Welcome to the AI and Games Jam 2023
The theme for AI and Games Jam 2023 is COPYCAT
The AI and Games Jam returns for 2023, and we're excited for the community to join us once again for a batch of game development fun!
The jam is focused on bringing together developers with a love for artificial intelligence, regardless of how smart or dumb it winds up being. Over a 7-day period, your task is to build your own game that utilises AI in some form or another. This can be using navigation tools, NPC systems, procedural content generation, conversational systems, and more.
The AI and Games Jam is hosted by Dr Tommy Thompson, the host of the AI and Games YouTube channel and the Branching Factor podcast. Tommy's favourite games will appear in a future episode on the channel.
A small but significant change for 2023 is that, having previously accepted entries that employ generative AI techniques, we will be acknowledging them as a separate category in the final ranking process. This helps distinguish games that have utilised traditional AI methods or have simply sought to implement all features without AI assistance.
Key Information
What's the Duration? The jam will run for 7 days (i.e. one week).
Is there a theme? The theme will be announced at the start of the jam.
What do you mean AI? If you're implementing or utilising artificial intelligence of any kind, then this is a valid submission. Please see the FAQ below.
What about Generative AI? Submissions that use generative AI are welcome, but any that use 3rd party tools will be catalogued separately. Please see the FAQ for more information.
How will games be judged? Games are judged by the public and ranked using the following criteria: originality, presentation and fun.
- Originality: How unique is the game's concept and/or the application of the theme?
- Presentation: The overall quality of the game's aesthetic and playability?
- Fun: How entertaining and enjoyable is the game overall?
(I know, I know, we're voting on highly subjective concepts using simple numeric criteria, and we're upset with us too)
As stated already, for 2023 the final rankings will distinguish between games that have used generative AI tools, versus those that have not.
- Note: In the event, a submission is found (or suspected) to use generative AI tools and the author has not declared as such during submission, then they run the risk of being disqualified from final judging.
FAQ
Who can participate? Anybody! Everyone is welcome and you can participate individually or in teams.
How do you implement AI in a game? If you're implementing artificial intelligence of any kind, be it for decision-making, pathfinding, character behaviour, player modelling, level generation, or animation. You name it. It can be as simple or as complicated as you like. You can use classic/symbolic AI or machine learning as well. Submissions are not judged on the complexity of the AI implemented, but how fun and original the final product is to play.
So PCG as well? Yup, procedural generation for levels, art, characters etc. is relevant.
What about Generative AI? Since the original AI and Games jam in 2020, we have permitted the use of generative AI systems and models. However, the scope of these tools has exploded in the years since then. In the interests of protecting our community, and ensuring that submissions that do not use generative AI are treated fairly, submissions that used 3rd party generative AI tools will be catalogued separately.
- What is Generative AI? This refers to any and all AI systems that can be used to automatically create assets for use that rely on learning from existing (often third-party) data sets. This can include text, code, audio, sprites, textures, models, animations, voice lines and much more besides.
- How do People use it for Games? While you can build Generative AI systems of your own, it's common for most people to employ third-party tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Stable Diffusion, GitHub Copilot, Midjourney, Speechify, InWorld, Promethean, Kinetix, Convai etc.), but you can build your own.
- Why are Generative AI submissions being identified separately? It's a common complaint that the use of generative AI defeats the purpose of a game jam - to build a game under tightly defined thematic and time constraints - and as such, it's important that those who seek to build their games without the use of such tools be able to distinguish their efforts from others. The use of generative AI may lead to a comparative increase in the overall quality or scale of a project within the same timeframe.
- Can I use my own Generative AI tools that I built myself? Yes! That's perfectly valid, and we welcome any attempts to do so (previous submissions have used their own Generative AI tools). We simply ask that 3rd party Generative AI tools be identified so as to help identify where participants have had a helping hand from an outside source.
Does it need to be a 'game'? Weird and quirky experimental stuff is welcome and permitted. But just remember that the judging (see below) is built for assessing games.
What can I make my game in? Any game engines or tools are permitted and any target platform is permitted (PC/Mac, VR/AR, mobile etc). But at least one build should be able to run on modern Windows or web browsers.
What assets can I use? Any game engines or tools are permitted. The vast majority of the game must be developed during the jam, but you can use whatever assets you have the legal right to use (i.e. art, animation, audio, purchased asset packs etc.). We ask that you refrain from writing code for the event prior to the start of the jam.
- Do we have any suggestions? Please refer to our accompanying documentation which provides links to asset packs as well as other educational materials.
Will my game appear on AI and Games? Once voting concludes, the top submissions will be played by Tommy (the jam organiser) and his favourites will appear in a video on the AI and Games YouTube channel.
Is there a Discord I can join? Yes! Come join us in the AI and Games Discord server where we will have a special corner setup for all our jammer friends.
Can I use the game jam logo to promote my work? Yes, here are copies of the 2023 logos for your own use.
Submission Guidelines
- You may participate in multiple jams at once provided their timelines overlap and your game fits both themes.
- Games submitted to the AI and Games Jam must not contain nudity, inappropriate and hateful imagery or foul language. In the event these assets are found to be in your game, then it will be removed and disqualified by the organisational team.
- Your game cannot require additional software such as an emulator, or existing commercial releases (e.g. Roblox, Fortnite, Minecraft, etc.) in order to run.
- We ask that any 3rd party tools (outside of the game engines themselves) that are used by identified in the submission.
- You may re-use code and third-party tools from other projects, but our mods are not in a position to advise you with issues/errors etc.
- On submission we expect contributors to declare what AI tools they have used and how they were employed. In particular, Generative AI tools must be declared outright.
Free Convai Resources for Jammers
The conversational AI company Convai create tools that allow developers to use the likes of GPT and other large language models (LLMs) to create conversational AI characters. We recently ran a sponsored episode on AI and Games digging into their systems and how it all works. As a token of goodwill to our game jam, Convai are offering access to their 'Professional' tier of their tools (typically priced at $99 a month) for free to all game jam participants.If you're keen to try out the Convai tools during out jam, here's how to do it!
- Sign up for the AI and Games Jam here on itch.io
- Make sure to create your Convai account over at: www.convai.com
- Then complete this form for Convai to promote your account to get full access to the tools:
Inspiration from Previous Years
If you're struggling to come up with an idea on how to approach the jam, why not check out the videos from our previous year's events to see the kinds of games submitted and the approaches taken to applying AI in their games?AI and Games Jam 2021
AI and Games Jam 2022
Important Legal Stuff
Of course, there's a bunch of important legal stuff to highlight whenever we run a game jam.
We Do Not Claim Rights of Ownership
Anything you make during and submit to the AI and Games Jam is your property. The jam organisers claim no rights or ownership to your game and we hope that some games may continue into larger projects in the future. However, it's important to denote that any game developed using generative
Generative AI & Copyright
It is critical for anyone using generative AI techniques to be aware, that unless you have built and developed your own tools and datasets, or can prove you have legal rights to the tools and datasets you are using, you're legally liable for the datasets you are using. In the event, it is found that your work infringes upon the copyright of an existing creator if requested we will remove your submission from the jam. In addition, by using a generative AI system, you do not have any rights to claim the copyright of your work. There is currently no legal basis for assets created using generative AI systems to claim copyright. As such, it's important you are aware of this issue, given anyone can take assets from your game created using generative AI without any legal repercussions.
Use of Jam Footage for Video Purposes
Any game submitted to the AI and Games Jam may appear in a future episode of the AI and Games YouTube series without the author's express permission.
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