Welcome to the VenJam 2023! A game jam is an event where you have a weekend to make a game, after which you'll have the opportunity to rate others' games! Even if you've never made a game before, this game jam will be the perfect opportunity to give it a try!
*I'm not sure if setting the dates worked correctly with the timezone. The intention is to end the game jam at 10:00pm on Sunday the 22nd Saskatoon time.
*I have no way of making this a private event. If you did not receive an explicit invitation to this game jam, please join a different game jam, there are many going on :)
Rules
- You can use any game engine or software you want (Godot, Unity, Unreal, Game Maker, etc.)
- You can work in teams
- You can use any external assets like spritesheets, 3D models, or systems
- You have a weekend to work on the game (but you can still upload and update the game after the cutoff)
- NOT A HARD REQUIREMENT: If time permits, consider creating a WebGL build instead of a .exe to make it easier to play your game
Theme
Every game jam has a theme that serves as one of the voting criteria. The theme is up to you and your fellow voters to interpret, and the theme for this game jam is going to be "mimicry" - whether this means trying to copy something from a game you love, or that your game will revolve around a game mechanic related to mimicry, is up to you! Get creative!
Criteria
Although our time is limited and for many people, this will be their first game, we will still have the opportunity for some friendly competition, and to learn from the feedback of others! Rating is just for fun - if you finish your game, that's already a great accomplishment. Games will be rated based on the following criteria:
- Gameplay
- Did the developer(s) use their time wisely and create a simple gameplay loop that is fully taken advantage of in the level(s)?
- Does the gameplay implement a fair challenge?
- If not, does something else justify its lack of interactivity (ex. the dev might focus on something else like telling a story)?
- Visuals
- Are the game's visuals mismatched, or is there a consistent art style?
- Do the game's colors and composition work well?
- Remember that realism and detail isn't the same as a good art style! Play to your strengths.
- Sounds
- Sound is very important for games. No sound will mean your game will get a 0 in this criteria.
- Adding ambient music and some sound effects from freesound.org will bring your game to life
- Game feel
- Did the dev(s) make sure to have enough time to polish their game?
- Are the controls responsive enough?
- Are there extra bits of game feel like particle effects, screen shake where appropriate, etc?
- Theme
- Does the game implement the theme of "Mimicry"?
Game Jam Tips
- Don't stress and get all the sleep you need! This is just for fun and learning.
- Focus on creating 1 simple core mechanic and fleshing it out fully before adding more mechanics or features
- Make sure you have extra time to test and polish
- Did I mention to keep the game simple? :P Seriously, whatever idea you have, cut it down to 10% of that idea!
Good luck!
PS: Resources
A great playlist to learn the basics of game development in Unity:
Sound effects: https://freesound.org/
Free game art: https://opengameart.org/ (Careful using too many mismatched assets!)
Game jam tips: