Utah Indie Game Jam 2015

Hosted by Greg Squire · #UIGJ2015

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This jam is now over. It ran from 2015-10-10 00:00:00 to 2015-10-12 00:00:00. View results

Welcome to Utah Indie Game Jam 2015! --- (Theme: Secrets)

Come with your team and make a game in 48 hours, meet people, and learn new stuff. Our third annual game jam will be held on October 9-11 at The Business Resource Center of Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem. Address is 815 West 1250 South, Orem, UT 84058

Check-in will be between 6 and 7 pm and the event goes until 8 pm on Sunday. We should have some great prizes for the winners.

We are also partnering with the Indie Speed Run guys this year, so if you want to enter your game into that competition as well you can. We'll be using the same theme as them. However this part is optional as there's a $25 entry fee (per game entry), but the potential prize pool is much higher.

What's a game jam?

Game Jams are a time-constrained game-making competition. In general, the goal is to come out of it with an awesome game you have made by yourself or with a team. If you want more info, check out these articles.

What does it cost?

The event is free. Though you'll need to pay for your own meals, snacks, etc. Also participation in Indie Speed Run is not free, but is optional.

What should I bring?

We suggest you bring a laptop computer (for portability), but you can bring in a desktop machine if you like. Note that internet access will be wireless only, so bring a dongle if you need one! Other good items are: food, snacks, toiletries, sleeping bag, pillow, headphones, thumb drives, and generally things that you'll need to survive a weekend trapped with a bunch of geeks.

How large can my team be?

We don't have a limit on how many members can comprise a team, however you'll find that larger teams aren't always better as there's more chaos and coordination work. It's okay to have a team of one person if you want. Teams should be fairly well set by the time the event starts. If you need help finding a team let us know and we may be able to help. Also if you are entering the Indie Speed Run, your team size is limited to four people.

Will food be provided?

Lunch on Saturday will be provided by Ninjabee, but outside of that you'll need to provide your own meals. They can be brought in or there are a number of stores and food establishments near the university. There are drinking fountains and restrooms available.

Will there be prizes?

Utah Geek Events is sponsoring our prizes again this year. Here's the list of awards and prizes:

Grand Prize - $100
Best Visuals - $20
Best Audio - $20
Best Gameplay - $20
Best Narrative - $20
Best Humor - $20
Most Likely to Succeed - $20
Most Innovative Design - $20
Most Educational - $20
"Left Field" Award - $20
Audience Choice Award - $20

The winners will be determined by a panel of judges, except the Audience Choice Award which will be voted upon by the attendees. All games will need to incorporate the theme which will be announced during the kickoff meeting at the start of the event. At the end all games will be submitted to the website and each team will be able to present their game to the judges and everyone for about 5-10 mins per team. After that the judges will deliberate and the award ceremony will follow. (FYI - These categories could change before the event, but it's unlikely).

What are the rules?

All entrants will have 48 hours (roughly) to develop as much of a game as is possible (preferably fully playable).
The entirety of the game must be conceived, designed, built, and uploaded within the allotted time.
Entrants must be prepared to show their progress at the end of the 48 hours.
Entrants may choose to organize teams with any other entrants they choose.
Entrants must have rights to all presented game assets, including: art, sfx, and music.
Entrants may use any freely available programming frameworks, tools, and engines, as well as from their personal library also.
Entrants must incorporate the randomly selected theme of the jam.
Entrants will keep their game clean and in good taste as it may be shown to kids. (No porn, F-bombs, etc)
Entrants are expected to be respectful to others and the building during the jam.
No alcohol or drugs are allowed in the building, and any smoking will have to be done outside.

Schedule

Friday, Oct 9th

6 pm - 7 pm: Sign in and orientation

7 pm - 7:30 pm: Opening ceremony & Theme announcement

7:30 pm: Jam starts in earnest

Saturday, Oct 10th

12 pm: Lunch (Sponsored by Ninjabee)

Sunday, Oct 11th

4 pm - 5 pm: Game submission hour

5 pm - 7 pm: Presentation of Games and Judging

7 pm - 7:30 pm: Judges deliberate

7:30 pm - 8 pm: Closing awards ceremony (Prizes sponsored by Utah Geek Events)

Indie Speed Run Details

For those competing in the Indie Speed Run (optional), here are some important details about the start of the event.

The theme will be revealed when the organizer presses "start" on the Indie Speed Run (ISR) website.

All teams that are participating MUST have linked to our location and purchased a credit BEFORE we press "start". To link to our live site, login to the ISR site, click on "Live Jams", find "Utah Indie Game Jam 2015" and then click on "+SIGN UP".

Once we press START there is no going back. The theme for our location will be revealed and the ISR website will start its countdown.

Teams may have to refresh before seeing the timer and the theme. All teams at the site will have the same start and end times.

Each team at the site will have the same THEME but will each have a different random ELEMENT. If you really want, you can roll the "danger dice" to get a new random ELEMENT.

Remember to review the rules, including the important step to include this required text in your game verbatim:

"This game was developed as part of Indie Speed Run 2015 (www.indiespeedrun.com)."