A Game Jam Story: Debugging Bubbles at 3AM

The world was quiet. Too quiet. Then, out of nowhere… POP! A new challenge appeared. Armed with nothing but keyboards, creativity, and a questionable amount of caffeine, our engineers accepted the quest. The timer was set. The game jam had begun. The battlefield? Mystical hackerspace, Base42, where ideas clashed, code was forged, and physics engines were pushed to their absolute limits. Would they emerge victorious, crafting a bubble-powered masterpiece? Or would they fall into the abyss of infinite debugging?

There’s only one way to find out…

Read on to see who built what, who popped under pressure, and who walked away with the title of Best Game and some other awards. 🎮🫧

Jammin’, I Want to Game Jam It With You

Game jams are the ultimate playground for game developers—an opportunity to test skills, experiment with absurd ideas, and consume alarming amounts of energy drinks. This year, the event was once again hosted by MGI at Base42, the second year in a row on this location, where engineers, artists, and just game enthusiasts gathered to embrace 48 hours of creative madness.

CodeChem Representation: 5 Teams, 2 Major Awards!

This year, CodeChem had engineers and a game designer in 5 different teams battling against time, sleep deprivation, and their own ambitions. And guess what? Two of those teams took home top awards! Now, let’s take a closer look at what our colleagues built and who walked away victorious!

🏆 Best Game Award: "Hydroplane"

Not sure If I’m supposed to say meet Tomislav, because I said this in the previous blog post for Game Jam, but let’s structure it this way: We’re gonna start with Tomislav Ignjatov, an ML engineer at CodeChem, our colleague and a Game Jam veteran who has never skipped a year (we stopped counting). Together with his crew, he created Hydroplane, a multiplayer game that protects the ocean floor from toxic and explosive barrels.

The Fish-Fueled Cleanup That Won Best Game 🎮

One player controls a geyser that shoots bubbles to trap fish, while the other takes command of a yellow submarine that collects the fish and catapults them at barrels to destroy them; because what better way to clean up the ocean than with fish-powered demolition? Built using Godot Engine and Aseprite, the game earned them the Best Game Award, and they hope to launch it on Steam soon. The only thing Tomislav would change? The food. Also, despite constant interruptions from Nikola Dinevski of another team, he still came out on top. Or, as he puts it: "I came, I saw, I conquered."

🔥 Best Hybrid-Casual Game: "Overboiled" Brainstormed at the CodeChem Balcony

Now, moving on to the next team…yes, we have a team now: Nikola Dinevski, Matey Cardula, Petar Atanasovski, Nikola Kostovski, and Gjorgji Nechovski. All of them are our engineers, except for Nikola Kostovski, the creative hero and our game designer. And oh, do we have a story to tell about this one?

If you’ve been around CodeChem long enough, you already know that a lot of ideas are born on our balcony, usually accompanied by a cup of coffee, some deep tech debates, and at least one person zoning out completely. This time, while sipping his coffee, Nikola Kostovski had a moment of pure inspiration. He stared into his cup and thought, What if we made a game about overboiled milk? Yes, really. Based on the Macedonian idiomatic phrase "Изгоре лончето, претече млекото," which translates to "A watched pot never boils, but an unwatched one overflows," Nikola figured, why not turn a common kitchen disaster into a fast-paced game? And thus**, Overboiled** was born.

💡 Brainstorming, Banter, and Enough Caffeine

While having a meet about this blog post, Nikola was on his philosophical game development journey, and the other Nikola (Dinevski from Bitola) was passionately explaining the difference between hybrid and hyper-casual games. The rest of us? We were just nodding along while internally wondering how much caffeine he had consumed at that point.

So, What is Overboiled?

To answer your question, it is a fast-paced, strategic bubble-popping game where players must prevent a boiling container of milk, coffee, or beer from overflowing. Simple enough, right?

Well, there’s a twist. You can’t just tap bubbles when they reach the surface. Instead, you have to wait for three or more of the same color to match up before they burst automatically, giving you combo bonuses and gold. And, because chaos is mandatory in a game jam, the heat keeps increasing, sending bubbles flying up faster and faster until you feel like your screen is personally judging your reflexes.

🛠️ Power-Ups, Customization, and Pure Bubble Panic

Thankfully, players aren’t left completely helpless. Power-ups like Cool-Off, Pop All, and Lid let you regain some control (at least for a few precious seconds before panic sets in again). And, as if boiling virtual coffee wasn’t fun enough, you can customize your container, switch up the liquids, and unlock new power-ups, all while trying to stay sane in the chaos.

🎨 Art, Sound, and The Wild Methods of Game Jammers

Now, let’s talk about the art. Nikola Kostovski’s work was so good that some people thought it was AI-generated. Nope, just raw talent and a ridiculous amount of attention to detail. Then there’s the music, which deserves a special mention because Nikola Dinevski literally woke up, grabbed random household objects, and started recording sound effects himself. That’s the level of dedication (or desperation?) we’re dealing with here.

While Nikola Kostovski was on the creative front, the rest of the team Nikola Dinevski, Gjorgji Nechovski, Matey, and Petar went full Unity mode, tackling all the development, gameplay logic, and physics madness. They started by setting things up on one computer, but once tasks were divided, they switched to two machines and went full-speed ahead. And yes, some additional video editing skills were needed along the way, but somehow, in the middle of the jam-fueled insanity, they pulled it all together with slick transitions and audio.

🏆 The Aftermath: Award-Winning & Caffeine-Induced Regrets

48 hours later, Overboied took home the Best Hybrid-Casual Game Award. And it was totally deserved. Will they be back next year? Absolutely. Are they still recovering from dangerous amounts of caffeine and energy drinks? Also yes. But hey, that’s just part of the Game Jam experience. 🔥🫧

🌍 A Multiplayer Web Game: "Bubble Pop"

🕹️ Solo Mode Activated!

Next on our list is Gjorgji Dimeski, who decided to go fully solo this year. As he boldly declared during our meeting, "I might not win any awards this year, but I definitely won everyone’s hearts instead." And honestly? He wasn’t wrong.

Taking the lone wolf approach, Gjorgji developed Bubble Pop, a multiplayer bubble-popping game that can be played by anyone, anytime. No teammates, no distractions, just him, his code, and a mission. The game runs entirely on web technologies, built with Angular, and can be played online at Bubble Pop.

Sleep-deprived, Not

Unlike the caffeine-fueled chaos happening around him, Gjorgji actually went home to sleep instead of pulling a 48-hour all-nighter like the rest of the Game Jam warriors (legend). But despite his well-rested approach, he still had an amazing time, especially appreciating the fact that Base42 had heating—something past Game Jams seriously lacked.

His only complaint? The fast food situation could use an upgrade next year. Fair enough, Gjorgji. Fair enough. 🍕😂

💥 Bubble Blaster: A Kitchen Cleaning FPS (Yes, Really)

🦠 Clean the Kitchen… With a Bubble Gun?

Next up, we have Teodor Angeleski and his crew, who took a wild approach to the Game Jam theme and turned kitchen cleaning into a full-blown FPS.

Yes, you read that right. In Bubble Blaster, players take on the role of a sentient cleaning detergent whose life mission is to eliminate bacteria and flies using—what else?—a bubble blaster. But that’s not all. Because, apparently, kitchen appliances are way too far out of reach for an average bottle of dish soap, players also get a grappling hook to swing to higher places (which, for normal humans, would be waist height).

👨‍💻 A Crash Course in 3D Game Development

To bring this soapy warfare to life, the team used Godot Engine & Blender, diving headfirst into 3D game development for the first time and somehow pulling it off in just 48 hours. If that’s not dedication, I don’t know what is.

🦒 Teodor’s Secret Superpower: Tallness & Humility

Now, if you don’t know Teodor, let me paint you a picture. Imagine a guy who’s tall enough to reach the top shelf without a ladder yet humble enough to never mention it. Meanwhile, his game characters are out here grappling-hooking their way around a kitchen like it's a Marvel movie.

🏆 Achievement Unlocked: FPS, Bubbles & Brilliance

Despite sleep deprivation, Blender struggles, and a very intense battle against bacteria, the team successfully created a 3D multiplayer shooter from scratch in just two days. Not bad for a weekend project, huh?

Would they do it again? Absolutely. Would they sleep next time? Probably not. But hey, that’s Game Jam life. 💥🫧🎮

We’ve slowly come to an end… just kidding, there’s mooooooore.

🎮 Bubbles’ Adventure: The Couch Kings

Last but not least, we have Vasilaki Tocili, the only one from our embedded engineers in the jam, teaming up with his sister to create Bubbles’ Adventure, a hybrid-casual mini-game collection inspired by Bubbles from The Powerpuff Girls. And if there’s one thing we learned from their journey, it’s that a fancy setup alone doesn’t make a great game, but pairing it with strong determination definitely helps.

🛋️ The Setup: The Ultimate Couch Command Center

From the moment the jam started, Vasilaki and his sister claimed the best couch at Base42—and never left it. Seriously, they built an entire PC + laptop fortress right there. For 38 out of 48 hours, they coded, designed, brainstormed, and probably questioned their life choices, all while refusing to move from their carefully chosen spot.

🎮 What’s Bubbles’ Adventure All About?

The game is a collection of mini-games, each an adventure on its own. Before every game, players enter a lobby with unskippable ads, except you’re not locked in place. You can walk around, interact, and goof off while waiting for the next challenge to begin. Suspense, chaos, and monetization are all in one place.

Once the game starts, players take control of Bubbles, but with a twist…all characters are Bubbles, just stylized in their own way with custom outfits and accessories. And, of course, power-ups are available to spice things up.

One mini-game involves quick reflexes as bombs disguised in a similar color as the bubbles try to trick you. Another challenge features slippery and bouncy platforms-bubbles, where falling means getting yeeted into the void and sent back to the lobby.

🛠️ The Tech & The Grind

Vasilaki handled all the programming and setup using Unity Engine, while his sister took care of the art, inventory, character designs, and the in-game shop. Aside from Unity, they also used Roblox Studio for inventory and shop mechanics. Did he work hard? Oh yes. Did he sleep? Not really. Did he eat? Probably, but only within arm’s reach of the couch. He was also the last person to submit a game—just like last year. But hey, traditions are traditions.

The Ultimate Couch Potatoes

At the end of the jam, Vasilaki and his sister didn’t walk away with an award, but they did leave with the undisputed title of Ultimate Couch Champions. While others paced, stressed, and powered through their games in questionable ergonomic positions, these two secured the comfiest spot in Base42 and refused to move for nearly two days.

It was his sister’s first Game Jam, and what better way to experience it than by coding, designing, and strategizing, all from the couch fortress they built? They had a blast and are already planning to return next year, hopefully with an even more optimized couch-to-coding ratio. What’s next? More caffeine, more coding, and, of course, claiming the best couch again. 🛋️🎮🔥

Final Thoughts: Would We Do It Again? ABSOLUTELY.

48 hours. Too much caffeine. Questionable life choices. But was it worth it? 100%. From balcony brainstorms to 3 AM debugging chaos, this Game Jam was nothing short of legendary, wrapped up with four judges from four different companies, one of whom was our colleague Filip. While he may be locked in an endless rivalry with gravity, if there’s one thing he loves, it’s being involved in game-related events.

Hopefully, next year, we’ll be back with better food, fewer energy-drink-induced hallucinations, and even crazier game ideas. Until then, keep coding, keep dreaming, and never underestimate the power of bubbles! 🫧🎮🔥