale, and is a multi-disciplinary leader with expertise in engineering, product design, and creative direction. Formerly the GM of Phoenix Labs Vancouver and Executive Director of the IGDA, she is the Chair of the IGDA Alumni Board and is authoring "The Bad Boss Witch Guide to Rule Your World"."
Commercial Release & Leadership:
• Potions: A Curious Tale: Adventure RPG shipped across Steam and consoles.
• Industry Leadership: Former GM of Phoenix Labs Vancouver, Former Executive Director of the IGDA, and Chair of the IGDA Alumni Board.
• Author: The Bad Boss Witch Guide to Rule Your World.
Renee Gittins: Commercial Indie Dev & Industry Leadership
Shipped titles, studio management at Phoenix Labs, and global developer advocacy.
Shipped Release
Potions: A Curious Tale
An adventure RPG where wits and potion crafting overcome brute combat. Shipped across Steam and consoles, proving that thoughtful, non-violent mechanics can captivate audiences worldwide.
Executive Management
Studio Leadership & Phoenix Labs
Former GM of Phoenix Labs Vancouver; multi-disciplinary studio leader with deep technical and design expertise spanning engineering, product design, and creative direction.
Global Advocacy & Literature
IGDA Leadership & Author
Championed developers worldwide as Executive Director of the IGDA, current Chair of the IGDA Alumni Board, and author of The Bad Boss Witch Guide to Rule Your World.
Special Guest Spotlight • Niantic Spatial
Dr. Evie Powell
Staff Software Engineer, Niantic Spatial • Ph.D. Pervasive Game Design • Forever Games Enthusiast
Pronouns: She/Her
Title: Staff Software Engineer
Org: Niantic Spatial / Forever Games
Intake Bio
"Evie Powell has a Ph.D. in Pervasive Game Design (ask her what that means!). She has worked on games in industry (Xbox One Kinect, Niantic's Pokémon Go AR, Niantic Spatial's Peridot, and her own games) while specializing in AR/VR and natural user interfaces."
Engineering & Academic Authority:
• AAA & Spatial Engineering: Xbox One Kinect, Niantic's Pokémon Go AR, and Niantic Spatial's Peridot.
• Academic Background: Ph.D. in Pervasive Game Design, specializing in AR/VR and natural user interfaces.
• Independent Creator: Developing original games as a lifelong "Forever Games Enthusiast."
Commercial Steam releases, festival VR showcases, and cutting-edge spatial engineering.
Steam Commercial Release
Melody
Musical narrative puzzle adventure on Steam. Interactive world exploration driven by rhythm, music puzzles, and expressive visual storytelling. View on Steam
Family & Motion Play
Epic Snowday Adventure
Physics-driven winter party game on Steam built for joyful local multiplayer, playful mini-games, and accessible family play. View on Steam
SIFF VR-Zone & GeekWire
Spatial Computing & Shared Play
Exhibited in the SIFF VR-Zone; featured as GeekWire's "Geek of the Week" for turning virtual reality into accessible, shared social reality. Read GeekWire Profile
The Quest of the Day • Demystifying the Crucible
What IS a Game Jam?
Not an endurance grind or a cutthroat hackathon—a weekend celebration of rapid creative prototyping.
⏱️ ⚡ ⏳
48-Hour Sprint
Time Window
Time-Limited
A fixed, short window that cures analysis paralysis and forces you to finish what you start.
🎲 💡 🔮
Creative Spark
Surprise Prompt
Themed Constraints
A surprise prompt revealed at kickoff that levels the playing field and sparks weird ideas.
🎮 🥳 🌈
Pure Play
Core Philosophy
"Find the Fun"
Zero pressure for commercial polish. The only goal is discovering a playful, delightful interaction.
🔬 📦 🎯
Radical MVP
Scope Discipline
Atomic Scope
Strip away the 100-page design doc. Build the simplest playable toy that proves the concept.
The Core Philosophy • Why Jam?
Triple-A Payoff: Why Jam?
Forget AAA budgets—game jams provide the true Triple-A creative reward: Fun, Friends, Craft.
🎪 🎈 ✨ 🕹️
Zero Stakes Freedom
🎉 1. FUN !
Zero Stakes Freedom
Low stakes & high creativity. Total permission to experiment with wild ideas and experience the thrill of play.
🤝 👥 🛡️ 💖
The Trench Fellowship
🤝 2. FRIENDS !
The Trench Fellowship
Meet other creators and build a team. Collaborating under tight constraints forges deep, lasting alliances.
🛠️ 🎨 💻 🚀
From Thought to Thing
🛠️ 3. CRAFT !
From Thought to Thing
Learn new skills fast and build a real portfolio. You turn thoughts into tangible playable games in a single weekend.
Getting Started • Where Do Jams Live?
Find Your First Jam
Pro-tip: Start with a small online jam to get your feet wet!
Online Central
itch.io / jams
The largest calendar in indie gaming. Browse hundreds of community jams every month—from 3-hour micro jams to relaxed month-long narrative jams.
Worldwide Event
Global Game Jam (GGJ)
The world's premier simultaneous jam every January across 100+ nations. Seattle Indies hosts premier regional sites right here in town!
Beginner Friendly
Cozy & Themed Jams
Look for beginner-focused tags like Twine Jam, Bitsy Jam, Game Boy Jam, or jams with dedicated beginner discord channels.
Team Assembly • Every Discipline Matters
Jam Team Roles: The Crew
You do NOT need to know how to code! A game is an entire creative universe.
🎨 🖌️ ✨ 👾
Visuals & Animation
Visuals
Artists & Animators
Establish mood, palette, 2D sprites, 3D models, UI buttons, and visual feedback that makes the world pop.
🎧 🎹 🔊 🎶
Atmosphere & Foley
Atmosphere
Audio & Foley
Compose catchy soundtrack loops, crunchy sound effects, and ambient soundscapes that carry half the emotion.
📜 🖋️ 🗺️ 🎲
Worldbuilding & Design
Worldbuilding
Writers & Designers
Craft snappy dialogue, compelling lore, game rules, puzzle setups, and the player's emotional journey.
🧭 ⏱️ 🍕 ☕
Scope, Clock & Snacks
Glue
Producers & Morale
Enforce scope, keep the clock, resolve design impasses, and make sure everyone drinks water and gets rest.
Before shipped titles and studio leadership, we all started in 48-hour prototype pandemonium.
💬 Question 1 • Origin Story"Take us back to your very first game jam. What did you make, and what was the biggest takeaway? Did that specific weekend help solidify your desire to pursue game dev?"
Larry (LD25)
SuperChurchFart64
Theme: "You Are The Villain." Prototype aka "Crop Duster" created for Ludum Dare 25.
Repo: github.com/Aquatarkus/LudumDare25
Renee (LD34)
Dryad
Ludum Dare 34 solo compo project exploring nature spirit mechanics.
ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-34
Evie (GGJ)
Xbox Live Indie Game
Global Game Jam sprint that ended up published and reviewed on Xbox Live Indie Games!
Career began leading the team behind this satirical micro-game at a Student RND hackathon.
🌱 Sparked her path into interaction design & mentorship!
🎙️ Panel Question 2 • The Crucible • Failing Forward
Other Jams & The 9th Wall: The "Glorious Failure"
The greatest lessons in game development come from the catastrophic 2:00 AM disasters.
💬 Question 2 • The Crucible"We've all had jams where the scope crept, the engine crashed, or the game just wasn't fun. Tell us about your hardest game jam. Was it a glorious failure, and what was the most valuable thing you learned from a jam that didn't go as planned?"
Intake Submissions & Lore
"What is the jam where everything went completely sideways?"
• Dr. Evie Powell (UNCC GGJ):"Did you murder your wife" — a game where you had to stash a body in a variety of places so the police wouldn't suspect you while you got to a boat (you didn't murder your wife btw). It became a reddit urban legend in their local subreddit when someone saw the postmortem on the projector outside of the venue!
• Larry James (GGJ 2015):Tale Spinner — A network multiplayer card game that ran out of runway and turned into a frantic scramble having it ready 10 minutes before judging with a print-and-play paper card as backup!
The Takeaway
Why Game Jams Make Failure Safe
In commercial development, failure costs budgets, contracts, and years of stress. In a game jam, failure costs only 48 hours—and leaves you with an unforgettable war story and an invaluable lesson you will carry for the rest of your career.
The Fellowship & The Butterfly Effect: Jam Serendipity
How a chaotic 48-hour weekend prototype alters life paths, launches studios, and opens doors.
🤝 🍕 🏕️ 💬
Bonds Forged in the Crunch
💬 Question 3 • The Fellowship"Can you talk about a connection, friendship, or relationship you formed in the trenches of a jam that still impacts your life today?"
• Dr. Evie Powell:"The Seattle VR hackathons were where I made a lot of friends that really helped my career in AR/VR take off! And the connections from those jams are still serving me today!"
• Larry James: Prototyping in Ludum Dare and GGJ paved the way to taking game dev seriously and eventually SIFF VR-Zone month-long festival showcases and founding UpLiftVR Studios.
• Tim & Heather: Meeting lifelong co-creators at 2:00 AM over cold pizza.
🦋 🚪 💼 🌟
Surprise Opportunities & Shipped Games
💬 Question 4 • The Butterfly Effect"Can you share a serendipitous moment—a surprise job offer, wild collaboration, or random opportunity—purely because of a jam connection?"
The Unspoken Resume
Game developers don't look at credentials—they look at what you have actually shipped. Having two or three game jam projects on itch.io or GitHub proves you can collaborate, execute under constraints, and ship a real game.
Tactics and psychological hacks from veteran developers to cross the finish line.
💬 Question 5 • 48-Hour Cheat Codes"When the clock is ticking and you only have 48 hours to create something, what is your ultimate 'cheat code' to cross the finish line? Is it specific software, a design trick, or knowing what features to brutally cut?"
🧠 🛌 🧘♀️ 📚
Sleep, Rest & Learning Over Winning
Dr. Evie Powell's Mindset Hack
Learn Rather Than Win
"Some of my most awesome outcomes came when I decided I wanted to learn something new rather than just win. E.g., if you're a software engineer, do sound design or lead designer. Jams are great sandboxes to learn. Also take breaks and sleep!"
📌 Verbatim from Intake: Section 2 (Your Jam Cheat Code)
⚡ ✂️ 🧰 🚀
Atomic Verbs & Scope Cuts
Live Panel Cheat Codes
What Is Your 48-Hour Secret Weapon?
When Sunday afternoon arrives and the submission clock is ticking down, what is your go-to tool, engine shortcut, or mindset hack to cross the finish line?
Larry James (UpLiftVR: Tiled Map Editor, Inkscape for rapid vector/tile prototyping in solo compo jams with zero premade assets [e.g. Ten Seconds of Thrust], and OpenGameArt.org)
Tim Cullings (Seattle Indies: Scope cuts, game feel over complexity)
Heather Coles (Orbicular: Fluid dynamics, simple physical toy feel)
Renee Gittins (Stumbling Cat: Paper prototyping, non-violent core verbs)
🎙️ The panel shares live scope advice, team management tips, and technical shortcuts.
🚧 Social Highly Experimental SideQuest • Live Hallway Primer 🚧
Intermission: Game Jam Session Zero
🚧 Social Highly Experimental SideQuest: What if you walk out into the hallway today with your next game jam crew already assembled?
🎴 🦸♀️ 🏷️
Claim Your Superpower
Step 1
Claim Your Card
Identify your primary superpower using our Jam Crew roles (Code, Art, Audio, Narrative, or Producer).
🔮 🎲 ⚡
Roll The Spark
Step 2
Roll the Spark
Take our 3-prompt random seed (Theme + Verb + Bizarre Twist) on the next slide as your game's creative spark.
🗣️ 🤝 🚀
Pitch & Form A Crew
Step 3
60-Second Match
Find someone nearby with a complementary role and pitch your 1-sentence game concept to them!
🚧 Social Highly Experimental SideQuest: Discover Your Superpower 🚧
What is Your Jam Card? The Proxy Tarot
Every legendary game jam team needs a balance of archetypes.
💻
Code Wizard
Logic, physics, movement, turning bugs into features.
🎨
Visual Alchemist
Color palettes, 2D sprites, UI, 3D models, visual flair.
Story, lore, game rules, dialogue, player choices.
🧭
Guild Guide
Scope wrangler, keeper of the clock, snacks, team cheer.
Audience Brainstorm • The Proxy Tarot Deck
Interactive Tarot: Spark a 48-Hour Game
Draw real Tarot cards (Major Arcana & Suits across all categories) translated into authentic game jam themes, core action verbs, and bizarre diversifiers. Click cards to select & combine into a pitch! • wulfdesign.github.io/game-jam-panels/
🔮 1. World Theme
Draw:1/3
⚡ 2. Action Verb
Draw:1/3
🌀 3. Bizarre Twist
Draw:1/3
✨ Synthesized Pitch:Select cards above to build your pitch...
Experiment Wrap-Up • Congratulations!
We Did It! 3 Games Formed
You just accomplished what commercial studios take months to brainstorm.
Free & Accessible
Free Engines & Prototyping Tools
Engines: Godot, Twine, Bitsy, Unity, Unreal, Three.js. Level & Tile Design:Tiled Map Editor. Solo Prototyping:Inkscape for rapid vector sprites & tile creation when no premade assets are allowed. Royalty-Free Assets:OpenGameArt.org.
Atomic Scope
Start Simple
Focus on a single, joyful mechanic for your first game. A tiny, delightful 2-minute prototype beats an unfinished open-world dream.
Team or Solo
Your Crew Awaits
Whether you jam solo to learn new skills or team up with your new friends from Room 'America', you now have the blueprint to ship!
Round-Robin Spotlight • What's On Your Desk?
What Have You Been Working On Lately?
From Newtonian orbital mechanics to tabletop RPG systems—what is exciting you right now?
💬 Moderator Topic & Round-Robin"What projects were thought of because of the game jam that wouldn't fit into the weekend and you later created outside of the jam? What is the fire that keeps you going when life gets in the way?"
Larry James (UpLiftVR / Wulf Design)
Artemis: The Free Return & Game Master
🚀 Artemis: The Free Return (Lunar-Flyby-XR)
A real-time WebXR Newtonian cislunar simulation putting everyday people in the commander's seat for an unscripted lunar slingshot and atmospheric reentry.
Showcased at: Greenwood Art Walk • SLICE • SIM Pre-PAX Showcase • KremFest XR • Seattle Space Week
🎲 The Game Master Project
Bridging tabletop RPG storytelling with interactive digital game systems. Playtested at GeekFest West this summer—and the tabletop party dynamic is what inspired today's Session Zero experiment!
🔗 Explore on wulfdesign.github.io
Panel Lightning Round
"What project is keeping you up at night?"
Whether it's an indie game in active development, a new tech stack, or an old passion project resurrected:
Tim Cullings (Seattle Indies community initiatives, climate science in games)
Ask our panel anything about game jams, creative tech, team dynamics, or overcoming imposter syndrome.
💬 Question 6 • Audience Advice"For someone sitting in the audience right now who is terrified they aren't 'skilled enough' to join a jam team this weekend, what is your advice to them?"
Intake Submitted Topics (Section 3)
• Dr. Evie Powell's Question: "Do you ever do hackathons or game jams as part of your career job? Do you recommend it?"
• Dr. Evie Powell's Event Topic: "Was there anything about game jams that you think could have been better? Something that could change about event execution to make them more appealing? (e.g. how hard it is to pull away to check out other people's work!)"
• Larry James's Topic: "The projects that were thought of because of the game jam but wouldn't fit into the weekend or team that later went back and created them outside of the jam."
Larry's Closing Challenge to the Room: "How many of you will come to a Game Jam in the next year and create a game—even if it's a mini-game or outside a jam?"
Convention Next StopSkagit 3rd Floor
Seattle Indies Gaming Hall
Head downstairs to the Skagit Lower Level / 3rd Floor to explore local Pacific Northwest indie games and meet the developers in person!
🎮 Featured Showcases: Experience UpLiftVR (Larry James) and visit Stumbling Cat Studios (Renee Gittins, creator of Potions: A Curious Tale)!
Connect with the Creators • Scan to Follow
Thank You! Connect With The Panel
Scan any QR code below to explore our projects, games, and communities!
