Overview
IGJ was an event for indie game developers that allowed them to develop and present ideas without publisher restrictions. Hosted in Oakland, California just before the Game Developers Conference, the IGJ ran on sponsorship and donations.
IGJ was known for innovation and rapid prototyping of new gameplay ideas. After the third IGJ, Doug Church commented, " it's kinda true that nothing works, but you just throw everyone into the middle of the fire and things come out." He commented that small experiments can lead to big developments in the field. He also noted that while IGJ may not itself revolutionize the mainstream video game industry, but may inspire individuals to innovate. Justin Hall explained that the "roots of electronic entertainment life collaborations".
Numerous well known indie developers and other game industry figures have participated, including Jonathan Blow, Doug Church, Chaim Gingold, Justin Hall, Chris Hecker, Austin Grossman, Marc LeBlanc, and Randy Smith.
The IGJ was considered an inspiration for later game jams including the Nordic Game Jam and the Global Game Jam.
Read more about this topic: Indie Game Jam