PiCoSteveMo is a noncompetitive month-long jam where participants create a PICO-8 game inspired by a Stephen King work. Last year went so well we decided to do it again!

Dates

The jam starts on November 01 and submissions are due by November 30, 23:59:59 CST. Submissions are accepted any time in November. It's OK to start a little early, but the spirit of the jam is to embrace time constraints, so don't push it too much.

Jam Guidelines

• All submissions should be PICO-8 games. No limits on genre.
• Games should be inspired by one or more Stephen King works. Feel free to play fast and loose with the notion of "inspired by".
• Submissions and community interactions should be rated PG-13 (it is true that some Stephen King passages would not pass this rule, so let's stick to the ones that would).
• Solo and team submissions are both fine.
• This is a noncompetitive event.

(Special note: PICO-8 costs $15, and I don't want anyone to be excluded from the jam for financial reasons, so if a $15 buy-in is a problem for you, send me (jam organizer BaseCase) a message and we'll work something out.)

Theme

PiCoSteveMo's theme is a loose "inspired by a Stephen King work". This could be as straightforward as making the direct videogame version of a King story, or maybe something fuzzier like taking a title or passage as a jumping off point and going in a new direction. Or maybe imagining what game would be in the box if one of those awesome 1980's King novel covers were on it.

Feel free to share your game's inspiration or keep it a secret! I'm not the inspiration cops; if you say the thing you upload was inspired by Steve, I'll believe you.

FAQ

Q: What is PICO-8 and where can I get it?

PICO-8 is a retro-inspired fantasy console that imposes strict limitations on your programs to foster creativity. It's available for $15 from Lexaloffle.

Q: Do I need prior PICO-8 or game development experience to participate?

No! All experience levels are welcome. PICO-8 is very newcomer-friendly. If you'd like some help getting up to speed, YouTuber SpaceCat has a lovely introductory series here.

Q: DO RICHARD BACHMAN BOOKS COUNT

Hey if you are inspired by Roadwork, go hog wild.

Q: WHAT ABOUT JOE HILL

Come on, that's a totally different guy!

Q: What fool called it "The PiCoSteveMo FAQ" and not "The King Jam's Bible"?

lmao nice one

Highlights from PiCoSteveMo 2023

Disclaimer: This event is not affiliated with Stephen King or with PICO-8, they're just two things we like.