The underground Met Gala of concrete murderzone design: welcome to the Quake Brutalist Game Jam
A lone concrete spire stands in a shallow bowl of rock, sheltering a rusted trapdoor from the elements. Standing on the trapdoor causes it to yawn open like iron jaws, dropping you through a vertical shaft into a subterranean museum. Here, dozens of doors line the walls of three vaulted grey galleries, each leading to a pocket dimension of dizzying virtual architecture and fierce gladiatorial combat.
Welcome to Quake Brutalist Jam, the hottest community event for lovers of id Software's classic first-person shooter from 1996. First run in 2022, the Jam started out as a celebration of old-school 3D level design, where veteran game developers, aspiring level designers and enthusiast modders gather to construct new maps and missions themed around the austere minimalism of brutalist architecture.
This third iteration of the Jam goes much further. In an intense six-week session, contributors designed 77 brutalist-themed maps where players fight new enemies with new weapons. For context, the original Quake, built by legendary game designers such as John Carmack, John Romero, Tim Willits and American McGee, featured 37 levels when it was first released.
Quake Brutalist Jam 3 isn't just for hardcore Quake fans and shooter addicts. This year's Start map has a section dedicated to newcomers with little to no mapping experience. At the other end of the spectrum, it has also seen contributions from industry professionals such as game designer and former teacher at New York University's Game Centre, Robert Yang.
"It's the underground Met Gala of concrete murderzone design, the biggest event on the Quake calendar," Yang says. "Everyone shows off, everyone nurtures the new faces, everybody eats. I love it."
For his contribution, One Need Not Be a House, Yang created an open-ended map that, were it not for all the heavily armed soldiers milling about, wouldn't look out of place in an adventure game like Myst.
Open-ended levels can be tricky, and highly unusual for a Quake map. To help solve this problem, Yang looked to one of the most famous levels from Halo: Combat Evolved – The Silent Cartographer. "I wanted to make a similar non-linear map but with many branching paths, so you can mix and match your own route, get powerups out of order, and feel like you're getting away with something."
Quake Brutalist Jam 3 isn't just about creating new levels for Quake; it's also about preserving the art of level design that was once dominant in mainstream gaming. The event highlights the remarkable work that community members have been doing for years in a space that professional game design has long since abandoned.
In an era where linear, single-player first-person shooters are rare, and open-world games dominate the market, Quake Brutalist Jam 3 is a breath of fresh air. It's a celebration of the brutalist style, which values functionality over aesthetics, and community-driven creativity.
The event has also spawned a new generation of game developers who are eager to create their own games outside of the mainstream gaming industry. The organisers of Quake Brutalist Jam 3, including Ben Hale and Fairweather, have announced plans to create their own video game, one that's fully independent of id Software's shooter.
"After this jam, we're taking a bit of a break from modding and mapping for Quake," Hale concludes. "We love the community and the continuous celebration of each other's work and aren't going anywhere. But also, we want to just make a game. We've been wanting to do that for so long it's starting to hurt."
As the Quake Brutalist Jam 3 comes to an end, one thing is clear: this event has become a crucial hub for creative gamers, designers, and developers who are passionate about preserving the art of level design and creating their own games on their own terms.
A lone concrete spire stands in a shallow bowl of rock, sheltering a rusted trapdoor from the elements. Standing on the trapdoor causes it to yawn open like iron jaws, dropping you through a vertical shaft into a subterranean museum. Here, dozens of doors line the walls of three vaulted grey galleries, each leading to a pocket dimension of dizzying virtual architecture and fierce gladiatorial combat.
Welcome to Quake Brutalist Jam, the hottest community event for lovers of id Software's classic first-person shooter from 1996. First run in 2022, the Jam started out as a celebration of old-school 3D level design, where veteran game developers, aspiring level designers and enthusiast modders gather to construct new maps and missions themed around the austere minimalism of brutalist architecture.
This third iteration of the Jam goes much further. In an intense six-week session, contributors designed 77 brutalist-themed maps where players fight new enemies with new weapons. For context, the original Quake, built by legendary game designers such as John Carmack, John Romero, Tim Willits and American McGee, featured 37 levels when it was first released.
Quake Brutalist Jam 3 isn't just for hardcore Quake fans and shooter addicts. This year's Start map has a section dedicated to newcomers with little to no mapping experience. At the other end of the spectrum, it has also seen contributions from industry professionals such as game designer and former teacher at New York University's Game Centre, Robert Yang.
"It's the underground Met Gala of concrete murderzone design, the biggest event on the Quake calendar," Yang says. "Everyone shows off, everyone nurtures the new faces, everybody eats. I love it."
For his contribution, One Need Not Be a House, Yang created an open-ended map that, were it not for all the heavily armed soldiers milling about, wouldn't look out of place in an adventure game like Myst.
Open-ended levels can be tricky, and highly unusual for a Quake map. To help solve this problem, Yang looked to one of the most famous levels from Halo: Combat Evolved – The Silent Cartographer. "I wanted to make a similar non-linear map but with many branching paths, so you can mix and match your own route, get powerups out of order, and feel like you're getting away with something."
Quake Brutalist Jam 3 isn't just about creating new levels for Quake; it's also about preserving the art of level design that was once dominant in mainstream gaming. The event highlights the remarkable work that community members have been doing for years in a space that professional game design has long since abandoned.
In an era where linear, single-player first-person shooters are rare, and open-world games dominate the market, Quake Brutalist Jam 3 is a breath of fresh air. It's a celebration of the brutalist style, which values functionality over aesthetics, and community-driven creativity.
The event has also spawned a new generation of game developers who are eager to create their own games outside of the mainstream gaming industry. The organisers of Quake Brutalist Jam 3, including Ben Hale and Fairweather, have announced plans to create their own video game, one that's fully independent of id Software's shooter.
"After this jam, we're taking a bit of a break from modding and mapping for Quake," Hale concludes. "We love the community and the continuous celebration of each other's work and aren't going anywhere. But also, we want to just make a game. We've been wanting to do that for so long it's starting to hurt."
As the Quake Brutalist Jam 3 comes to an end, one thing is clear: this event has become a crucial hub for creative gamers, designers, and developers who are passionate about preserving the art of level design and creating their own games on their own terms.
77 maps might be a lot but is it really necessary? cant we just have an online compo with more participants & less drama 
and btw, what's the point of having industry pros like Robert Yang participating in something that's not even a "real" game yet? 
it's like stepping into an alternate universe where brutalist architecture meets id software's classic fps vibes 
what I find really inspiring is that people from all walks of life come together to share their passion for level design, no matter if they're a pro or just starting out 
the fact that industry pros are participating alongside newcomers is just amazing 
can't wait to see what these talented creators come up with next 
I'm low-key obsessed with Quake Brutalist Jam 3!!! It's amazing to see how much creativity and passion is going into these brutalist-themed maps, and it's a total breath of fresh air in the gaming world right now. 
I love that they're giving newcomers a chance to get involved and that industry pros like Robert Yang are contributing too! 
The fact that they're creating their own game outside of id Software's shooter is also super exciting 
Can't wait to see what the future holds for this community! 
it's amazing to see these talented devs and mappers pushing boundaries and creating something entirely new from the ashes of old-school gaming. can't wait to see what they come up with next 
- remember when Quake was first released back in '96? It's amazing to see a community still coming together like this, sharing their passion for old-school game design and pushing the boundaries of what's possible with brutalist architecture. Robert Yang's contribution is definitely one of my favorites - I love how he incorporated elements from other games to create something fresh and unique 
. The brutalist architecture vibes are giving me all the 90s nostalgia 
. And I love how it's pushing the boundaries of level design, like Robert Yang's contribution 
. This event proves that level design isn't just about mainstream gaming anymore 
it's like an underground Met Gala for concrete designs 
love how they're celebrating old-school 3D level design and preserving the art of level design 
ben hale and fairweather's plan to make their own game is like, so inspiring! maybe its time for id Software to take note? 
. And, can we talk about Robert Yang's contribution? 
.
. The idea of an open-ended map with branching paths and powerups out of order sounds insane! 
. the best part? its a community-driven event where ppl come together to create something epic 
! He created an open-ended map that's similar to Halo: Combat Evolved, but with a Quake twist 
. It's all about community-driven creativity and preserving the art of level design 
!