FEAR THE DARKNESS 01 | HORROR FOOTAGE

Do you dare to uncover the horrors hidden in old recordings?

Welcome to the first edition of FEAR THE DARKNESS, a game jam where you can test your skills, experiment with horror mechanics, and connect with other developers while crafting a terrifying found footage experience. This jam is open to everyone, whether you're a seasoned game developer or just starting out!

The goal? Create a horror game that feels like an unearthed tape, a corrupted live feed, or a mysterious broadcast. The footage itself is up to you! While VHS and analog tapes are a classic approach, feel free to explore other types of footage: 🎞 A lost film reel from the 1940s 📡 A corrupted digital transmission 👁 A futuristic, sci-fi surveillance feed 📺 A clean yet unsettling news broadcast

As long as your game feels like a recorded experience, it fits the theme!

This is a great opportunity to learn, create, and meet new devs who share your passion for horror games!

🎥 Theme: Horror Tapes

Your game must:

• Be horror-themed, designed to unnerve, terrify, or disturb.
• Simulate a found footage or live recording experience.
• Use a camera perspective that enhances immersion—whether it’s a handheld camcorder, security feed, TV broadcast, or something entirely unique.

📼 VHS effects, film grain, distortions, and static are great tools, but not required! The main theme is "Horror Footage", so feel free to create a horror game based on any type of recorded media.

📡 Bonus Points: The better your game immerses the player in the found-footage aesthetic, the higher it will be rated!

🔹 A Friendly Note: While jumpscares can be effective, try not to rely on them as your main source of fear. Instead, focus on atmosphere, storytelling, and unsettling events to create a deeply immersive and eerie experience. Make your game feel like an authentic lost tape with disturbing discoveries rather than just quick shocks!

🏆 Judging Criteria

Entries will be rated by the community based on the following:

✅ Adherence to Theme – Does it genuinely feel like a found horror tape? 

 ✅ Sound Design (SFX) – Is the audio immersive and terrifying? (Analog noise, eerie distortions, static, etc.) 

 ✅ Visual Effects (VFX) – How well are the camera/footage effects implemented? 

 ✅ Gameplay & Mechanics – Is the game engaging, unsettling, and effective as horror? 

 ✅ Polish & Execution – Is the game well-crafted, functional, and immersive? 

 🎥 Bonus Category: Outstanding camera effects and immersion will receive special recognition!

🏅 Prizes

🎖 1st Place:

• My two SFX sound packs: "Static SFX" and "Fear the Darkness SFX"
• A collaboration with me to create a custom soundtrack or a small pack of sound effects tailored to your game project!

🥈 2nd Place:

• Both "Static SFX" and "Fear the Darkness SFX" packs.

🥉 3rd Place:

• Your choice of one of the two sound packs.

🔹 Special Mentions I may also award 1 or 2 additional projects with a sound pack if I feel they deserve recognition for their quality, even if they don't place in the top 3!

Soundpacks are avaiable here: https://itch.io/c/5329985/assets-pack

📜 Rules & Guidelines

• Everyone is welcome! Whether you're a beginner or an experienced developer, this jam is a great way to learn and experiment.
• You can work solo or in a team.
• Any game engine is allowed (Unity, Unreal, Godot, custom engines, etc.).
• AI-generated assets (art, sound, etc.) are permitted but must be clearly disclosed.
• NSFW content is not allowed—keep the horror psychological, unsettling, and terrifying without explicit adult material.
• You retain full rights to your game.
• Only one submission per participant/team.
• The community will vote on the winners!
• You can start brainstorming and prototyping before the jam begins! If you have an old, abandoned prototype (or as we like to call them, your "pet project"), you can rescue it and bring it back to life for this jam. Just make sure the final game is created during the jam period!

📆 Jam Duration & Submissions

• Start Date: [03\02\25]
• End Date: [24\02\25]
• Voting Period: [03\03\25]

💡 A Friendly Reminder

Game jams are about learning, experimenting, and growing as a developer.

🎮 Don’t stress if your game isn’t finished or perfectly polished! Even an incomplete or rough game can be a valuable experience. Use this jam to test ideas, get feedback, and improve your skills. Some of the best games started as unfinished jam entries before evolving into something bigger!

👾 Have fun, meet new developers, and enjoy the process. Every project you make brings you one step closer to your next great game!

📼 This jam is all about having fun, meeting new devs, and pushing your creativity! Even if you don’t win, you’ll have a finished project, new skills, and maybe even new friends in the dev community.

Are you ready to press play on your nightmares? Join the Horror Tapes Jam and show us what lurks within the static!