Thanks to RockyMullet for the awesome logo!

An open challenge to create a game prototype using exactly three buttons.

All skill levels are welcome from beginner to professional. New to this whole thing? Never made a game before? Play some jam-winning games to see where you can be after several jams of practice. 

Results + Highlights

Community Choice: Distinguish Slimes by TatoRPG

Host Choice: Planety Manetee by SnarkWorks Games

About Us

Hosted by 8 Bits to Infinity: a game development community improving creative and technical skills through rapid iteration and honest, critical feedback. Join us on Discord, check out our website, and take a look at our past jams and challenges.

The man behind 8 Bits to Infinity is Retro Indie Josh (aka Joshua McLean): streamer, musician, and game developer. Check out his game music (free for you to use in jams and commercial projects!) and his streams and other work.

Limitation (Required): Three Buttons

Your prototype must use exactly three unique inputs. Think of it like "button 1, 2, and 3."

You can:

• support multiple button mappings for accessibility: For instance, if your actions are "move, jump, attack" you could map these as "X, C, V" as well as "tab, spacebar, enter" and support a gamepad with "A, B, X" etc.
• get creative with button combinations (different actions for buttons 1+2, 1+3, 2+3, and 1+2+3, which more than doubles your options - but keep in mind pressing multiple buttons can be awkward)
• use different types of presses, such as short vs long press (But bear in mind that distinguishing these inputs can make gameplay difficult, and you should  use visual or auditory indicators to help the player understand what is going on)

You cannot:

• use an analog stick or mouse movement/position are prohibited, as these are a large number of potential inputs depending on their resolution

Theme (Semi-Optional): CYCLES

Interpret the theme however you like! Cycles can be bicycles, tricycles, cycles of life, cycles of work, natural cycles, computer cycles, and more. See the Wikipedia page on "cycle" for some ideas.

The theme is optional, but remember Theme/Limitation counts for 20% of your Community Choice score.

Judging and Prizes

Two "Choice" awards are available: Community Choice and Host Choice. These Choice winners will be featured in a jam showcase video on YouTube among other high-ranking games and honorable mentions.

Community Choice

You (contributors to any game entered into this jam) determine the Community Choice by voting on games after the jam concludes. Check out the Ratings Guide for how to interpret categories and tips on good star ratings.

Host Choice

Host Choice will be determined by the host and founder of 8 Bits to Infinity, Retro Indie Josh. He will stream games live and give feedback on Twitch during the ratings week.

All Choice winners receive:

• The jam-winner role on the 8 Bits to Infinity Discord server
• A place in our list of jam winners
• An additional secret prize

Rules and FAQ

See the Jam Rules and Jam FAQ for more details.

Jam Specific Rules

• No limitations on:
  • Graphics
  • Audio
  • Engine/library/framework, programming language, and other tools

Challenges/Diversifiers (Optional)

Looking for additional challenge in the jam? You can use any number of diversifiers listed here.

Schedule

• Development (main jam): July 8 to 18 (1pm ET)
• Community Choice voting: July 18 - 24 (1pm ET)
• Streams by Retro Indie Josh: July 27 at 4pm and July 30 at 1pm ET on Twitch
• Winners and ratings announced: July 31 (1pm ET)

Submitting

• WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU UPLOAD AND SUBMIT EARLY.
  • You are allowed to modify your game page, including files, until the deadline.
  • You are allowed to edit answers to your submission questions (through your submission page) until the deadline.
• Step 1: click the Join Jam button at the top of this page.
• Step 2: Make your game.
• Step 3: create a game project page on itch and upload your game files. See this documentation for help.
• Step 4: submit the game to the jam. After uploading your game, return to this page and click "Submit Your Project" at the top.
  • Be prepared to answer a few questions about your entry when submitting. You must answer all of these questions honestly and completely before the deadline.
  • Submission time is a hard deadline. No late submissions will be accepted.
  • Although you cannot modify files after the deadline has passed, you are still free to edit your game page. But note it is a violation of the rules to link to an updated version created after the deadline, and your entry will be removed.