Scaling an Open-Source Community into the Global Top 1%

Game Creation
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Fox Hollow Games
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2023 – 2025
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Role: Founder, Project Manager & Systems Design Lead
Domain: Community Mentorship, Event Production & Systems Design
Key Impact: Hosted quarterly sponsored game jams; established structured design critique sessions; grew educational live stream into the top 0.7% of Twitch; shipped Godot game Nan0 (Top 17% of 7,518 GMTK entries).
Nan0 Godot arcade game promotional banner
Nan0: An arcade action game designed and built in Godot for the GMTK 2024 Game Jam.

The Mission

I founded Fox Hollow Games as an educational community to help creators develop practical skills to transition into the video game industry. Through live design broadcasts and hands-on events, we built a collaborative learning environment.

To give creators hands-on experience shipping games under real deadlines, I organized and hosted quarterly game jams on itch.io with external tool sponsors:

  • Operations & Event Management: Managed full jam logistics, participant onboarding, rule enforcement, and community moderation.
  • Live Broadcast Showcases: Streamed gameplay of every submission, giving live constructive feedback to every participating team.
  • Asset & Marketing Production: Designed all promotional graphics, branding, stream overlays, and announcement assets.

Design Critique Culture

We established weekly live critique sessions where community members submitted works-in-progress. I guided creators through structured critique frameworks focused on player clarity, feedback loops, and scope management.

Rapid Systems Design: Nan0 (GMTK 2024)

To demonstrate rapid prototyping under a strict 96-hour deadline (Theme: Built to Scale), I designed and shipped Nan0 in Godot.

Nan0 gameplay showing node charging and hazard dodging
Core Gameplay Loop: Players charge gray nodes with the mouse cursor while dodging virus projectile patterns.
  • Circle Capture Risk-Reward: Players hold their mouse cursor inside expanding circles while dodging incoming hazard projectiles. Staying inside larger circles earns higher points but increases collision risk.
  • Sidebar Queue Multiplier: Captured circles drop into a sidebar queue. Filling the queue activates a score multiplier, creating dynamic tension between quick captures and high-value risks.
  • Visual Clarity & Accessibility: Used distinct geometric shapes for hazards, capture zones, and player cursors with high-contrast palettes for colorblind readability.
Nan0 score multiplier column and scaling gameplay
Built to Scale Mechanic: Captured nodes stack in the right sidebar column to scale player score multipliers.

Play Nan0 on itch.io →

Key Results

  • Top 17% Worldwide: Nan0 finished in the top 17% out of 7,518 submissions worldwide in GMTK 2024.
  • Top 0.7% Broadcast Reach: Grew the live educational broadcast into the top tier of creative channels on Twitch.
  • Community Career Impact: Helped dozens of aspiring creators build portfolios, complete game jams, and ship their first games.
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Want to discuss this project? Contact Joe at josephnewell90@gmail.com.