Welcome

Are you a game creator with a vision but held back by complex engines, steep learning curves amd overwhelmed by cryptic code? Yahaha Studio understands your needs and is dedicated to creating a low-barrier, code-free ? Yahaha Studio is here to change that. We offer a code-free, highly efficient game creation process that minimizes the learning curve and lowers the barrier to entry. With a focus on horror themes, we provide exciting game templates and a vast asset library filled with ready-to-use horror mechanics, so you can skip redesigning and dive straight into creation. Let your creativity soar in the ocean of game development. 

What are you waiting for? Join us on this thrilling journey through the shadows of creativity. Craft your horror game, and let it send shivers down the spines of players everywhere. Submit your game to our event, and who knows, you might just be the next horror game sensation!

We're excited to share updates to the Yahaha Game Creation Event:

- Event Timing: Our 7-day challenge is now a 21-day challenge.

- Increased Rewards: We've boosted the prize pool for the Horror Hatch event to incentivize participation and creativity. Details on the rewards can be found below.

- New Criterion: We've added "Game Duration" to our scoring, encouraging games over 20 minutes for a richer player experience.

- Flexibility for Veterans: Despite the extended timeline, you maintain the freedom to create as you wish.

Let's embrace these updates and continue to push the boundaries of game creation together!

Theme

Night Shift

Background 

This week’s theme, Night Shift, invites participants to delve into the eerie atmosphere of a final work shift in a place where unsettling occurrences unfold. Whether it’s a dimly lit convenience store, an abandoned warehouse, or a haunting office space, players will face the tension of completing their duties while being haunted by supernatural forces or unsettling mysteries. As the clock ticks down to the end of their shift, players must navigate their fears and uncover the dark secrets lurking in their workplace.

Key Features

- Atmospheric Tension: Create a setting that amplifies the feeling of isolation and dread, with flickering lights, unsettling sounds, and a sense of foreboding.

- Story Background: Develop your own storyline that explores the significance of the night shift and the events that transpire during this eerie final hour.

- Unseen Threats: Introduce mysterious entities or supernatural phenomena that escalate the tension as the shift progresses.

- Time Pressure: Incorporate a countdown mechanic that adds urgency to the player's tasks while heightening the suspense.

- Survival Instincts: Incorporate mechanics that test the player's resourcefulness and courage in the face of the unknown.

Hints

- Mysterious Events: Use environmental storytelling to hint at past incidents that have occurred in the workplace, creating a sense of history and depth.

- Psychological Horror: Explore the psychological aspects of fear—does the character begin to question their sanity as the shift wears on?

- Climactic Confrontations: Build towards a climax where players must confront the source of their fears or make critical decisions that affect their survival and understanding of what’s happening.

- Environmental Storytelling: Leave clues and hints throughout the workplace that reveal the horrors of what happened during the day.

Embark on the Night Shift and see if you can make it through the night unscathed. Will you uncover the secrets hidden within the shadows, or will you become another tale of the night shift gone wrong?

Special Task

1. We have prepared a tutorial on how to replace Lever Puzzle, and now we invite you to try replacing it in your own game!

2. Take a screenshot or record a video of the Lever Puzzle in your game and put it on your game itch submission page.

3. We will give you additonal 10 points to your game if you do 1&2!

4. Looking forward to seeing your puzzle!

Awards

1st place * 1 - 200USD$

2nd place * 1 - 150USD$

3rd place * 1 - 100USD$

Participation Prize * n - 30USD$

Best Decoration * 1 - 50USD$

Rising Star Award * n - 10-50USD$

The Rising Star Award is designed to help and motivate game creators to increase the attention of their games and  promote the feedback and communication among game enthusiasts.

The awarding rule is that if the number of downloads exceeds 100, we will give an additional reward corresponding to 10% of the number of downloads. Each 100 downloads is counted as a level interval. For example, if the number of downloads reaches 100, we will offer a reward of 10USD$; If it reaches 200, we will offer a reward of 20USD$. The upper limit of the bonus is 50USD$. We will conduct data statistics according to the download data within 7 days after the end of each Game jam.

Based on our experience, we suggest that everyone carry out more game promotion activities outside the website and carefully decorate their own game pages.

Some tips for increasing the number of downloads：

1. Detailed game introductions

2. A more exquisite display page

3. High-quality video presentation

4. Actively spread on various major social networking platforms

NOTE: We encourage everyone to share the game with external groups. But to ensure the fairness of award distribution, we will check the authenticity of the download data. We reserve the final right of interpretation for this activity.

How to Join

Official Jam

1. Sign up for the challenge by joining the jam on this page.

2. Submit your game project on this itch.io page.

3. Record the most exciting part of your game (less than one minute) or capture some exciting moments during your development process and upload it to YouTube as a short video. Make sure to mention us by @yahahastudios to submit the video, and use the hashtags #night shift and #horrorgaming.  (Please make it public, or we cannot receive your video).

Rules

To be a valid submission, please follow these requirements:

1. Create and publish an original project. (AI tools, including the YAHAHA AI scene generator and 3D model generation, are allowed and not prohibited at any stage of the creation process.)

2.  Your submitted games should be made with the Horror Game Kit within YAHAHA Studio.

3. Get a score over 60 and submit all the required materials (project + video) to qualify for the participation prize.

4. When editing the itch page, enter "yahaha" "horror" in the tag field. 

5.  Send the co-author to HorrorHatch (https://horror-hatch.itch.io/)  before uploading.

Rating Rules