Welcome, game jammer! As part of LXDCON'24, our yearly learning experience design conference, Shapers is hosting a game jam! Within 4 days, you will create a playful learning experience around the theme "Closer Together".

Everybody can join LXD Jam 24: participants of the conference or anybody on planet Earth! 

We can't wait to play your educational games. 

At the kick-off of LXDCON'24 Niels Floor, owner of Shapers, revealed the theme:

So, create a playful learning experience that brings people (or something else) closer together!

Enjoy the jam and let's learn from the experience together, closer together ;). 

• Games (or experiences) must be submitted by June 13th, 11 PM (this is the updated deadline!).
• You can build a game solo or with a team (a maximum of 5 people). If you're on a team, one person is the designated uploader.
• Only use assets to which you have the rights. 
• Please don't (re-) use projects you have made before. Game jams should spark creativity, so we expect original submissions.
• Don't worry if your submission isn't perfect! We are here to learn. Submitting something is better than nothing. After the submission, you are allowed to make small changes to the project. 
• After submission, you should rate 5 other games in order for your submission to be approved for rating.
• Have fun! 

After submission, you will have to review 5 other games in order for your game to be reviewed. We want to reveal the winner at the end of LXDCON'24, which is why the rating period is short. So keep in mind that after submitting your game, you should rate 5 other games before June 14th, 4:30 PM. 

Rating will be open for all who participated in LXD Jam 24.

Your playful learning experience will be judged on:

• Learning: How much did you learn from the experience? 
• Experience: Did you have an enjoyable experience? Is it user-friendly? Is it fun?
• Design: How well is the experience designed? Does it look good? Sound good? Work well?
• Theme: Is the experience 'on theme'?

You will be able to change your submission during and after the rating period to fix hot bugs.

All who submit a game are winners in our eyes! It is hard to make a game in 4 days, so the learnings and accomplishment is the real prize. Seriously, congrats and respect if you've made it. However, we also want to learn from and get inspired by others. 

That's why the top 3 games of LXD Jam 24 will: 

• be announced at the end of LXDCON'24 by Niels Floor, owner of Shapers
• win a LXD goody bag.
  
• receive a spot on LXD.org, the leading platform for learning experience design resources.
• get a shoutout on our social media channels.

What is the theme for this jam?

The theme will be announced at the start of LXDCON'24, on this page, and by email, so you can't miss it.

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How does submitting work?

1. Make an account on Itch.io to participate in the jam. 
2. Make an (preferably attractive) itch page for your learning experience. 
3. Make a great learning experience!
4. Submit your project to the jam before the deadline: June 13th, 11 PM.
5. Rate 5 other games before June 14th, 4:30 PM!

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Does my submission need to be a video game? 

No, you can design and submit any learning experience that you can imagine: board games, images, voice recordings, digital games and more. If the Itch page supports it, you can submit it. However, it will be played by people on a computer (or mobile device) so it's smart to take that into consideration. If playing your game is not easy, it is likely that you will not get to the minimum of 5 ratings. 

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Do I have to use a specific game engine or comply with technical restrictions for my digital game? 

No, use whatever you want to use. However, keep in mind that it should be easy for others to play your game on itch.io. For example, it's easier to play a digital game directly in browser, than to download a 1GB project.  And not everybody might have a printer available to print your 20 page board game. The easier the better. 

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Can I submit a (game) project that I've worked on before?

Only if you have worked on it for a tiny bit. We encourage participants to submit original projects. 

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What if my game has a problem (bug)?

Don't worry, after submission you can still tinker on your submission. The rating will be within 2,5 hours after submission, so hurry a bit. But submitting 'something' is more important than submitting the perfect game. We are here to learn (from each other). 

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Will my submission be rated?

Yes, your submission will be rated by other participants of LXD Jam 24. See the part about rating for more details. You have to receive a minimum of 5 ratings by others to receive a final score.

Shapers is an internationally renowned learning experience design and training agency based in Utrecht, the Netherlands. We believe in the power of well-crafted experiences to elevate the quality of learning. That's why we apply, train and promote learning experience design around the globe.

On LXD.org, we host (free) learning experience design resources like the LX Canvas. And each year, Shapers organizes LXDCON, the leading learning experience design conference. The theme of this year's LXDCON'24 is 'Let's Play', so it's the best time to host a game jam about playful learning experiences!