The Underground Met Gala: Where Concrete Brutalism Reigns Supreme in Quake Brutalist Game Jam
Deep beneath the surface of an abandoned building lies a subterranean museum, sheltered by a lone concrete spire. This eerie entrance marks the beginning of the Quake Brutalist Game Jam, a celebration of old-school 3D level design that has captured the imagination of fans worldwide.
The event's origins date back to 2022, when veteran game developer Ben Hale first ran a community-driven jam, encouraging aspiring level designers and enthusiast modders to create new maps and missions inspired by brutalist architecture. The response was overwhelming, with participants producing 35 levels in just two-and-a-half weeks.
This year's Quake Brutalist Jam 3 has taken the concept to new heights, with over 77 brutalist-themed maps created in an intense six-week session. Players will face new enemies and challenges, as well as a plethora of new weapons, including a shotgun with bouncing projectiles and a cluster-missile launcher.
One standout map is Escape from KOE-37, a three-hour epic that pays homage to Half-Life's non-linear gameplay. Its creator, Mazu, spent an impressive 400 hours crafting this masterpiece, which features environmental puzzles and set-pieces that will keep players on their toes.
The Quake Brutalist Jam has become more than just a community-driven event – it's a celebration of the lost art of linear level design. In an era where open-world games dominate the market, events like QBJ3 are keeping this style of gameplay alive.
The jam's creator, Ben Hale, is aware that its success has attracted industry professionals and newcomers alike. "It's the underground Met Gala of concrete murderzone design," says Robert Yang, a game designer who contributed to this year's event. "Everyone shows off, everyone nurtures the new faces, everybody eats. I love it."
Yang's contribution, One Need Not Be a House, is an open-ended map that could easily fit into an adventure game like Myst. Its non-linear design and branching paths offer players a unique experience.
As the Quake Brutalist Jam continues to grow in popularity, its organizers are hinting at their own video game project, one that will be fully independent of id Software's shooter franchise. After this jam, they're taking a break from modding and mapping for Quake, but not before celebrating the community that has made it all possible.
As Yang so eloquently put it, "Brutalism, especially in the UK, is about building for the public. You don't need to add beautiful ornaments because building and nurturing the future is already beautiful." The Quake Brutalist Game Jam embodies this spirit, creating a socialist utopia where handcrafted video games bring people together.
Deep beneath the surface of an abandoned building lies a subterranean museum, sheltered by a lone concrete spire. This eerie entrance marks the beginning of the Quake Brutalist Game Jam, a celebration of old-school 3D level design that has captured the imagination of fans worldwide.
The event's origins date back to 2022, when veteran game developer Ben Hale first ran a community-driven jam, encouraging aspiring level designers and enthusiast modders to create new maps and missions inspired by brutalist architecture. The response was overwhelming, with participants producing 35 levels in just two-and-a-half weeks.
This year's Quake Brutalist Jam 3 has taken the concept to new heights, with over 77 brutalist-themed maps created in an intense six-week session. Players will face new enemies and challenges, as well as a plethora of new weapons, including a shotgun with bouncing projectiles and a cluster-missile launcher.
One standout map is Escape from KOE-37, a three-hour epic that pays homage to Half-Life's non-linear gameplay. Its creator, Mazu, spent an impressive 400 hours crafting this masterpiece, which features environmental puzzles and set-pieces that will keep players on their toes.
The Quake Brutalist Jam has become more than just a community-driven event – it's a celebration of the lost art of linear level design. In an era where open-world games dominate the market, events like QBJ3 are keeping this style of gameplay alive.
The jam's creator, Ben Hale, is aware that its success has attracted industry professionals and newcomers alike. "It's the underground Met Gala of concrete murderzone design," says Robert Yang, a game designer who contributed to this year's event. "Everyone shows off, everyone nurtures the new faces, everybody eats. I love it."
Yang's contribution, One Need Not Be a House, is an open-ended map that could easily fit into an adventure game like Myst. Its non-linear design and branching paths offer players a unique experience.
As the Quake Brutalist Jam continues to grow in popularity, its organizers are hinting at their own video game project, one that will be fully independent of id Software's shooter franchise. After this jam, they're taking a break from modding and mapping for Quake, but not before celebrating the community that has made it all possible.
As Yang so eloquently put it, "Brutalism, especially in the UK, is about building for the public. You don't need to add beautiful ornaments because building and nurturing the future is already beautiful." The Quake Brutalist Game Jam embodies this spirit, creating a socialist utopia where handcrafted video games bring people together.
, where game devs come to show off their brutalist skills and create some insane maps 
. Quake Brutalist Jam 3 is like the ultimate nostalgic trip back to old-school gaming 
, with its non-linear level design and focus on building communities 
. I love how Ben Hale started this whole thing in 2022 as a community-driven jam, and it's amazing to see how far it's come now 
.
. It's like we're rediscovering the lost art of storytelling through spatial design 
. And I'm hyped that the organizers are working on their own project, separate from id Software 
, and I love how he puts it into perspective: "Brutalism... building for the public"... man, that's some deep stuff 
. The Quake Brutalist Game Jam is more than just a community event – it's a celebration of creativity, camaraderie, and good ol' fashioned gaming geekery 
.
. Games like Half-Life were so much fun to play and explore, and now we get to see what all the modders and enthusiasts came up with back in the day 
. It's like the gaming community is saying, "Hey, we may not be part of the mainstream, but we're creating something special down here." And that's what it's all about – community, creativity, and pushing boundaries.
. It's like the gaming world is saying, "We're taking a page from history and creating something new and beautiful."
. I'm all about celebrating the power of community-driven projects that bring people together. In a world where it seems like everything is about corporate interests and profit margins, this event is a breath of fresh air.
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. It's amazing how something created by enthusiasts has become such a huge part of the gaming community. The attention to detail in those brutalist maps is insane 
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. And the fact that they're already working on their own game project is just mind-blowing