What is The Philosopher's Jam?

The Philosopher's Jam is about anything that involves philosophy. You can make a game about Taoism, Existentialism, Stoicism, etc. You can make a game about a particular philosopher's theories such as Plato, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, Confucius, or Ralph Waldo Emerson. You can also make a game about philosophical stories such as Aesop's Fables. You're even allowed to make a biographical game about a philosopher's life. It's really up to you.

Jam Goals

Winning a prize is nice (this one has prizes), but you should really join because you want to make games or because you want to meet new people interested in working on games. Even if you enter with an existing team, consider adding someone who can help out. 

Why work on a team?

Some may think finding a team is a hassle, but we believe the benefits far outweigh  the drawbacks including:

✨Having a team lets you focus on your strengths while your teammates focus on theirs.

✨ Teammates can help you brainstorm ideas.

✨Teammates can provide  immediate feedback to gameplay.

✨Teammates can relieve the pressure of having all the responsibilities fall onto one person's shoulders.

✨Since most people aren't good at everything, games done by teams tend to be better in general.

✨It's just more fun making things with other people.

Find a Teammate

Looking for people to team up with? As someone who has participated in ten different game jams, I have found the best way to form a team is through the jam's discord server. Although most jams treat team search  as an afterthought, our server will be optimized for team building. You can join the server by clicking the link below.

Join our Discord Server https://discord.gg/tnuj376uWt

Who should participate?

Anyone, really. You can be a beginner, intermediate, or advanced in your discipline. The only thing we ask is that you be considerate and mindful of your team. Treat each other with respect and understanding. (Joining a team and then bailing on them without explanation is just not cool.) 

RULES

Only submissions made by a team will be considered for prizes (A team is two or more people).

Any game engine can be used for this jam.

Any assets not created by the team should be credited.

Teams should only include assets they have the right to use. 

No NSFW (sexual) material.

Prize money will be sent to the team leaders for them to distribute.

JUDGING

Games will be judged in the following categories:

1. Gameplay - How good a game feels when playing it as well as the creativity of the gameplay itself.
2. Art - How nice do the art assets look, including the title screen and UI.
3. Music/Sound Effects - This will be based not only on the quality of the music and sound effects but how well they fit  with the game.
4. Overall Rating - In the end, what is the overall feel of the game with everything put together.

There will be a short video to reveal the OPTIONAL THEME when the jam starts. This theme will not effect judging. It will simply be a catalyst to get your creative juices flowing. 

Thinking about doing a bigger project? Consider joining KreatorBus!

KreatorBus is a website I launched a few months ago. The goal of the site is to build a community of talented and dedicated people who want to work on amazing projects together. Discord may be a good place to find teammates for casual game jams (which can be a rewarding experience), but I'm hoping to create a space for those looking to work on longer term  projects,  people who want to take their development to the next level. If that sounds like you, click on the link below. 

https://www.kreatorbus.com/