Welcome to the Geekfest 2024 Game Jam!  

The annual Geekfest game jam is back (yew!) but if you're new here, welcome! 

The Geekfest Game Jam is a ONE month, at your own pace, video game jam development competition where the main focus is flexing your game development muscles, whatever that means for you!

After one month, your games will be played by a panel of totally cool people and 5 winners will receive $100 for their stella efforts! Your games will also be showcased at the Geekfest event so that other people can play them too!

Don't worry if this is your first jam, or if you are only starting out on your game developer's journey - give it a go and see what happens! No one is expecting a polished product, and it's all about stretching yourself! The best bit is, at the end of the competition you will have learnt a lot, made some friends and have finished a game!  The NT Game Designer's Discord server is the place to head if you have questions about the jam, want to team up with other developers or want to showcase your progress! 

This event is proudly sponsored by Northern Territory, City of Palmerston, The Australian Computer Society (ACS) and The Array. 

Rule One: Games must not contain  any NSFW or offensive/discriminatory content. We want all the games to be playable by everyone! 

Rule Two: To be in the running for the prizes, you must be currently based in the Northern Territory and have submitted your details on the game jam submission page (this helps us identify you and contact you in case you win a prize!) 

But if you still want to join and don't care about the prizes, that's totally fine! We welcome you!

Rule Three: You cannot submit a game you have already submitted into a NT game jam - stretch yourself and make something new!

Rule Four: Your game must have the theme name clearly visible within it at some point. The theme for this jam is 'Barrier to Entry'. We have had spam in our jams and we are testing this method to help counter this.

Rule Five: Participants must be 10 years and over.

FAQ

Can I use any game engine or framework?

Yes!

Can I use assets made by someone else?

Yes! but make sure you have the licence to use them, and we encourage you to credit them appropriately!

So I don't have to make everything from scratch myself?

Not at all! Making everything from scratch is not mandatory, but if you do you get to be extra proud of yourself at the end! 

Can I team up with others?

Of course! Teaming up is allowed, and encouraged! Our recommendation is that you stick with 4 people maximum, otherwise, you'll have a hard time coordinating.

Each year we provide a Theme to create around, and this year we asked YOU to decide! 

Your choices were:

• Barrier to Entry
• A La Carde
• Tick Tock

And this year's theme is....

Barrier to Entry!

What barriers are holding you back? 

Are they physical? Mental? Digital? Metaphorical?

Consider how two people in the same place can face entirely different obstacles. Reflect on your approach to overcoming these barriers. Do you give up, break through, or find a way around them? Think about how you can help others navigate their own barriers. 

So what's stopping you?

Submission Closes 11:59pm 3 July 2024!

From then your game will be played by a panel of awesome humans and 5 will be picked to receive an award of $100 each for being even more awesome than usual. While prizes are nice, remember that in a Game Jam, winning is not the goal! Participation and improvement are!

Generally speaking, the judges will be looking at the following:

• Innovation - Have you done something new or different? A classic mechanic in a different way or perhaps a new art style... 
• Game Play - How does a game feel to play? Hard to quantify and yet, immediately noticeable...
• Best Design (Art and/or Sound) - What is the style of the art and sound. Does it bring the game to life?
• Is there a clear love for the theme??

We encourage our young developers to apply, and we make sure that 1 of the prizes is specifically for someone under 18. 

That's it! What are you waiting for??