How old do I have to be to enter?
You can enter our Game Jam if you are 18 years or older, and you turned 18 prior to June 1st, 2024.
Can I already be a game dev?
You are free to enter this competition provided you’ve not worked in any games development role for more than two years. This does not apply if your current role is different to the one you will take on for the jam.
I’m a Safe In Our World Ambassador - can I take part?
Yes, provided you don’t affiliate your submission with your ambassador status. We do not allow Trustees, Patrons or employees of Safe In Our World to participate.
When can I submit my game?
Submissions were open from 1st June through to 31st October 2024, and the submission window is now closed. Submissions must have been created within this time frame; any game created before June 1st will be excluded from viable entries.
Can I post about a game from this competition on social media?
You can post about your own game on your social and community channels. You should not disclose any embargoed information about finalists or winners until the date(s) we confirm with you via email.
For those wishing to post about games from other individuals or teams participating in this Game Jam, please ensure your comments are respectful and appropriate. Any evidence of bullying and harassment of team members, the charity and its affiliates, or any individuals on social or community spaces may lead to disqualification.
Please review our Code of Conduct for more guidance.
How should my game incorporate the theme?
During the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health conversations grew significantly within communities and amongst peers. It almost acted as a catalyst for further mental health discussion. It was throughout that time that many people felt more able to share their stories and experiences. That doesn't mean your game must explicitly be around COVID-19, but instead incorporates themes in which were felt during that time in relation to our mental health.
Your game can be themed around any element of mental health, though we ask you to include content warnings on your itch.io page. You could work these themes into the narrative, setting, or even the mechanics of your game.
Can I reimagine a real-life experience to build a game around?
Yes, you’re welcome to get creative and tell stories in ways you think will work well. Reinterpret or modify lived experiences, use metaphors and creative storytelling to bring your game to life!
Can we be part of multiple teams/submit multiple games?
Yes, provided they are all made within the time frame (June 1st - October 31st 2024).
One member of our team is 25+ - can we still submit in the 18 - 24 category?
No, all members of a team submitting under the 18 - 24 category, must be within that age bracket. If a member of your team is over that age, the team’s project must enter into the 25+ category.
Who counts as a team member?
If you have contributed significant amounts of time to a game, you should be counted within that game’s team. This does not extend to small favours in support of your game (e.g. a friend or family member giving you feedback, or providing a few voice lines for a character, etc.)
Playtesting a game does not qualify for team membership, unless you’ve been testing that game throughout multiple stages of it’s development.
Can I use AI to develop my game?
Games using AI generated art or music are not permitted. Human written algorithms that don’t use training data are permissible. Safe In Our World retain the right to disqualify any candidate if evidence is found of rule-breaking.
What counts as a premium or paid asset?
Disqualifiable assets include:
- Art and Sound (e.g. sprites, models, animations, sound effects, music) that requires a paid license to use
- Code running in the final game (at runtime) that was paid for or included in something that was paid for (e.g. Premium engine licences, paid developers, premium plugins that inject code to be executed at runtime)
Permitted assets include:
- Software used in the creation of assets (e.g. Photoshop, Aseprite, Maya)
- Code used to generate assets that does not require the code to be executed while the game is running (e.g. Perlin Noise, Particle Effects)
- Game engines that are free to use for non-commercial projects (e.g. Unity, Unreal, GameMaker)
When will I find out who won?
We aim to contact winners ahead of any public announcement. There will be an embargo on this information until a specified date, provided in the correspondence given to winners.
Our list of finalists will be immediate public knowledge, with finalists being contacted after that point. The date of these announcements are yet to be confirmed.
How many winners will there be?
There is a total of 12 winning games. We will announce two winners of the Grand Game Award (one for solo, any age, and one for team, any age). There will be 6 Discipline category winners (teams OR solo), there will be 4 entry category winners (18-24 Solo, 25+ Solo, 18-24 Team, 25+ Team).
How can I claim my prize?
Winners will need to provide registered addresses for tangible prizes. These addresses need to be in countries where postage from the UK is possible.
Can I choose another prize?
The prizes are non-exchangeable, non-transferable and no cash alternative will be offered. We reserve the right to substitute prizes with another prize of equal or higher value if circumstances beyond our control make this necessary to do so.
Who will win the passes to GDC/devcom 2025?
The Grand Game Award winner(s) will have their choice of an All Access pass to GDC 2025, or devcom 2025 (travel and accommodation not included). There will be 2 tickets allocated per Grand Game Award.
Who will win the Intel Motherboard and CPU?
The Grand Game Award winner(s) will enjoy an Intel Motherboard and CPU combo prize, subject to the availability of the product.
Who will win a Game Pass Ultimate code?
All our winners will receive 1x 1-year Game Pass Ultimate code.
Who will win the Unity Pro Licences and Unity Asset Store credits?
All our winners will enjoy Unity Pro Licences, and Unity Asset Store credits.
Who will win the Sidekick Journal?
All our winners will enjoy their own copy of our mental health journal, Sidekick.
Who will win the Synty and Smitesoft assets?
All winners will receive vouchers for Synty, for access to stylised art assets for Unity, Unreal and more. All winners will receive a selection of Smitesoft Asset codes. The number of codes distributed is contingent on the final number of winners selected.
Who will win the mentorships and industry introductions?
Discipline category winners will be invited to match with one of our mentors, depending on the speciality, area of interest, and availability of both parties. All winners will be invited to a selection of introductory sessions with Indie Publishers, subject to the availability of our studio partners.
Who will win mental health awareness workshops?
We want to offer some mental health awareness workshops to ALL participants. All members of this competition will receive an invitation to a selection of sessions at various times.
Thank you to all our participants! Good luck.