Game Jam THEME: 

Make a game in a weekend! 

Join ACM-W and Union College for our fall Game Jam. On Friday, the 21st at 7pm EST we will announce what the theme for the jam is. From that point until Monday the 23rd at Midnight EST you can submit a game. The game can be based on the theme announced, or whatever your imagination comes up with. After Monday to Monday the 31st  we will enter a voting period, where the public will be able to play and rate games.  The top three winners will win game-themed prizes (must be on campus to claim). 

We will also be hosting in-person workshops and events, but these are all optional:  

• Tuesday the 18th from 1-2 pm: Procedural Content Generation at Messa House
• Wednesday the 19th from 5:30-6:30 PM: 3D Asset Collection and Creation, with the MakerWeb at Olin 107
• Thursday the 20th from 4:00 -5:00 PM: Art and Game Design Discussion at Messa House 
• Friday the 21st from 7:00-8:00 PM: Game Jam Launch and Theme Reveal at Messa House 
• Saturday the 22nd from 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM: Work session at Messa House 

Can I work in a team? 

Yes! You can work in a team with as many people as you want. If you do not have a team in mind, we suggest that you come to our launch event on Friday to meet other people who are participating in the event. You can also use the community tab to try and find people to work with. 

What kinds of games can be made? 

Any kind of game is welcome, not just video games. You can submit any kind of interactive fiction, board game, card game, or even an adventure for a role-playing game. As long as you can include everything someone needs to play the game on your page, it can be accepted. 

What formats are accepted? 

Itch.io excepts all kinds of files to be uploaded to your project page. That means anything that can be uploaded should be fine, including pure code files. If you have an online project, include the link in the description of your game. 

My game isn't finished, should I still submit it? 

Yes! The point of a game jam is to practice creativity, not to create complete or high-quality games. Whatever you have at the end of the jam should be submitted. 

I don't know how to program can I still participate? 

Yes. There are several ways you can participate if you cannot code. 

1. Join a team with someone who can code, and contribute to the game design, art, music, or story.  
2. Create a non-digital game like a board or card game 
3. Use a tool such as https://textadventures.co.uk/ to make a text-based adventure or interactive fiction game 
4. Learn programming! Something like Scratch (https://scratch.mit.edu/) is a great way to get started with programming
5. You can give use something like the Mario level editor to make game levels: https://funhtml5games.com/?play=marioeditor 

I don't know how to create art, where can I find resources to help me? 

There are many greate resources available for people who don't know how to create digital art. 

1. If you want to try creating your own pixel art this website (https://www.piskelapp.com/download) is a great place to start
2. The Unity Asset Store https://assetstore.unity.com/ or Open Game Art https://opengameart.org/ also have a lot of great resources to use 
3. Find a teammate to do art for your game 
4. Come to our workshops on 3D Assets or Art in Games!

Where can I go with questions or get help? 

1. We will be moderating the community form on this page if you want to send any questions there. 
2. Come to a workshop or event. Game jam organizers will be at every event to answer any questions you have. 
3. You can also contact the head organizer, Fiona Shyne directly at shynef@union.edu