itch.io

Hi! There is no limit to team size, but we do recommend teams to split up if larger than 5. Our only rule regarding team size is that you cannot use our itch.io or Discord to recruit new members if your team is already has 4 or more members.

As for others signing up, it's your choice. It's fine for only one person to submit a game, but if other people sign up and are added to the game as contributors, they will also be able to join in on the voting period.

Yep, 7 days to make a game and then 7 days to play and vote on everyone else's games.

Sami is correct. When the countdown ends, the jam begins. Games cannot be made before the jam begins.

Yes, any game engine is fine. Please see the "Does my game have to use a specific engine..." part of the Rules section for more info.

Hi! Yes, the first, second, and third place prizes will go to any winner, regardless of engine or assets used. The only category which depends on the tools you use is "Best GDevelop Game".

Hi! Any build which can be uploaded to itch.io is fine, regardless of file size. We recommend keeping files sizes as small as possible though, primarily to have a decent chance during the voting period.

We wish we had the energy for that!

We are investigating all misconduct here, not just your own. If you'd like to discuss further, please reach out via the previously provided methods.

Public misconduct warning. Please do not insult other games in their comments, regardless of context. If you take issue with other jammers, please reach out on our Discord or via email at mail@screamzone.org.

Of course! I'm not too familiar with Scratch, but if the game can be packaged in a way that's playable in the browser or desktop for people without access to Scratch, there's no issue at all. 

EDIT: We've had many Scratch submissions in previous jams, as well.

Hi! No, you can't make your own assets before the start of the jam, but you can plan them and do rough sketches.

Hi! Before the jam begins, you may create rough sketches and plans, but you can't create actual assets and animations.

Yep, and it can be a demo!

Hi Maplew1rz! We want people to make games however they can, so you can absolutely use Roblox Studio! The only issue with it is that it will strongly limit the number of people who actually play your game, but if that's not a big concern of yours then it's no problem at all!

The link above will work. For future reference, it's called "SCREAM ZONE" and you can find a link to it in the "THE SCREAM SCENE" section of the jam page.

Yep, absolutely!

Yep, confirming that you can use any engine, so Scratch is perfectly fine!

Hi there. This is an extremely subjective category which is voted on by us jam hosts. Because of that, it's not a category you can particularly aim to win because we tend to try to reward games which we feel won't get enough recognition. All other categories are voted on by jammers and clearer in focus.

Hi! No, you don't need to have a Windows port in order to submit a game for this jam. However, if you care about getting feedback and ranking in the five participant-voted categories, you will want to release your game on as many platforms as possible. Windows is by far the largest user base, and we also have a lot of Linux users in this community, along with macOS users. If you can export a web version of your game, that would be the best option.

Our associates at Kitsch Digital develop on MacBooks,  and their Windows builds have always been fine. If you would like help with testing your builds on other platforms at the end of the jam, you can jump on our Discord and ask for help. Another option is to release the macOS build first and submit builds for other platforms after the jam ends.

Either or neither! You can also use engines like Godot, GDevelop, Game Maker, Twine, etc.

The very top results will be posted on our Discord, with a link to all the ratings. So if you want a reminder when the results are out, join the Discord!

Yes, but we do not recommend it as people are unwilling to install games in order to play them, especially mobile games.

If you'd like to make a mobile game, I'd recommend making something that can be played in the browser, or also providing builds on desktop platforms (Windows / macOS / Linux).

EDIT: Of course, if you do not care about ratings and just want to join the jam for fun, then you can ignore this.

You absolutely can, but we don't recommend it.

People are often unwilling to install games in order to play them. This is especially true for mobile games, which people are very cautious about.

If you'd like to make an Android game, I'd recommend making something that can be played in the browser, or also providing builds on desktop platforms (Windows / macOS / Linux).

EDIT: Of course, if you do not care about ratings and just want to join the jam for fun, then you can ignore this.

Great question - VR games of any kind are welcomed to the jam! Just a heads up that as other players may not be able to play them, you may find the game isn't played or rated as much. But otherwise it's absolutely encouraged :) 

A fantastic adventure game that relishes in its atmosphere. Everything from the period visuals and user interface that evoke an older adventure game, to the subtle but highly effective soundtrack create the impression of a fully realised creative vision. The core concept of an abandoned hotel plagued by media networks with cult ties is a unique one and the lore of the game is well embedded in the environment the player can observe and investigate. This would have demolished those old-style room escape games like The Crimson Room back in the day. All I can say is that I hope you continue being able to come up with and create games like this - it's a pleasure to play! 

Thanks for being part of the Scream TV jam! 

- ryan 

Hi! Ideally, games should be for Web, Windows, macOS and Linux, with Web being the most important. VR is okay, but your player numbers will be down unless it's optional. People are wary of installing games, and so are unlikely to play Android games, but you can submit games for any platform you want.

This is a lot of fun! Changing channels on the television is used to great effect to reflect the increasing desperation of trying to find clues whilst also avoiding the dreaded father getting all up in my grill. There's a nice mix of art and leveraging royalty-free footage that creates a bit of a period vibe that works well with horror.  The clues also add an interesting puzzle element that is specific to the footage. The red works great as a cue for clues whilst creating a bold and distinctive color scheme against the monochrome. I think after I realised that the father character only harasses you when you continue to change channels rather than worrying about freezing or staring at him, the quick reactions became more manageable. I think the only constructive feedback I can give is that there's a lot of opportunities for even more storytelling here. What is this weird, dilapidated house, and why does my dad want to stare at me so much? Great work! 

Thanks for being a part of the Scream TV jam! 

- ryan 

Just like the Scary Maze game, this is a devilish idea predicated on tricking the player into intently focusing on one thing when they are just about to become startled by a jumpscare! The idea is simple and effective and I like how it's executed. As other have said, it can be quite tricky at first, but this is all part of the trick to ensnare people's focus and attention. Fun idea - good work! 
Thanks for being a part of the Scream TV jam! 

- ryan

This rules. As others have said, there's something very funny and unique about the horror premise of attending to the needs of a demon that has set up on your couch and is keen on watching television, and the animations were a highlight! The design is well done and covers all of the mechanics of a good point-and-click adventure. I feel like any decent adventure game needs something a little messed up and making a poison from bad food in the fridge is definitely up there. As others have noted, for constructive criticism finding ways to checkpoint and add restarts and also think about intuitive ways to signal actions such as changing rooms or interactable objects can help a lot. 

Thanks for being a part of the Scream TV jam! 

- ryan 

I like the game's central idea of messing around with the relationship between the player and game. Sometimes it can be very effective to manipulate and confuse a player and break down the idea of where the game begins and ends. I really encourage you to explore these ideas and how they can reinforce a narrative! In this game, there's a few fun twists - reassembling the body of the game's author, believing the game is frozen when it's not, and traversing outside the game space. I like the hints at narrative progression with the pictures too. For constructive feedback, think about how you can tie the threads together into a story: how can the tricks you've learnt and demonstrated along the way reinforce a way of telling a story? For instance, a common trope with these mechanics is to set up a 'haunted' game or entity that is messing with the player. There's so many angles to go with these ideas and it's awesome to see something fresh! Great work. 

Thanks for being a part of the Scream TV jam! 

- ryan 

Such a unique and strange game! I really appreciate the distinctive approach of having puzzles in a jam which sets it apart from the generic genres you often see. As others have noted, it needs a little bit of bugfixing, but that's alright - the game conveys its core ideas well! The time and reaction-based puzzles are a great idea and there's definitely a lot of ideas to integrate them with other minigames. A little WarioWare, if you will. I hope you're able to keep working on this and complete the vision of the game you were going for as it looks very promising! 

Thanks for being a part of the Scream TV jam! 

- ryan 

Hey, it's a Scary Maze style game! I remember getting tricked by these a long time ago. I like how you've built on the idea and made it your own by adding in additional game mechanics. The whole point of the game is the crass jump scares - my only feedback is that the scares could have been even more tricky! But I'm appreciative you didn't go down that path. For my own sanity. 

Thanks for being a part of the Scream TV jam! 

- ryan

Highly effective exploration-based horror game. The theme is employed incredibly well through the association of visual glitches and static. Exploring at the walking pace creates this ominous atmosphere that works very well. I liked the inclusion of pieces of lore scattered through the initial stages of the level and it kept me wondering about what I was doing and where I was. The gameplay mechanic of locating objectives through changing channels of static on a television strapped on your back is ingenious! In terms of constructive feedback, I think the next steps for building on this would be to find a gameplay mechanic that reinforces the tension or danger. Being chased is the go-to, but I think there's plenty of opportunities to go down a time-based or the adventure/puzzle route too. With a setup this effective, the possibilities are limitless! Great work. 

Thanks for being a part of the Scream TV jam! 

- ryan

Hi manonamora!

Games submitted to our jams must be made during their timeframes, which in this case was a week. It was found that “Teatime with a Vampire” was developed over the length of a month and is therefore not eligible for submission.

So unfortunately had to remove your game. I’m sorry, we very much enjoyed it. Hopefully you consider joining one of our future jams!

You're very welcome! I hope you're able to build on your skills and make more cool stuff! 

Great turns of phrase in here that indicate a love of panache and whimsy.  The presentation of the story indicates a good confidence with Harlowe given the design of the custom CSS, particularly the design of the player-input password as a puzzle that could lie at the centre of the enigmatic story. I need to play it again to properly process it, but it effectively conveys images of forlorn desolation of an abandoned apartment and dated television show only preserved through the obsessions of the main character. It's a bit Videodrome in how it sets up the television as this large, dreadful thing through which fantasies are channeled. Which is nice. Whilst time-consuming and difficult to plan, I definitely encourage exploring the possibilities of finalising the puzzles - I assume they're not done, or I'm not very smart - as this really does start to tug at the flexibility of Twine as a pretty open-ended medium. Great work! 

Thanks for being a part of the Scream TV jam! 

- ryan 

This game fuses quite a few genres that I enjoy seeing in horror games - there's the analog horror genre, with its Assessment Examination style menus, and the desktop simulator. Similar to something like Hypnospace Outlaw, I like how you enjoy playing around with the dated UI elements and poking fun at the design. Placing the interactive computer in a 3D space also adds a sense of immersion to the game that I liked. In terms of constructive feedback, I liked the subtle storytelling through the browser history and think that could be explored more. How does the narrative connect to the mysterious assessment at the end of the game? I note that this was both a collaborative effort and what looks like a first foray into creating 3D games which is an enormous achievement. Great work! 

Thanks for being part of the Scream TV jam! 

- ryan 

Great take on a classic horror game mechanic - the trusty torch! I like how the torch here becomes a weapon to stave off the creature with light, which is animated very well. The layout is designed well as an avoidance and collection horror game with a similar model to Slender, except here there's a door system that adds nice pacing between safe and risky spaces. There's plenty of possibilities to take this further, including playing with the direction and radius of light to make it less effective, and designing enemy pathfinding and AI to make encounters less predictable and require quick thinking and a little strategy. Another direction is to consider environmental storytelling - other than text, how can the design of the game space and the things in it help convey a narrative about the game and the world the player is in? Looking through your portfolio it is also clear that you are both prolific and that skills have progressed enormously into developing 3D games - and that is awesome to see. I hope you keep at it! 

Thanks for being a part of the Scream TV jam! 

- ryan 

Congrats on your first game on the itch.io platform! You did a great job using Clickteam to create a game with a complete narrative and interactive game. I liked the premise and thought it was a really smart idea to control the game through the remote, just like the main character would. This game and its controls reminds me a lot of those DVD menu games that used to be very popular, which was very nostalgic! It's awesome to see the commitment to fully voice acting a game with this many characters too. I hope you keep at making games like this and coming up with new stories - and scares! 

Thanks for being a part of the Scream TV jam! 

- ryan