What is a GameJam?

A Game Jam is a short event where you and others work together to create a small game. There are usually restrictions on the kinds of games you can make, typically centered around a theme. GameJams are incredibly helpful for developing new skills, refining your ability to estimate workload, network with other creators, and contain scope. Even more importantly, they help you build relationships with other people who are passionate about making games.

What makes this one different?

The Fox Hollow Jam is heavily oriented towards deliberate skill growth. The jam will  have TWO different tracks, each with their own prize categories. A Casual track  and a Gauntlet track.

The Casual track will run for 7 (July 6th - 13th) days with two optional critique sessions. These will happen during the regular stream time for Fox Hollow Games between 3 PM - 5 PM EST on the 9th and 12th. If you want to receive a critique, but can't make it or don't want to be present for it, you can submit a request on the gamejam channel in the Fox Hollow Discord (https://discord.gg/MKTueDhCpZ) and I will get you a highlight of your relevant section.

Casual Rules:

• Teams of up to 5 individuals are allowed.
• You must own the rights to any assets used.
• No generative AI can make it into the final submission. Generative AI may be used as a tool to ideate, but MUST NOT be in the final submission.
• MUST incorporate both the theme AND the design principle!
• All work must be completed within the timeframe of the jam. Games made prior to the jam will not be allowed.
• Game may be made with any engine.

The Gauntlet track will run for A LIMITED TIME ONLY for the first 3 days of the jam (6th - 8th). The Gauntlet is for those who want to push their skills to the absolute limit and be counted among the few brave enough to shoot for their own standalone prize pool.

Gauntlet rules:

•  All work must be completed SOLO. No teams are allowed in the Gauntlet.
• All assets used must be created within the timeframe of the Gauntlet. No external asset packs or code snippets are allowed. Built-in engine capabilities are allowed, but plugins are not. The idea is you are dropped on a desert island with nothing but your computer and native software.
• No generative AI can make it into the final submission. Generative AI may be used as a tool to ideate, but MUST NOT be in the final submission.
  
• MUST incorporate both the theme AND the design principle!
  
• All work must be completed within the timeframe of the jam. Games made prior to the jam will not be allowed.
• Game may be made with any engine.
• Game must be submitted by the end of the 3rd day of the jam or IT WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY ENROLLED into the Casual track. If you want your submission in the Gauntlet, clearly declare it as such in the description and submit it before the 4th day of the jam.

All games submitted and eligible for judgment will be played on stream with a full analysis breakdown and discussion to help all of us become better creators.

Theme

Design Principle: Input Randomness

"Input Randomness is when a random event occurs before the player gets to make a decision..."
- Mark Brown | Game Maker's Toolkit 

Theme: Primoridal

existing at or from the beginning of time; primeval.

 Get creative about how to implement the theme! You can try to aim hard toward the technical definition, go in the completely opposite direction to overwhelm or bore the player in key moments, or do something entirely sideways from there! 

We will be judging the prize winners on the theme AND the Design principle implementation!

Setup

Join our official Discord server! (https://discord.gg/MKTueDhCpZ)

• Decide whether you'll enter the Casual or Gauntlet tracks.
• Choose a team name and get ready to dive into the jam!

Rules

While we encourage creativity and innovation, we also expect participants to adhere to the following guidelines:

• Follow the terms of service for itch.
• No NSFW content allowed.
• Teams must consist of no more than five members.
• Notify your team in advance if you need to withdraw.
• Respect other participants; sabotage will not be tolerated.
• Maintain a positive and inclusive atmosphere.

Violating any of these rules will disqualify you from judgment.

Submission

• Game Design Document (GDD): Provide a detailed plan outlining your game concept and mechanics. The more clearly you can document what you are trying to accomplish, the more accurate the judging will be able to be. For inspiration, see this article with examples: https://gamedevbeginner.com/how-to-write-a-game-design-document-with-examples/
  
  • Sample GDDs:
    • Google Doc Format:
      • In-Depth
      • Brief
    • Digital Whiteboard (FigJam) Format:
      • In-Depth & Brief in different sections
  • Your GDD can come in really any format, as long as it communicates your ideas you are trying to execute on.
• Prototype: Submit a playable version of your game that focuses on functionality and engagement. If at all possible, please submit a web build for security reasons. If you submit a build we must download in order to play, we reserve the right to exclude your game from being eligible for judging. This will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
• As a reminder for those who want to enter the Gauntlet track: Game must be submitted by the end of the 3rd day of the jam or IT WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY ENROLLED into the Casual track. If you want your submission in the Gauntlet, clearly declare it as such in the description and submit it before the 4th day of the jam.

Judging Criteria

Entries for the grand prize will be evaluated by River Wolf Games based on the following criteria:

• Runability: Can the game run without major crashes or errors? Remember that if you do not submit a web build, it may disqualify you from being judged.
• Theme Implementation: To what extent does the game incorporate and explore the theme?
• Ingenuity: Does the game feature innovative mechanics or storytelling elements?
• Polish: How smooth and enjoyable is the gameplay experience?
• GDD: Can a complete stranger understand how your game should operate from the document alone?

PS: To be eligible for Most Growth, you MUST submit your game for at least one critique session so that we have a benchmark of progress to evaluate.

Sponsors

Tsundown

Creator of The Feathered Serpent. Battle through a lost world full of dinosaurs, magical golems, and oversized bugs in this roguelike action platformer. Your deal with the God of Death will bring you back as many times as it takes to slay the Feathered Serpent, each attempt bringing new items, levels, and story progression.

Elistios

Noob game dev, friendly philanthrope that hope to help as many game devs in reaching their dreams one new sub at a time . Here to support Fox Hollow Games vision and Tsundown amazing "The Feathered Serpent" game launch, I'm honored to be able to help as I can with this great new Game jam!

River Wolf Games

We are two friends who decided to start an indie studio to make the things we want to make. We don't have any full games yet, but are diligently working to create things we hope people will enjoy. Our plan is to always remain an independant studio so that we can make games, and other content to a standard we can stand by. Our studio may be young, but we plan on taking huge strides as we grow. We look forward to growing with every one of our gamers!

Prizes

• Casual:
  • 1st Prize: $150
  • 2nd Prize: $100
  • 3rd Prize: $70
  • Best Audio: $40
  • Most Polished: $25
  • Most Growth: $25
• Gauntlet:
  • 1st Prize: $300
  • 2nd Prize: $150
  • 3rd Prize: $100
• Raffle:
  • 8 Random winners who submitted a project but didn't win any of the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd prizes in the other tracks: $50

PSS: Prizes will be paid out via Paypal, so you must be in a region that accepts that form of payment to be eligible to win a prize.