Submissions open from 2025-01-06 10:00:00 to 2025-01-14 10:00:00
Starts in
years
months
days
hours
minutes
seconds
Join the GoedWare Game Jam Limited Color Palette Edition, an 8-day coding challenge open to all! This special event invites you to learn, enjoy, and share your game development experiences while working within a Limited Color Palette and a thematic constraint. Use any game development framework, and submit your game on itch.io. Games will be rated across categories including Art/Visuals, Gameplay/Fun, Audio, and Theme by both participants and a special jury panel. Prizes include gift cards and sponsored items for the winners. The color palette and theme will be revealed at the start of the jam. Have fun, learn, share your creations, and you might just win!


The GoedWare Game Jam Limited Color Palette Edition has arrived! We’re thrilled to present a new creative challenge, inviting you to design a game within a Limited Color Palette and an exciting thematic constraint. This time, it’s all about embracing artistic and gameplay limitations to spark unique, imaginative creations.

Ready to put your creativity to the test? In this Special Edition, you’ll have 8 days to craft a game that creatively uses the provided color palette and theme to enhance its storytelling, mood, and gameplay. Show us what you can achieve with innovative design, cohesive visuals, sound, and compelling use of the theme!

Share your progress and excitement on social media with the hashtag #GoedWareGameJam!

GoedWare: LinkedIn | Website | Discord 

Link to previous Jams #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 | ZERO UI | HALLOWEEN | CUTSCENE


The theme will be announced at the start of the jam.....

Rules & Requirements

  • Open to All: Anyone, regardless of experience, is welcome to participate!
  • Itch.io Account Required: An itch.io account is needed to join the jam and submit your entry.
  • Engine Flexibility: You can use any engine or framework you like! For example: Unity, Godot, Unreal, GameMaker, etc. You’re also welcome to build your own engine if you prefer😉.
  • Limited Color Palette: You must use the Limited Color Palette provided at the start of the jam. This palette is a core part of the challenge, so be sure to incorporate it meaningfully throughout your game. No other colors are allowed.
  • Submission Deadline: You cannot edit your submission after the deadline, so submit your game a few hours early to address any last-minute issues.
  • Team Participation: Teams are allowed, but we recommend keeping them to 4 members or fewer, as larger teams can be challenging to manage in 8 days. (Prizes are awarded to the team as a whole, not individual members).
  • Multiple Entries: If you have the time and can manage it, you are welcome to submit multiple entries.
  • Music and Fonts: Any music must be royalty-free or copyright-free and properly credited. Fonts from the internet can be used as long as you have the appropriate licenses.
  • Assets: You may use assets you already own, such as those from the Unity Asset Store or Unreal Marketplace. Ensure that all assets are properly licensed and that you have permission to use them. Avoid infringing on copyrights or trademarks.
  • No NSFW Content: Games must not contain nudity, hateful language, or offensive visuals.
  • Fair Voting: Any attempts to manipulate voting will result in removal from the jam.
  • AI Assistance: AI tools may assist with coding, but the majority of the code must be your own work.

Submission & Judging Criteria

Your entries will be rated by your fellow creators in the following categories:

  • Gameplay/Fun: The ease of play and overall enjoyment factor. How intuitive and enjoyable is it to play the game, and how well does it keep the player engaged?
  • Art/Visuals: How well the game uses the limited color palette and other visual elements to create an engaging, cohesive, and visually appealing experience.
  • Audio/Sound Design: The impact of the game's audio and sound design. How effectively do sound elements enhance the mood, atmosphere, and immersion of the game?
  • Theme: How well the game fits into and interprets the provided theme.

There will be a Judge/Jury Ranking where our panel will evaluate submissions based on personal preference, artistic quality, and gameplay experience. The jury panel will help balance any unusual voting patterns to ensure a fair outcome.

After the jam, a 7-day rating period allows participants to play and rate each game. Remember to leave constructive feedback—this is more helpful than just a number and helps other participants discover your game! 😊

Note: To be eligible for prizes, each game needs at least 10 ratings. Playing, commenting and rating others' entries will also increase the chances of your game receiving ratings.

*We reserve the right to remove any entries with clear vote manipulation.
**Minimum rating requirements may be adjusted based on the number of participants.

Prizes

Yes, this Game Jam will also have prizes for the winners 😊. These prizes are made available by our sponsor and organizer GoedWare.

Let's start by saying that if you press that join button and upload a game before the deadline, you are already a winner!  Having fun while creating and finishing your game project is an achievement in itself!  That experience is more valuable than money, but we do have some real prizes for the winners also 😉.

We have a public vote with prizes and we also have a jury ranking.

#Overall winner

The overall winner will receive a $75 gift card!* + Eternal Glory of winning the Game Jam😁! 

#Runner-up 

The runner-up will get a $25 gift card.

#Gameplay / Fun

The winner in this category will receive a $25 gift card.

#Art Style / Visuals

The winner in this category will receive a $25 gift card.

#Audio / Sound Design

The winner in this category will receive a $25 gift card.

#Theme

The winner in this category will receive a $25 gift card.

#Jury Ranking Prizes

#1:  The winner will get a $200 gift card!!

#2:  The runner-up will get a $100 gift card.

#3:  Third place will get a $25 gift card.

#Gameplay & Fun: The winner in this category will receive a $25 gift card.

#Art style & Visuals: The winner in this category will receive a $25 gift card.

#Audio & Sound Design: The winner in this category will receive a $25 gift card.

#Theme: The winner in this category will receive a $25 gift card.

Plus a brand new special jury category:
#Feedback:  Awarded to the participant who provides the most helpful, constructive, and insightful feedback on others’ games. This category values those who go above and beyond with thoughtful comments, tips, and encouragement to help fellow developers improve their games. The winner in this category will receive a $50 gift card as a thank-you for fostering a positive, supportive community!

NOTE:

  • Participants will receive an Amazon gift card for the Amazon website that applies to their country. No other gift cards or prizes will be distributed or swapped.
  • For the record for Brazilians and Indian. Unfortunately, no gift cards are possible for amazon.com.br & amazon.in and we will give out gift cards for amazon.com online shop.
  • Jury ranking prizes will stack with the public prizes.


Tips

In my experience, here is what you need to do if you want to win one of the top spots:

  • Make your game easy to understand for new players. This is a super common trap a lot of game jam games fall into.  Start thinking about your tutorial or how you want to teach your mechanics right from the beginning!
  • Usually it's a good idea to make your game not too hard to win. People spend roughly five to fifteen minutes on each game. In most cases they won't have enough time to reach a super high level of mastery. Keep that in mind when balancing the difficulty.
  • Quality over quantity. Keep your game super simple! This is important in this jam but every bit of extra polish can really make your game stand out in a short jam like this.
  • Take risk. The winning games are usually those who were brave enough to try something completely new and crazy (while also following the other three tips above). 
  • Resources. Check out the resources thread "Free gamedev resources (art, music , sfx, vfx, models etc.)" in our itch.io community for useful resources that can help you start and can be used for your game. 

Obviously there are exceptions to all rules but still, I hope it helps. 😊


FAQ

Question: What is the theme? 
Answer: The theme will be announced when the jam begins.

Question: Does my game have to be a certain format?
Answer: No, but remember that not all users have Windows/Mac/Linux devices. Browser based is a good idea to get as many people playing your game as possible and try to make at least a Windows version.

Question: What assets can I use? 
Answer: The vast majority of code must be written during the jam, but you can use whatever art and audio assets you have the legal right to use.

Question: Can I submit a game that I already started on?  
Answer: No, it is required that all participants make the entirety of the game in the time provided.

Question: Is there a Discord I can join? 
Answer: Yes, click here to join.

LEGAL

  • Anything you make during the GoedWare Game Jam is your property. GoedWare claims no rights or ownership of your game. 
  • Any game submitted to the GoedWare  Game Jam may show up in a GoedWare YouTube video, Social Media or website without your express permission.