In his Global Game Jam 2014 Keynote video, former Lead Designer at Naughty Dog Richard Lemarchand told independent developers that they should take risks, create experimental games, and not be afraid to fail.

　　"Every year loads of really fantastic games come out of the Global Game Jam, but quite a few of them are variations on old games or familiar genres," he said. "There's nothing wrong with that, but if you accept my challenge, you'll be agreeing to take a risk this weekend by trying to create what we call an experimental game, a game that does something entirely new, in a style that we've never seen before, or with a core mechanic that is completely unique."

　　Lemarchand explained that he believes that experimental game design is at the heart of what makes games great. For example, he said that Tale of Tales' The Graveyard was a big influence on the peaceful village sequence in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. He added that all great game designers keep an eye on the experimental gaming scene at IndieCade, IGF, and GDC's Experimental Gameplay Workshop.

　　"My final tip for you today is that you shouldn't be afraid to fail," Lemarchand said. "Even if you don't like the way your experimental game works out, I guarantee that by making it you will learn something about making games, and the next time you make a game you'll be much more likely to make something truly brilliant."

　　Lemarchand is currently an associate professor at the Interactive Media & Games Division of the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, where he teaches at the USC games program and designs games as part of USC's Games Innovation Labs.

　　Creative director at Thatgamecompany (Journey, Flower) Jenova Chen and game designer and media artist Kaho Abe also addressed participants in GGJ 2014.

　　Abe said that participants should bring their personal experience to their game even when it isn't obvious, and Chen talked about how game jams have helped him in his career and can lead to more fleshed out games in the future.

　　Previous GGJ keynote speakers include Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi and Will Wright.

　　GGJ is the world's largest game jam event, where developers from around the globe try to make a game in 48 hours. The theme for this year's GGJ was "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."

　　You can find and play the games to come out of GGJ this weekend on its official website.