That's right, it's June in the District of Columbia, and that means it's time for the fourth District June Jam! We're hosting this thing online again, so whether you live in the DC area or anywhere else, come on in! Just like previous years, this jam's going to be a chill one, and you've got a little over 3 days to work on your game. Spend an hour, a day, or even all 3 days - we just hope you have a good time doing it!

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

* Formation *

During the jam, we'll be chatting on the IGDA DC Discord in the #june-jam channel. Need an invite? https://discord.gg/42pjCXB
Afterwards, we'll be showcasing the submissions during a future IGDA DC online meetup, most likely on Tuesday July 11th. 

Schedule:

• Friday (June 23rd) at 9pm - Theme announcement & jam start
• Monday (June 26th) at 11:59pm - Jam end & submission window closes, voting begins!
• Monday (July 3rd) 11:59pm - Voting period ends

Diversifiers (optional) for extra challenge:

• CommUnicative - A language other than your native language is used prominently.
• Constructive - The player is able to configure the look/design/layout of something in the game. Ex: a level builder, character creator, outfits, team configuration, etc. 
• Explorative - Use a new-to-you tool in the process of creating the game. This could be a game engine, art editor, character script organizer, etc. For the hardware-inclined, it could even be a literal tool! (Go crazy, sound folks)
• Inventive - Combine 2 mechanics or themes from games released before 1990.
• Ivy - Your game gets larger after a playthrough completes. Ex. More map is available to explore, more moves can be learned, more dialog paths can be spoken, etc.
• Persuasive - Your main character does not directly fight/attack/injure opponents and uses other methods to resolve conflict.
• Reductive - No more than 2 buttons to play the game.
• Repetitive - In addition to this year's theme, also follow one theme from a previous year's June Jam: Going Global (2020), Emergence (2021), Echoes (2022)
• Transformative - Take a non-game work in the public domain and reimagine it as a game.

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 if yourworking hours are closer to those in 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, like maybe a board game or a pen-and-paper RPG? Totally! You can make any type of game, as long as you have a way of uploading rules, board layouts, field marking guides, equipment lists, character sheets, etc. to an itch.io project page so that others can play and rate 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 the entire jam period? 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!