Submissions open from 2024-11-08 04:00:00 to 2024-11-11 04:00:00
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What is Mini Jam?

Mini jam is a 72-hour-long game development jam that occurs every two weeks on Itch.io.

A mandatory limitation is announced as soon as the jam starts to spice things up. The theme is provided early, so you can plan ahead. Just keep in mind that you may have to change your idea when the limitation is revealed. This jam's theme is Mystic. Remember, theme is purely inspirational and it's not required that you incorporate it into your game. Feel free to interpret it however you want. 

If you can't finish your game on time, you can submit late at anytime during the jam's voting period.

Join the discord server if you have any questions or just want to hang out with fellow jammers.


Limitation

The limitation is a special condition that your game must follow, but is open to interpretation. If you are unsure if your idea doesn't fit the limitation,  just remember that everyone will interpret it differently.

Limitation: Constant escalation


Ratings

At the end of the Jam, there will be a rating period that lasts 5 days. Anyone who submits a game to the jam, as well as any team members that added as contributors to your game's project page can rate other games for the jam. Game will be rated on the following criteria:

  • Enjoyment - How much you enjoyed your time with the game.
  • Concept  - How interesting or unique the main focus of the game was.
  • Presentation  - How well executed the main focus of the game was.
  • Use of limitation - How well the game incorporated the given limitation.

Keep in mind that the theme is purely for inspiration, and you should not rate a game differently based on how well the theme was incorporated. 


Rules

Read the rules
Not reading the rules is not an excuse for breaking them.

Follow the limitation
It is mandatory that you incorporate the jam's limitation into your game. This said, how you choose to interpret it's meaning and go about incorporating it is entirely up to you.

Keep game content clean.
Any and all NSFW content, potentially offensive content, graphic content etc. must be clearly telegraphed with a content warning at the start of the game as well as in it's description or cover.

Answer submission questions honestly
You will be prompted to answer a few questions when submitting your game. Please answer them to the best of your ability. Giving vague answers is a great way to set off red flags.

Any games that do not follow the rules will be removed from the jam without warning.


FAQ

There will be an announcement on the discord server, as well as a community post explaining the steps you should take to submit your project late if you missed the deadline.

Help! I couldn't submit on time, what do I do?

Mini Jam takes place every 2 weeks on a Thursday/Friday, depending on your time zone. You can expect the next Mini Jam to be up within a week of it's start date.

When does the next Mini Jam start, and when will it be announced?

Following the theme is optional, following the limitation is mandatory.

Do I have to follow the theme?

You can use any engine or framework you like. You can even make your own if you want.

What engine can I use?

Yes, you can make any changes to the project or project page during the rating period, just make sure that the original version of the game can still be downloaded and it is clear that the game has been updated.

Can I make changes during the rating period?

If you have the rights to use it, anything that wasn't made specifically for this particular jam is allowed. Mini Jam isn't strict on the "build it from scratch" ruling, but it is encouraged.

I have code or other assets from other projects I wish to use, are these allowed?

Outside obvious red flags, we don't really check. Jams are for fun. Bend the rules if you want, just don't cheat yourself and be a jerk to mess with genuine folk.

How can you tell if I used premade assets or made the game at an earlier stage?

Yes, but that is generally not advised .

Can I submit more than one game?

Mini Jam is a strictly prizeless jam. The prizes are the games we've made along the way.

Is there a prize for the winners?

Partners

Participating in Ludum Dare? Be sure to join the official unofficial Discord server.

Want a fun and easy way to make games? Try out Ct.Js! It's a free 2D game editor that aims to make programming fun and game development easy by its visual editors and well-documented code library. Available for Windows, Mac and Linux.