(See main jam page for rules and rating guidelines)
Canadian Game Jam
A game jam focused on collaboration with other Canadian game devs, and providing a collection of Canadians together for easy networking.
Dates:
Canadian jam #1
March 1st is the theme announcement
March 14th is when game submissions are due
March 21st is when public voting is over and winners are announced on stream
Starts and ends on Fridays.
A 2 week long jam that ends before Canadian Spring break ends so students can use the break to crunch and still have a weekend of their break when it's over.
Canadian jam #2
October 4th is the theme announcement
October 18th is when game submissions are due
October 24th is when the public voting period is over and winners are announced on stream.
Starts and ends on Saturdays.
Another 2 week long jam with the Canadian Thanksgiving Long weekend in the middle so there is a long weekend and then a few days before the deadline crunch.
Helpful canadian resources:
This jam is focussed around getting canadian devs to network together, all the more benefit if you choose to network and start a canadian business after!
Here are some helpful resources for starting your Canadian indie game company;
Canadian business benefit finder search:
https://innovation.ised-isde.canada.ca/innovation/s/?language=en_CA
2 Year tax benefit
https://www.cpit.co/lp/small-business-funding-program
Other helpful resources;
The official ESRB website for rating information https://www.esrb.org/ratings-guide/
Game jam general tips;
Join the discord to see who's available to team up in the community, and get aid on your projects if you're stuck or need help!
Don't wait until the last day to submit the game to the jam!!!
You and your teammates need sleep!
Export and compile your game first thing in the morning on the 2nd last day, because uploading to itch.io is a lot of work too! You need an appropriate game description, proper credit to your team, a video uploaded to demonstrate the game and whos to say there won't be some much needed troubleshooting involved to make it work in the browser at the last minute!!!
Compiling your game and uploading to itch.io can be a whole days work if you're new to it, so don’t leave it to the last hour!