That's right, it's June in the District of Columbia, and that means it's time for another jam. We're fully online, so whether you live in the DC area or anywhere else, come on in! Just like last year, this jam's going to be a chill one, and you've got almost 5 days to work on your game. Spend an hour, a day, or even all 5 days - we just hope you have a good time doing it!

The Theme for this year's jam is...

* Echoes *

During the jam, we'll be chatting on the IGDA DC Discord in the #june-jam channel. Need an invite? https://discord.gg/cUEP9Hy2 Afterwards, we'll be showcasing the submissions during the IGDA DC online meetup Tuesday June 28th. 

Schedule:

• Friday (June 24th) at 9pm - Theme announcement & jam start
• Tuesday (June 28th) at 5pm - Jam end & submission window closes
• Tuesday (July 5th) 11:59pm - Voting period ends
  

Diversifiers (optional) for extra challenge:

• From The Past - Use a writing style, visual style, audio style, or gameplay mechanic that was well known/popular before 1992
• From The Future - Your characters/actions/storylines interact with future versions of themselves.
• From The Orchestra - Gameplay is primarily described through or interacted with audio (including descriptions of audio).
• Of You - Your game does not use text or speech from your native language.
• Down The Hall - The location of your game/characters/narrative does not change and is told primarily through interactions from objects at a distance. For an example, see the allegory of the people in the cave by the Greek guy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_cave
• Off The Wall - Gameplay happens on both the ground AND in the air.
• And That's Not All - Also incorporate the theme from a previous year's June Jam.
  • 2021: Emergence https://itch.io/jam/district-june-jam
  • 2020: Going Global https://itch.io/jam/dc-jam-summer-2020

FAQ & General Guidelines

1. Do I need to live in Washington DC to participate? No, but the jam will be hosted and organized by game developers in and around the general mid-Atlantic area. (DC, Baltimore, Frederick, etc.) So you'll have an easier time the closer your active hours are to the Eastern time zone.
2. I don't have a team yet, is that ok? Yes! If you want to find a team, check the #june-jam channel in the IGDA DC Discord . You can work solo too!
3. What kind of rules are there for using pre-existing assets? We're generally following the more relaxed "Jam" guidelines used by Ludum Dare. This means if you use pre-existing assets, please credit those on your game page. You'll be excluded from being voted on in the relevant category. (See the Ludum Dare rules here, under "The Jam": http://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/rules)
4. Can I use assets made by other people? You must have rights to all of the assets in your game; unlicensed use of resources is not allowed.
5. What tool/engine do I have to use to make the game? Anything you want. Bitsy, Twine, Unity, Ren'py, Construct, RPGMaker, GMS, construction paper, dice, poker chips, etc. As long as the game can be submitted and played, you should be good. 
6. Can I make a non-digital game? Totally! You can make any type of game, as long as you have a way of uploading rules, board layouts, field marking guides, required equipment, character sheets, etc. to an itch.io project page so that others can play your game.
7. Do I need to submit code or assets with my game? No, you do not need to post your work. Also, rights to the game are yours as the creators.
8. Do I have to work on my game all day for 5 days? Nope, and I would definitely recommend getting some sleep during the jam if you're planning on working over multiple days.
9. But what if I only have a few hours free to participate!? No worries, that's cool too. Just submit what crazy experimental thing you're able to make in that time!