Hi. I've never done a game jam before. Does a space game count as "outdoors"? I have an idea for an asteroid survival game.
Also, I want to ask before I do this, can I use a free game jam submission to promote my website and upcoming commercial game? I don't intend to use ads but would like to post links and descriptions of my other games, as an invite to check out my stuff. Is this allowed?
I don't think just any old space game would fit the theme of "outdoors". However, there are many ways you could make it work. For example, spacewalks are very much outdoors. Anything where you (or units you control) go through a door (or something symbolic of a door) leaving a safe place to venture out into a strange and dangerous world would definitely qualify in my book. Get creative with it.
As for the advertising: it's pretty standard to include a link to your website in the end credits of your entry. Advertising a specific game would be a bit tacky though.
For example, spacewalks are very much outdoors.
That's an interesting idea. I'm usually not a fan of quick time events, but for something like "flip the switches right when the engineer tells you to or you'll fail to repair the oxygen tank," that might be one of a few minigame formats you could use as gameplay-varied reasons for spacewalks.
