Certain games ask players to stop and think. Into the Breach, Murder by Numbers, The Witness, and Baba is You are all games that present challenges players must reason through in order to understand their systems and progress. This type of design can build powerful moments of understanding for players and we would love to see more games of various genres designed with these sorts of epiphany moments in mind.

We believe thinky (puzzle-like) games are for everyone! Any developer can make a thinky game and every player should be able to find one they like. Often these games fail to connect with players (because of accessibility, visual style, narrative, etc).

Let's use this chance to experiment with new and exciting concepts for thinky games!

📢 Join the Astra Games discord to chat with fellow jammers!📢 

So, what's the theme?

Make a thinky game for audiences who might not be into thinky games. 

 🤝Make them more accessible. 

 🎨Experiment with game-feel and stunning art.

 🌶️Or spice things up with procedural generation. 

 ✍️Tell a personal story with your thinky game. Or mimic the epic narrative of other genres. It's up to you.

We'd love to see bold ideas, whether they're focused on mechanics, art, presentation, or narrative.

That said... we also have some extra (and entirely optional) themes!

• Or so the legend goes: Use elements of local folklore in your game.
• I'll borrow that: Take a game genre that is far from being thinky (racing, fighting, platformer, etc) and turn it into a thinky game.
• Musique concrète: Use live, recorded samples for all your sfx.

You keep saying "thinky" games

Right! Thinky is kind of a broad definition. "Puzzle games" feels a bit too restrictive. We want to see games where players overcome challenges through thinking and reasoning (you are entirely free to sprinkle that with other elements). Games where players understand systems, make insights and develop mastery.

That said, take this as an open definition. Just remember that thinky games should be focused on this kind of challenge.

Here are some examples of thinky games!

Making thinky games sounds hard

Anybody can make thinky games. You don't need a deep knowledge of puzzle games, an understanding of math, or an engineering degree. And if you're not super into thinky games, you're more likely to come up with something new and exciting. Give it a try and make something that follows your personal style!

Thinky games tend to be more suited for rapid development. Check out some commercial games that started as a game jam prototype!

Anything can be a thinky game, it doesn’t have to be a Sokoban clone or sudoku-like (though those are welcome too). You could make a thinky IF game, a roguelike, or maybe something built around local coop.

What are the rules of the jam?

Just make a game during the jam that follows the theme. Use any engine, create a board game, or a VR game. Use any assets (as long as you have the rights to do so). Any offensive content will be removed from the jam.

There are no rankings or prizes in this jam. Please have fun and take care of yourselves.

Who is behind this?

This jam is organized by Astra Games, a philanthropic fund that aims to elevate the thinking game genre. Our mission is to support the development of great thinking games and to broadly advocate for the value in playing them.

Astra has a fellowship program opening SOON. Developers who are awarded the grant have their expenses covered for a whole year, so they can focus on their own projects. This is a grant and not a publishing contract, you're still in full control of anything you make.

Joining the jam isn't required at all to apply for a fellowship, but it's a good excuse to work on your portfolio (or just have fun and experiment with thinky games). If you'd like more information about the fellowships, feel free to ask about them on Discord.

Streamers

These streamers will check out some of the games once the jam is over.

authorblues	GothicLordUK	Ambierona
ThinkyGames.com	Icely Puzzles	Joe Plays Puzzle Games
Kuchiwo Tsugumi