JAM INTRODUCTION

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ODU Serious Games Jam Fall 2024 is brought to you by the ODU Video Game Design & Development Club. Run by students, for students, this jam serves as an opportunity for students to come together and flex their creative muscles, demonstrate their passion for games, and create something special that leaves a lasting impact.

Still looking for a team? Want to stay up to date on any information related to the jam? Want to share ideas and progress with other teams working on the jam? Please join our discord server! https://discord.gg/gYHXHKxD

THEME

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The theme for the jam is.... EXPERIMENT

Feel free to interpret this theme in any way you can think of. Whether it be creating a game set in a science lab, experimenting with new and unique ways to create a game, or having the player experiment with game mechanics, there are lots of creative ways to interpret this theme by thinking outside of the box!

RULES

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1. All participants must be current ODU students.

2. Jam participants may work alone or in a team of any size.

3. Participants may submit a digital game using any game engine, or a tabletop game.

        - Tabletop game submissions must include pictures of the completed game as well as a design document including game details and rules.

4. All submissions must relate to the theme: EXPERIMENT

5. All game submissions must be serious in nature.

A serious game or applied game is a game designed for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment. The "serious" adjective is generally prepended to refer to video games used by industries like defense, education, scientific exploration, health care, emergency management, city planning, engineering, politics and art. Serious games are a subgenre of serious storytelling, where storytelling is applied "outside the context of entertainment, where the narration progresses as a sequence of patterns impressive in quality ... and is part of a thoughtful progress".

6. Do not violate ODU's honor code or student policy.

7. All submissions must be submitted to the jam page by the Nov 12th 11:59:00 pm deadline.

VOTING CATEGORIES

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RHETORIC

- How effective is the game at portraying it's point?

- Is the game serious in nature?

AESTHETIC

- How well do the visual and audio elements contribute to the game's style and appeal?

FUNCTION

- Is the gameplay experience smooth?

- Does the game contain any bugs or unfinished parts?

FUN FACTOR

- How fun is the game to play?

THEME

- Does the game relate to the theme in a meaningful way?

- Does the game interpret the theme in a creative or clever way?

SHOWCASE EVENT

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On November 15th from 6:00pm - 8:00pm we will hold a showcase event at Monarch Hall 2116. This event will serve as an opportunity for you to show off your game to peers and faculty. If you wish to show your game at the event please watch for upcoming emails containing more information.

PRIZES

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We have two prize categories: community vote and judge vote. The community vote will take place amongst all jam participants during November 13th and 14th. The judge vote will be decided by a panel of judges at the November 15th showcase event. Both prize categories will declare a team as a winner (1st) and a runner-up (2nd).

MORE INFORMATION

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For more information please email along019@odu.edu or reach out to @pokerface126_11986 on Discord.