Parsons students dominate @ Global Game Jam 2012

Parsons students repped like crazy at the Global Game Jam 2012 at the NYU Game Center site. “You best watch yourself,” we told Frank Lantz. In response, Frank Lantz pretended not to know who we were, but believe us, we all knew the score.

The theme of the “make a video game in only 48 hours” competition was Ouroboros. Say that six times fast. I bet you can’t.

Ramiro Corbetta and friends made the very beautiful art game “Seasons”, where you’re a hiker with a Johnny Appleseed chip on your shoulder, planting acorn after acorn and watching the trees grow, through the endless cycle of seasons. “It has no gameplay,” remarked Ramiro.


Ben Norskov and friends made “Borosporos,” a two player top-down space dueling game where you shoot bullets that arc around the sun to kill your opponent. But then again, is the concept of life even applicable to the player characters, these abstract flowering blastulas orbiting in space? “Yes,” says Mr. Norskov.


Robert Yang and friend made “Jersey Shouroboros,” inspired by the infinite cycle of self-destruction perpetuated daily by young Italian Americans on Music TeleVision for the nation’s required 22 Minutes of Hate. There was at least one diehard Jersey Shore fan there, who was disappointed with the lack of accuracy.

And lastly Mohini Dutta, Bryce Williams, Stephen Keating, and friends crafted “OroborO,” a sidescrolling platformer that pits you against your past clones, looping forward through time as extremely painful ghosts. Can you escape your past? This author couldn’t, and the game was really hard, but then again this author is pretty bad at platformers.

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