This page list the best practices I found in my thesis. For more advanced in depth informations click on the Full Page anchor.

For method connections -> Methodologies

1. Time-Box Ideation

Hard cap of 1-2 hours to brainstorm ideas after the theme reveal.

“Don’t overthink your game’s mechanics.” ~ Hyper Holomayhem (LD37)

Teams that spent 3+ hours on concept lost critical build time. Full page

2. Concept Lock on Day 1

All critical design decisions locked within the first 4-6 hours.

“Important design decisions should be made on the first day instead of delaying them.” ~ Colossorama (LD36)

The upgrade system in Colossorama was designed on day 2 and caused cascading cuts. Full page

3. Explicit Feature Prioritization (MoSCoW)

After the concept lock, every planned feature gets categorized:

Priority	Meaning
Must have	Core loop, minimum playable game
Should have	Important but droppable under pressure
Could have	Nice-to-have polish
Won’t have	Explicitly out of scope

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4. Rolling Asset Integration

Deliver assets continuously throughout the jam, not all at once near the end. Full page

5. Pivot Gate at Hour 24

After hour 24: no concept changes. Scope cuts only. Full page

6. Playtesting Checkpoint

At least one external playtesting session on day 2. Full page

7. Definition of Done

Define upfront what “done” means for a 48-hour game. Write it down and use it to end scope arguments.

Done = a playable, coherent experience that communicates the core idea.

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