How I Accidentally Opted Out of Ratings on My First Game Jam (Still Worth It 😂)

Hey everyone, oopsvincent here—aka the "try hard" creator, and officially the guy who accidentally opted-out of "ratings" on his first Ludum Dare submission.
Yeah. That happened. Let’s talk about it. 😂

🎮 The Game: “Dungeons Below”

This was my first time diving into a Ludum Dare game jam, and I came out with something I’m really proud of—
A mysterious storeroom that leads deeper and deeper into creepier, darker basements, each one weirder than the last. But due to lack of time I switched to dungeons instead of store rooms.

• First floor: suspiciously quiet

• Second floor: surprise monster attack

• Third floor: BOSS FIGHT.
  All in a 2D atmospheric Unity game with dialogues, HP systems, and sound design I poured my soul into.
  
  But the game is a little different from what I planned. 

👉 You can play it here:
🔗 https://oopsvincent.itch.io/dungeons-below

💀 The “Inchident” (IYKYK, an F1 fan)

So here’s where it gets messy.

People were playing my game, leaving great feedback like:

“Man, i liked a lot about the text on your journey through your first Ludum Dare, and congratulations you finished your game! I think a lot of us developers can relate with your experience through this and this is the most important thing. A game is a expression of art, about how we feel, and a game in a jam is sometimes a little achievement we needed in our life. This is just the beggining. Hope to see more games from you on the next Ludum Dares!” ~ @klinsmannhengles
“Congrats on your first LD! I’m in that same boat, but found that working w/ a group of friends keeps that anxiety in check. Remember… it’s only a game.” ~ @mtnbonez
“Congrats on your progress from a fellow first-timer in LD! I see a lot of potential here - the concept is interesting, especially the narrative you implied in your blurb on itch. I agree with some of the others about the combat being a bit clunky (there were times I’d ram right into the mass of enemies and take little-to-no damage), but again, it’s a jam, it’s rarely going to be pristine and the point is getting experience. I liked the music choice, added to the slightly ominous atmosphere of being stuck in a dungeon. Give yourself a pat on the back!" ~ @darwinigan

BUT MY RATINGS WEREAT ZERO.

I was like “Huh, maybe I'll see my ratings at the end of this jam??” 😐
Until a fellow Twitch streamer (bless their soul) pointed out...

I FORGOT TO ENABLE RATINGS ON MY LDJAM PAGE.
LIKE. WHAT. 💀

I spent hours optimizing lighting, tweaking enemy AI, -
...and skipped the literal “get judged” checkbox.

I felt like I trained for the Olympics, then skipped the podium ceremony because I was too busy taking selfies.

😂 What I Learned (And What You Can Steal from My Mistake)

1. Double-check your submission settings. Like seriously, Ratings are kind of the whole point of the jam lol.

2. You don’t need a score to know your game had impact. People played it, gave real feedback, and connected with the vibe.

3. Even flops can be 🔥 content. I’m turning this facepalm moment into my first devlog, so… who’s the real winner here?

💡 What’s Next for Me

• I'm gonna polish up the feedback-based parts (like combat feel and character direction)

• Maybe do a post-jam version?

• And most importantly:
  I will NEVER uncheck that ratings box again.

I'm calling this my “oops story.”
Next jam? You better believe I’m bringing the heat AND the scorecard.

🧠 Final Words from the Dungeon

If you’re reading this because you also messed up something silly in a jam—
You’re not alone. You’re just human, and honestly? These are the moments that make the dev journey worth it.

So from one oops dev to another:

Keep making cool stuff. Break things. Laugh. Grow. Repeat.
We got this 💪

– Vincent (aka @oopsvincent)

📣 PS: Wanna Chat?

Join my Discord or follow me on Twitter & Instagram – I’m building a chaotic little corner of the internet for game devs, players, and people who vibe with storytelling, fun and development.