Hello and welcome to the UMass Game Jam hosted by the Game Dev Club. The goal of this jam is to provide an opportunity for our members to learn how to create a game and give them a platform to share their creations. Please join our Discord server at https://discord.gg/BzazQXk to get updates about the jam.

The theme for this jam is:

NUMBER GO UP

What you need to know about the jam:

When will the jam run?

The jam will run for two weeks, Sunday July 19th to Sunday August 2nd.

What languages can I use?

Any language or game engine is allowed. We'll be offering resources for Unity and Pico-8, but people in the club know all sorts of different engines / languages and can offer help.

I've never made a game before, can I join?

Yes! If you have no previous programming experience, we recommend Pico-8. It's based on Lua, a language designed for simplicity, and the engine suits itself well for small games. We will be offering Pico-8 licenses for use during the jam. If you have experience programming, especially with an object oriented language like Java, and you want to work with 3d games, Unity is a good option. For both engines, we'll offer resources and help getting started.

If you don't want to deal with any of this and just want to throw something together, Scratch is the OG

Can I work in a team? 

 Yeah go ahead, but keep it in teams five or smaller.

Can I use any preexisting assets? 

 Yes, there are no restrictions on preexisting assets. We allow reasonable usage of pre-written code (frameworks, libraries, engines), but all game-specific logic should be written during the jam. 

Will there be a prompt or theme? 

 Yes, the theme can be found above.

Will there be prizes? 

 We don't have any funding right now because its the end times so we'll see. This will however still be a ranked jam and there will be voting in the following categories: 

Enjoyment: This category comes down to answering one question: Is the game fun? Does every idea and its execution lead to an enjoyable and memorable experience for the player?

Concept: This category judges the idea behind the game. Does the game stem from a unique take on the theme? Does the game innovate on an existing idea? Does it reimagine a genre or gameplay concept? 

Execution: This category speaks more to the execution of the game. The design of a game encompasses many things like the aesthetic, the mechanics, the level design, the story, etc. 

Can I join if I'm not a UMass Amherst student? 

 Yes, as long as you're invited by a UMass Amherst student or on a team with one.