Pirate Jam 2020 is already completely full. The only remaining open spot in Pirate Jam is the Grand Prize spot being awarded via the Pre-Jam Skirmish.
This isn't an issue of payment - though being able to purchase a ticket does help (a little) in the general selection process. It's an issue of the number of boats we can fit into an anchorage safely (6~7). And how many guests can stay aboard those boats comfortably (3~5). And how many sponsors we get who pay for their own boats and/or teams. This year we have 3 sponsored boats out of 6 which doesn't leave a lot of space for those who would be willing to purchase tickets.
Ultimately it's just not a very big event - 20 guests and 10 crew aboard 6 boats. And that makes selection difficult... with there being more than a few people who've applied to join for several years who've yet to be selected.
A goal for the future is to have more than one Pirate Jam per sailing season. That would mean we could host ~40 guests per year and that would increase the likelihood of a place for those who've been trying to attend for several years.
> To be judged by initially by The Public then narrowed down to finalists and Grand Prize winner by host American McGee.
Just wanted to mention I’m glad you’re hand picking the finalists since this is going to be open to the public which means people can crowdsource fake votes to the top. I believe this happened with the GMTK jam in 2018 where a creator asked their family and friends to vote for the submission which had a 5.0/5.0 score at the end of the voting period (https://castlemark.itch.io/grand-snail-prix)
With that said, since the public votes don’t necessarily correlate to your picks, do you have a certain criteria or preference for what kinds of game might be selected for finalists? To that end, have the voting criteria been decided yet (ie: graphics, gameplay, innovation, etc) and will that criteria correlate to your preference for a potential winner?
Thanks and really glad this opportunity exists and looking forward to participating
Hey there. Apologies for the slow reply. I am currently anchored in Phang Nga Bay - one of the locations of Pirate Jam 2020 - scouting good places to take our fleet in March. Spent several days traveling, getting the boat ready, and sailing to get up here before I had a chance to sit down and respond...
For the voting... Yeah, given that we're talking about a free trip to Thailand as the Grand Prize, I too am concerned about people gaming the system. That's why the ultimate decision will be made manually. As for how we'll pick the Grand Prize winner... I imagine there will be lots of submissions from people who are automatically disqualified because they don't have a passport and/or are unable to travel for the required dates. Out of the remaining pool it's going to be more of a "we'll know it when we see it" type of judging. Which means it's not so much about the graphics or gameplay as the impression the thing makes. I like games that make me laugh for being surreal, irreverent, and violently cute (or cutely violent). From Pirate Jam 2019 my favorite game (which made me laugh the hardest) was Eat The Rich.
You can see Eat The Rich here: https://www.pirate-jam.com/pirate-jam-2019 (not that your game has to be anything like that to be considered or to win).
Anyway, if this seems less than helpful... that's probably a good thing. Let's wait until the theme announced and then everyone can have a go at it :)
Ahoy, Nielisson! As it states in the simple rules on the main page: "Grand Prize and Runner Up Prizes awarded one (1) to a team."
There's a longer version of that in the Official Rules: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZJ2n-Xu3u_xRk-ODURh0ATIMiPiwFe0qJKeFdEF9drg/...
But the simple answer is: If your team wins then you must select one (1) person from your team to receive the Grand Prize.
Hope that helps. And good luck!
This is the first year we've done a Pre-Jam Skirmish. But if you want to see the games created during previous Pirate Jam events in Thailand... those are all available via the main Pirate Jam website.
