What is the #DevSquadJam?

The DevSquad Game Jam is a relaxed competition in which you make a game based on the theme (which will be announced at 6PM on 1st of January and submit it before 6.00pm on 22nd January. It will be a great opportunity to meet new people and become part of a growing community as you push yourself to learn new skills and create an amazing game.

SO WHAT'S THE THEME?

The theme for the game jam will be announced at 6PM GMT on the 1st of January when the #DevSquadJam kicks off, starting building your team now and working on your skills for the best chances when the theme goes live!

JOINING A TEAM

Want to fly solo? That’s great! However, participants are strongly encouraged to team up with other entrants! Find people who complement your strengths and look for minded people! Looking for teammates? Come say hi in the Virtus Discord! We also encourage you to say hi in the discord regardless and meet other like-minded gamedevs, 3d & 2d artists, audio and video actors, and other neat folks! 

discord.gg/virtus

CATEGORIES & JUDGING

• Overall game
• Theme
• Gameplay
• Sound
• Asthetics
• Replayability

Voting for the game jam will be done in house, carefully breaking every game down into different categories to give a fair and reliable score. We'll be crowning the winner of the game jam on the 1st of February!

PRIZES

Game Jams are rewarding in more ways than one, not only will you learn a bunch of a new dev skills, we’ve teamed up with a bunch of awesome dev companies to offer each member of the winning team some sweet prizes. Each of these partners have been carefully chosen to add value to yuor game dev career.

TO BE ANNOUNCED!

RULES

***ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A COMPLETED SUBMISSION FORM: https://forms.gle/VLGgJ8QiFg55s9Ki6 ***

***GAME PAGE MUST CLEARLY STATE 'MADE FOR DEVSQUAD NEW YEARS GAME JAM IN THE MAIN MENU'***

Platform: you can make your game on any operating system, but it must be playable on windows machines.  Unreal starter content only is allowed. All other assets must be created by the team and be original works (ie no downloading assets paid or free from the marketplace). Mixamo animations are also allowed to be used. It must not depict nudity, animal cruelty, or illegal activity or substance, or offensive or obscene subject matter It must be appropriate for a broad audience since the winning submission may be seen by people of all ages and background. Any images used in the Submission must be an original work of authorship under UK. Copyright Law. It must not feature any trademarks (including logos).

FAQ

Q: I've never made a game before, can I enter?  A: Yes

Q: I'm not very good at making games, should I enter? A: Yes

Q: Can I use Gamemaker, Unity, Unreal, my own boilerplate, and/or my own engine?  A: Yes

Q: What time zone determines the start and end dates?  A: GMT

Q: Can I join the jam after it has already started?  A: Yes, you can join at any time. You just have to submit a game before the deadline. 

Q: Can I work with a team?  A: Yes

Q: Can I be a member of more than one team?  A: No

Q: Can I use open source assets, unreal market place assets, or other assets that are available to the general public?  A: No. Only starter content (such as the First and Third Person templates that come with the engine are allowed to be reused. Mixamo animations can be used, but you must create your own characters.

Q: Can I update my game after the end of the jam? A: Yes but judging will be based on the copy that was submitted by the deadline.  Q: How many people can I team up with? A: 5 is the maximum team size!

USING PRE-MADE ASSETS

The use of premade models, characters, UI and levels will lead to an immediate disqualification.

We are however allowing participants to use pre-made textures to make things easier. We recommend you checkout our sponsors gametextures.com for high quality royalty free game textures. You can of course use textures from other sources. You can also use royalty free sound effects providing include references to those licence as part of the form upon submission. The use of premade models, characters, UI and levels will lead to an immediate disqualification.