What is GamePop?
Welcome to the first GamePop Game Jam, a 48-hour game development marathon for students all across Canada! Whether you’re a seasoned developer, or new to game development all-together, join us for a weekend of fun!
GamePop is a community-driven event where students from all across Canada can collaborate together to create games based on community-selected themes! It’s a great opportunity to experiment, learn, and showcase your skills!
Discord
Make sure to join our Discord community! This will keep you up to date with event details, get you involved in our theme selection process, and let you meet with and chat with our other jammers!
Theme Selection
We want your help in selecting a theme for the jam! Our theme selection process involves three phases:
- Theme Suggestion (January 13 – February 10): You can suggest up to three themes via our Discord bot.
- Theme Slaughter (February 10 – March 10): You can vote yay or nay on every suggested theme to narrow down the options.
- Final Theme Voting (March 10 – March 14): The top few themes are voted on, wrapping up one hour before the jam begins.
- Theme Announcement (March 14, 5pm): The final theme is announced and jamming begins!
Note: The theme selection process will take place entirely through Discord.
In-Person Participation
We're excited to partner with major universities across Alberta to offer in-person jamming sites for those who prefer a collaborative, in-person environment. Site information will be released soon, stay tuned for updates!
Rules
The full rules can be found here, but here’s a quick summary:
- All game assets and content should be created during the jam. Premade assets are allowed if you’re allowed to use them, and you credit them.
- Teams can be of up to six people! At least half your team must be Canadian students, or have graduated from a Canadian institution within the last year. We will be checking this when prizes are distributed.
- No NSFW content, no exceptions.
- Games must – at least – be playable on Windows.
Schedule
January 13: Theme Suggestions open.
February 10: Theme Suggestions close; Theme Slaughter begins.
March 10: Theme Slaughter ends; Final Theme Voting begins.
March 14: Final Theme Voting closes at 6 PM EST.
March 14, 5 PM MST: Game jam starts; runs for 48 hours.
March 16, 5 PM MST: Game jam ends; submissions due.
March 16 – March 30: Community judging period.
March 31: Winners Announced
Submission
Submit your game through this itch.io page by the deadline. Make sure your game page includes:
- Title and Description: Clearly describe your game and its mechanics.
- Downloadable Files: Provide executables or browser-playable versions.
- Instructions: Include controls and any necessary information for players.
Optionally, you can use the Discord command "/submit" to receive the 2025-submitter role.
Voting
After the jam, all participants can vote on submissions based on the following criteria:
- Overall
- Theme
- Graphics
- Fun
- Audio
- Innovation
- Mood
- Humor
Voting will be open for two weeks after the jam is finished.
Prizes
Details about prizes will be announced soon. Stay tuned for updates!
Sponsors
We are currently seeking sponsors for GamePop! If you're interested in supporting this event, please contact us through our Discord server.