It's the underground Met Gala of concrete murderzone design: welcome to Quake Brutalist Game Jam
In an unassuming concrete bowl surrounded by rocky outcroppings, a lone spire rises like a sentinel, protecting a rusted trapdoor from the elements. Step on the trapdoor and it will swing open like iron jaws, swallowing you into a subterranean museum. As you emerge from this underground world, 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. 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 gathered 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. To put this into perspective, the original Quake, built by legendary game designers such as John Carmack, John Romero, Tim Willits, and American McGee, featured a mere 37 levels when it was first released.
The event's concierge, Ben Hale, is a professional game developer working as a senior environment artist on the forthcoming survival game Subnautica 2. As a child, Hale learned to build Quake levels with his older brother's encouragement. "He was very supportive, despite how often I bluescreened his computer," Hale recalls.
The idea for a brutalism-themed "jam" – a hobbyist term for an intensive, community game development session that takes place over several days or weeks – came from another Quake mapper named Benoit Stordeur, inspired by Hale's concrete textures. "I posted a poll [of themes] for the community to vote on, with brutalism as a choice. Brutalism won by a wide margin," Hale says.
The first Quake Brutalist Jam captured the community's imagination, with participants producing 35 levels in two-and-a-half weeks using Hale's concrete textures. In a game that already features oppressive gothic and industrial environments, the moody stylings of brutalism proved powerful creative fuel.
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. The overhaul proved hugely successful, with Quake Brutalist Jam 3 having more than double the number of participants for previous jams – so many that Hale had to radically alter his plans for the Start map, the playable mission-select screen.
The range of levels contributed by the community is enormous. There are quickfire experiments that last a matter of minutes, high-intensity "slaughtermaps" designed to test player reflexes, ambitious, narrative-driven exploration levels that pay tribute to the form and shape of virtual architecture, and gargantuan gun-fests that last an hour or longer.
The featured map, Escape from KOE-37, is almost a game in its own right – an epic three-hour affair heavily inspired by Half-Life with its own storyline and more than 1,000 enemies to fight. Its creator, who goes by the online handle Mazu, spent about 400 hours building it.
The community's efforts are remarkable, given that linear, single-player first-person shooters have become relatively rare in mainstream game development, pushed to one side in favor of sprawling open worlds and multiplayer experiences. Events such as QBJ3, alongside other Quake mods such as Arcane Dimensions and The Immortal Lock, are not only keeping this style of virtual architecture alive but often surpassing the achievements of the old masters.
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," 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 wouldn't look out of place in an adventure game like Myst.
Yang's map was inspired by the architect Louis Kahn's 'brick brutalism masterpieces – the National Assembly complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, India. He also drew inspiration from 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," Yang says.
Yang doesn't particularly like playing Quake as a shooter, but he admires how Quake Brutalist Jam 3 hints at a potential alternative way of making games, one that is driven by community rather than profit. "Brutalism, especially in the UK, is about building for the public," Yang says. "You don't need to add beautiful ornaments because building and nurturing the future is already beautiful." This sentiment echoes the event's ethos – a socialist utopia where handcrafted video games are a free public good that brings people together.
After this jam, the organizers plan to take a break from modding and mapping for Quake. "We love the community and the continuous celebration of each other's work," Hale concludes. "But also, we want to just make a game. We've been wanting to do that for so long it's starting to hurt."
In an unassuming concrete bowl surrounded by rocky outcroppings, a lone spire rises like a sentinel, protecting a rusted trapdoor from the elements. Step on the trapdoor and it will swing open like iron jaws, swallowing you into a subterranean museum. As you emerge from this underground world, 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. 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 gathered 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. To put this into perspective, the original Quake, built by legendary game designers such as John Carmack, John Romero, Tim Willits, and American McGee, featured a mere 37 levels when it was first released.
The event's concierge, Ben Hale, is a professional game developer working as a senior environment artist on the forthcoming survival game Subnautica 2. As a child, Hale learned to build Quake levels with his older brother's encouragement. "He was very supportive, despite how often I bluescreened his computer," Hale recalls.
The idea for a brutalism-themed "jam" – a hobbyist term for an intensive, community game development session that takes place over several days or weeks – came from another Quake mapper named Benoit Stordeur, inspired by Hale's concrete textures. "I posted a poll [of themes] for the community to vote on, with brutalism as a choice. Brutalism won by a wide margin," Hale says.
The first Quake Brutalist Jam captured the community's imagination, with participants producing 35 levels in two-and-a-half weeks using Hale's concrete textures. In a game that already features oppressive gothic and industrial environments, the moody stylings of brutalism proved powerful creative fuel.
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. The overhaul proved hugely successful, with Quake Brutalist Jam 3 having more than double the number of participants for previous jams – so many that Hale had to radically alter his plans for the Start map, the playable mission-select screen.
The range of levels contributed by the community is enormous. There are quickfire experiments that last a matter of minutes, high-intensity "slaughtermaps" designed to test player reflexes, ambitious, narrative-driven exploration levels that pay tribute to the form and shape of virtual architecture, and gargantuan gun-fests that last an hour or longer.
The featured map, Escape from KOE-37, is almost a game in its own right – an epic three-hour affair heavily inspired by Half-Life with its own storyline and more than 1,000 enemies to fight. Its creator, who goes by the online handle Mazu, spent about 400 hours building it.
The community's efforts are remarkable, given that linear, single-player first-person shooters have become relatively rare in mainstream game development, pushed to one side in favor of sprawling open worlds and multiplayer experiences. Events such as QBJ3, alongside other Quake mods such as Arcane Dimensions and The Immortal Lock, are not only keeping this style of virtual architecture alive but often surpassing the achievements of the old masters.
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," 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 wouldn't look out of place in an adventure game like Myst.
Yang's map was inspired by the architect Louis Kahn's 'brick brutalism masterpieces – the National Assembly complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, India. He also drew inspiration from 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," Yang says.
Yang doesn't particularly like playing Quake as a shooter, but he admires how Quake Brutalist Jam 3 hints at a potential alternative way of making games, one that is driven by community rather than profit. "Brutalism, especially in the UK, is about building for the public," Yang says. "You don't need to add beautiful ornaments because building and nurturing the future is already beautiful." This sentiment echoes the event's ethos – a socialist utopia where handcrafted video games are a free public good that brings people together.
After this jam, the organizers plan to take a break from modding and mapping for Quake. "We love the community and the continuous celebration of each other's work," Hale concludes. "But also, we want to just make a game. We've been wanting to do that for so long it's starting to hurt."
I mean, can you believe how crazy this Quake Brutalist Jam 3 is?! They went from making levels in like 2.5 weeks to an entire 6-week jam session with 77 maps?! That's insane! 
It just goes to show that the community is still super passionate about creating new content for Quake, even if it's not getting any mainstream recognition.
And the fact that they're not just making money off it, but also pushing the idea of handcrafted video games as a free public good... it's really beautiful 
. I mean, who doesn't love running around in a 3D world, shooting aliens and collecting health packs? But at the same time, I think this event is a great reminder that even though things change and progress, some things remain the same – like the passion and creativity of the community 
. seriously though, its awesome that a whole community of people can come together and create something so cool in just 6 weeks. the diversity of levels is insane, from super intense slaughtermaps to chill narrative-driven explorations... what's not to love? 
Mazu's Escape from KOE-37 map sounds like a whole different game, tho 
. anyone else excited for more Quake mods and jams in the future? 
. And it's not just about the gameplay, it's about the community, the camaraderie, the shared love of brutalist architecture 
. These gamers are working together, sharing ideas, inspiring each other to create something truly special. It's like a big game development party 
. I mean, think about it, we're living in a time where linear single-player games are becoming the exception rather than the rule 
. But these gamers, they're keeping the spirit of old-school game design alive, creating something truly unique and special.
. Who knows what kind of amazing levels we'll see? Maybe one day Quake Brutalist Jam 3 will be remembered as a gaming phenomenon 
It's like the underground Met Gala for concrete murderzone design, as Ben Hale put it 
. And I love how Robert Yang's contribution, One Need Not Be a House, highlights the potential for Quake Brutalist Jam 3 to be more than just a hobby, but a way to bring people together and create something beautiful.
. The attention to detail in some of these levels is mind-blowing, especially Mazu's epic three-hour map Escape from KOE-37 
this is literally the most meta event ever, who needs the Met Gala when you can have Quake Brutalist Jam 
. and the fact that it's got everyone from noobs to industry pros contributing makes it even more awesome.
what's up with these brutalist jams? like they're some underground event where people come together to design crazy maps and stuff 
And to think that most of these levels were designed by fans who aren't professional game devs... it's truly inspiring. 
makes it even more impressive.
! I'm also excited to see that they have a section for newcomers with little experience in mapping 
. It's great to see community-driven events like this helping to keep old-school game development alive 
The community's passion and creativity shine through in every single map - from quickfire experiments to epic slaughtermaps that'll put your reflexes to the test 
.
the qbj3 event is literally insane 
mazus escape from KOE-37 needs to be a single-player game tho its an epic experience in itself 
ben hale u r the real MVP 
. It just goes to show that gaming can be so much more than just profit-driven experiences 
. I'm totally down for more events like this! Let's keep the spirit of Quake Brutalist Jam alive 
. The idea of community-driven game development is so refreshing, especially in an industry where profit often takes priority