If you have any questions regarding the game jam, page, polyamory even- here is the place to ask!
Ehh… On the one hand, I can see where you’re coming from, but the jam is clearly focused on one thing and one thing only: positive representations of polyamory. All the rules exist for that purpose - and, importantly, they’re written for people who don’t necessarily know what polyamory is or what a positive portrayal might look like.
For example, the trope of a “love triangle” isn’t just two characters in love with the same character, it’s generally also associated with jealousy and competition between the two love interests, with the idea that one of the love interests will “win” and get the girl or boy. That’s not polyamory, but people unfamiliar with the concept might mistake it as such, so that’s why the rules call it out.
I can’t speak for the jam hosts, but I imagine a situation that starts out as a typical love triangle but ends with the connecting character choosing both, or with the three of them falling in love with each other, would be just fine. (This kind of situation is even one of the examples provided in the description of the jam.)
Hey, appreciate your feedback. The thing is, if I didn’t list the rules, I’d end up disqualifying or removing entries that had any of it listed anyway. So better to just list it before anyone submits a game.
I said it a couple times before. But because I a poly person have to read every entry, I don’t want to be subjected to harmful tropes. Feel free to make poly romance with any of these tropes if you’d like in your own time. I just don’t want to read it honestly. And that’s fine, it’s perfectly normal to just have different things we like to read.
I do think it’s a bit unfair to tell me, that my own jam is too strict. It’s like saying my boundaries and opinions are too strict. They’re just what I like.
Just figured we'd provide some critique in case you were looking to expand the network to include more authors/creators. You can have any rules you desire, but it may limit what kind of stories or games you will see, and while that might be the goal, this is the first time we've seen a poly focused game jam, and realized that it might be cool to have more games rather than fewer. But we understand wanting very specific types of stories(that is very relatable to us and our own interest in romance).
We are also a poly person ourself, though that shouldn't have to be mentioned in order to provide some feedback or ideas. (from our own experiences, there is a lot of good and bad mixed together, and the bad experiences can be the shadow that makes the positive experiences so much more powerful. Our first experience with IRL relationships in this field was a bad one, but our second was very positive, if not for the bad experience first, the good one may not have been something we can value so highly)
Again, still happy to see a poly-focused game jam, that's really cool, though I can name a few of poly romance games (mostly on itch) we desperately need more. You should hopefully get some good, though highly specific results here, and we will look forward to playing said games when they come out.
We wish you the best of luck, and are excited to see where this jam goes in the future. XD
To upkeep ANTIjealousy also from my Ladies (meaning that my Ladies are even inviting new Ladies including into intimate relationship with me) I was and I am using 5 +1 (!) Languages of love: https://dmdu.kvalitne.cz/pet-jazyku-lasky-vztahu - Google translator and translatable chat UI are included there too. Playing together (even comparativey) fits into the love langiage called "quality time". Your jam is indeed interesting for us!:)
We nearly still have hard time explaining that we are not cheaters nor having "open relationships" in the wrongly understood sense. For example, if I woud want a new Lady in one of my harems (I have more of them because of locations...), I would need an aproval from my Lady Partner. Your picture showing the variants of polyamory is so super!:) Would you be please so kind and allow us to using it? Although it looks, that we have kind of specific hierarchial polyamory - my Lady partner as a Queen and not "just" a priority Partner. Uff, excuse me please for pouring out my hearth. ;)
As you can see, I am able to protect my Ladies too. Fun fact: In this time I need kind of protecting myself against too much *interest* of women. The Law of Attraction apparently works for me in a manner of a snowball rolled down from the top of snowy mountain.
In regards to the image used on the jam page it isn’t mine. So I can’t grant permission to use it or not. It could be fun to make your own. I know I intend to commission my own diagram for it eventually 😃, thank you for sharing all this you don’t have to apologize.
This is a wonderful question! I am a polyamorous person in a monogamous relationship with a monogamous man (we are actually married). It sounds like it will work perfectly and is amazing representation! <3 Thank you for participating <3333
Showcasing jealousy as a part of the story to be overcome is more than fine. My rule was to not let jealousy be the main thing showcased as it’s a problematic trope polyamorous people, like myself face. That our relationships don’t work because of jealousy etc… I understand romance stories and stories in general need conflict. What matters is they have a good endings and those stereotypes about us don’t win. And especially aren’t emboldened by the text created for a positive jam about good polyamory representation ❤️
As for the platonic representations of poly. I do acknowledge of course that those relationships exist and should be showcased. This is and was first and foremost a romantic centric jam for me. As I’m primarily a romance writer and by extension mostly a romance reader so I do prefer the stories submitted will be closer to that.
Of course, anyone can make their own jam with their own set of rules to bring different types of representation if they want.
My word is not gospel, these are simply the things I enjoy and this jam is very self indulgent.
Here is my romance inspirational true story aimed also at manual for awesome dating: https://novelo.com/story/1396 .
Please let me know your opinion on it (polyamory is not directly show in the story but there is a PHOTO and a LINK to a web-post also about it).
Hiya! Thank you for the kind words. I strongly encourage others to run poly jams of their own. Mine is very self indulgent and tied to my tastes for the most part. And there is a severe lack of poly rep so in the true poly spirit the more the merrier.
I’m looking forward to playing all the entries myself. I hope to make it an annual thing. Thank you again for taking the time to say so! 💖