Welcome to

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This game jam aims to create a fun, inclusive environment for developers (solo or otherwise) to create a narrative based story --visual novel or otherwise-- with multiple endings that explore the  feel-good nature and spread some holiday cheer (with hopefully some amazing twists that end with less cheer... but you're the creators)!

A Hallmark movie is a feel-good, family-friendly film, often centered around romance, personal growth, or holiday themes, particularly Christmas (but I'd love to read some stories involving different winter holidays and traditions). Known for their heartwarming, predictable plots, these movies feature charming small-town settings, emotional journeys, and happy endings, making them a staple of light, comforting entertainment in the U.S.

Start Time: November 17, 2024 12:00:00 AM EST (9PM PST)

End Time: November 30, 2024 12:00:00 AM EST (9PM PST)

Duration: 13 Days

You can join our discord server here to connect with the others jamming: https://discord.gg/fsP66dCrVS  

We voted on the theme via the discord server. 

Our theme is: Charming Love Interest with a Secret

Description/example: 

The charming love interest may turn out to have a surprising secret, such as being the owner of a business the protagonist is supposed to shut down, or even something magical, like being Santa's son or daughter.

Any kind of video game allowed as long as it fits the theme.

No min/max number of teammates: solo or squad up! 

Pre-made Assets: Allowed as long as they are legally obtained.

No AI-Generated Assets: Focus on your personal creativity.

Game Engines: Use whichever engine you prefer.

Multiple Endings: Games MUST have at least TWO endings.

Must be a video game 

Must be free to play by all jammers. Please don't charge for your game until after the jam voting is complete. Once the jam is done and rankings published, it's your game go forth and do what you please. Not during the jam. Thank you! 

Prize:

Bragging Rights/#1 Ranking through itch

Aesthetics: How creative and unique is the art style.

Gameplay: Is it fun and engaging to play? 

Theme: How well does your game embrace the hallmark theme?

Sound Effects: How well do you integrate music and sound effects in your game.

Here's some more great info on the visual novel game creation engine called Ren'Py https://www.renpy.org/ just in case you do decide you'd like to try writing a visual novel for this (those are my forte!) 

And my favorite people to introduce you to how to use Ren'Py are Vimi (https://youtube.com/@vimi?si=mJMueB-gF3WIa0bl) and Zeil (https://youtube.com/@zeillearnings?si=nuWV9z0hpw7ZpG3F).

I think that's it for now, please check back often as this is my first jam I'm hosting and if I forget something, updates will be listed below. Thank you in advance for joining,  I look forward to enjoying all of your games!