Jamming To Resist

#ResistJam is an online game jam about creating games that resist oppressive authoritarianism in all its forms, in partnership with IndieCade.

It differs from most game jams in that we're providing mentorship and workshops from experienced members of the game industry to make sure that as many people as possible can participate, no matter their skill level. Our objective is to empower jammers to make amazing and powerful games by focusing on diversity and inclusion.

Sponsors!

Presenting Partner: IndieCade

Media Partners: International Game Developers Association, Devolver Digital, Raw Fury, Global Game Jam, Games For Change

Why jam?

The global political climate grows increasingly terrifying by the day. We want to empower people to resist through the power of interactive media.

Not everyone can march, or be a figurehead of a movement, but we can all find ways to resist the oppressive hegemonic authoritarianism that pervades modern society. This is one of them.

Do you have any diversifiers?

We sure as heck do!

I <3 Diversity

Work in a diverse team of people with someone you've never worked with before. Diversity can include gender, race, orientation, neurodiversity and people with varying disabilities.

This is how it Feels

The game raises awareness of how hate speech or unfair accusations feel, and what kind of effect they have on their targets.

Hardware Accessibility

Can be played in browser or on low-end netbook.

Nevertheless, She Persisted

A character stands as one against many.

Everyone Can Play

Design your game with accessibility in mind. This could be with fonts for Dyslexia, text sizing options, difficulty levels, re-mappable controls. Check out our workshop on accessibility by AJ from Able Gamers on what you could incorporate.

Other Shoes

Make a positive portrayal of someone with a different life experience from your own.

Don't Censor Me, Bro!

Make a core theme of your game be about censorship and the impact it has.

Localized

Make the gameplay require two languages.

Freedom of Press

The game showcases press and journalism through gameplay.

Folk

The game uses a folk or indigenous art style of your region.

Migration Power

Game showcases the value of migrants to a culture and economy.

Participating in this jam could compromise my safety. How can I keep myself safe?

Unfortunately, some jammers don't live in places where it's safe to publicly express political opinions. In those cases, we encourage jammers to, before anything else, keep themselves safe. If you're completely set on participating, we strongly recommend the DIY Guide to Feminist Cybersecurity as a starter kit for keeping yourself safe and sound, though no solution is 100% secure. Additionally, we are exploring anonymous submission options, though we can't promise anything just yet.

If you are a jammer from an unsafe area with enquiries about this specific subject, please email Damon (de at coy dot ninja).

Want to hang out with other jammers and find a team or get help from expert mentors? Check out the #ResistJam hashtag. You can also tweet or email us to get an invite to our Discord server.