Q: Can I get started early?
A: Yes, but we don't allow previously finished games in the jam- you need to work on your game at least partially (not just a few days) during the jam.
Q: What engines can I use?
A: Any engine you'd like! We have a list of resources for visual novel-oriented games here.
Q: Will there be ratings? Is this ranked?
A: No and no.
Q: Can I submit 18+ games?
A: Yes! Any games with 18+ or potentially triggering content should be labeled as such, though.
Q: Can I use generative AI assets (such as assets made with Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, etc.) in my game?
A: No.
Q: Can I submit a demo or WIP game?
A: Yes.
Q: Can I make something that isn't anime-style?
A: Yes.
Q: Do I have to make a game where you romance men?
A: No! You don't have to make a romance game at all.
Q: Why do I have to include screenshots of my game on the itch.io page?
A: We do this because it's the bare minimum for us to see if it's a real game or not and if it's a visual novel. Players are also wary of games that don't have any screenshots as they could be viruses.
What is Josei Jam?
Josei Jam is a game jam focused on the broader range of otome-esque games, namely any game that's made with a female demographic in mind. It's a sister jam that runs parallel to Otome Jam for anyone who wants to make an otome-esque game but not necessarily one with a female lead and male LIs or even romance.
Josei Jam accepts a much wider variety of games such as boys love, girls love, and even non-romance games- the only condition is it has to be for a female audience. Any entry submitted to this jam needs to have the josei tag attached. (we encourage anyone to use this tag for their otome games as well!)
We created Josei Jam after receiving feedback from participants and other developers who want to make a female-gaze game for Otome Jam but don't want to go by the GxB rules. Taking inspiration from NaNoRenO's IntRenAiMo, a jam that runs parallel to NaNo for developers who want to work on a previously started project for NaNo, we created Josei Jam.
Aside from the GxB rules, the ruleset for Josei Jam is basically the same as Otome Jam- 18+ works are allowed, you can work on a previously started on project, your game can be free or commercial, no AI, etc. The host server for Josei Jam is the Otome Development Server.