Time to Slow Jam! :D

Welcome, jammers, to the 7th Annual Seattle Indies Game Jam! This is the 4th time that the jam this year will be a SLOW JAM that will take place between 11/3 - 11/19. This jam is always a ton of fun- so come & jam with us! :D 

All communication for the jam will happen on our Discord in the Seattle-Indies-Slow-Jam category join here: https://discord.gg/join-seattle-indies   There is a special 'Seattle Indies Game Jam' section with all sorts of channels! :) Even though the jam is online- we'd love to create an environment that feels as much like an in-person game jam as possible. Because of this there will be places to post WIP stuff if you'd like and also have socials scheduled throughout the jam for those that want to socialize a bit/see how other teams are doing! :D Also not from Seattle? - No Problem! We have members from across the world and as long as you follow the community guidelines you are absolutely welcome!!! :D 

The Theme

THE THEME IS.....

THE MORE THE MERRIER!!!

The Schedule

All Times are in Pacific Standard Time (PST)

Friday November 3, 2023

• 7PM: Join us in #SIGJ-Voice channel and on Twitch for opening presentations and the theme reveal
• 7:30PM - 8:30PM: Brainstorming and team forming, use the #sigj-looking-for-group channel to advertise your skills and find people to work with
• 8:30PM: Pitches - reconvene in #sigj-voice to give and listen to pitches for your game ideas. Each person who wishes to pitch will have 30 seconds to give an overview of their game, what their skillset is and the types of people they would need to finish their idea
• 9:30PM (or whenever really): Start Jamming!

Saturday November 4, 2023 (Social)

• 4PM - 8PM (or whenever!): Join our usual Saturday Coffee Break meetup in the #coffee-break channel for help with your game or just to meet other developers in the Seattle Indies community and see what they are working on.

Wednesday November 8, 2023 (Social)

• 7PM: Late-Night Coffee Break- Join your fellow jammers for some late night chats/jamming together! 

Saturday November 11, 2023 (Social)

• 4PM - 8PM(or whenever!): Indie Support Group and Milestone feedback - join our usual Saturday Coffee Break meetup for some help with your idea on the #coffee-break channel and we'll have mentors available to give feedback and technical help with your game in the #sigj-ask-a-mentor channel

Wednesday November 15, 2023 (Social)

• 7PM: Late-Night Coffee Break- Join your fellow jammers for some late night chats/jamming together! 

Saturday November 18, 2023 (Social)

• 4PM - 8PM(or whenever!): Join our usual Saturday Indie Support Group meetup in the #coffee-break channel for help with your game or just to meet other developers in the Seattle Indies community and see what they are working on. Last night of the jam! 

Sunday November 19, 2023

• 12PM: Submissions due! Upload your game AND a trailer/gameplay video
• 7 PM : Showcase Celebration!!! Join us on the Seattle Indies Twitch!

THE COMMENT SQUAD

This year, we’re bringing back the Comment Squad! The goal of the Squad is to leave comments on each other’s projects, giving them some hype, feedback, and love.

Members of the Comment Squad will get a server role, and a role-specific emote to use! Members of the Comment Squad who are also jamming will get a fun graphic to add to their itch page after the jam! 

DETAILS

• Sign-up sheet goes live November 3rd after kick-off
• Anyone can be part of Commend Squad--jammers, non-jammers, anyone! 
• Everyone gets assigned 3 games
• Once submissions are closed, everyone gets their games and can go check them out! 
• Try to leave comments within the week if possible! 

FAQ

• Will I get assigned my own game?
  • Nope! The amount might change based on submissions / members of Comment Squad, but you won’t get your own.
• What if I decide to stop jamming halfway through, can I still be in Comment Squad?
  • Absolutely!
• Can I send you my itch page early if I have it done?
  • Yes please!
• Is there a prize / reward other than Comment Squad?
  • There are no juried rewards this year. Comment Squad is all voluntary, but we feel that the comments left by the community are incredibly valuable and keep the spirit of the jam intact. 
• What should I say in my comments?
  • Whatever you like--just keep respectful and within the Seattle Indies community guidelines. Let the dev know what you liked, how it played, what you thought overall! 

CLICK THIS TO SIGN UP TODAY!

Please message pokemama_smash on Discord for any questions!

Diversifiers!

• Accessibility
  • For All Eyes - Include accessibility options for visual impairments (large font, increased contrast, color blind palettes, etc)
  • Read & Say - Make a game that has the option to turn on subtitles for any voiced over dialogue
  • Soundspace - Create an Audio Game that can be played with sound only. No visuals required!
• Audio / VO
  • Have I Heard Them Before? - Use voice acting in your game that sounds like an impression of a famous person / character! 
  • The Top Charts of the Past - Pick a specific year in music. Create the soundtrack of your game as if it came out during that year.
  • Not the Obvious Choice - The orchestral music of John Williams was used in “Star Wars” instead of synths and more “spacey” things. What is the obvious music choice in your genre/theme– and how could you subvert it?
• Narrative
  • Time is of the Essence - Write a narrative where the player knows time is running out to accomplish an objective, but they don’t know how long they have left
  • Dear Diary - Tell a story using a diary/journal-like structure.
• Art
  • In the Louvre - Lay out your art and visuals to look like a framed painting in a gallery, or like several paintings in a gallery wall!
  • In the Pallette - Try to make a game with as few different colors as possible.
• Gameplay
  • 2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back - Create gameplay centered around going backwards in order to succeed, whether it’s through exploring an area multiple times or unraveling a narrative in reverse!
  • “If you say so!” - Strongly feature a persuasion system
• Team
  • Time to Dream - for the entire jam everyone on the team gets a full night’s rest
  • Keeping it All Together - Have at least one producer on your jam team 
  • A Common Goal - Form a team based on common goals you have for the jam / what you’d like to get out of the jam.
• Bonus Diversifiers
  • The Void - Your game is slowly being sucked into the void. What can the player do to stop it? Anything?? Or is the game slowly disintegrating in front of the player’s eyes the whole time???
  • AAAAAAAAAAAA - aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa