When does the jam start?

The Jam will begin on 01 May 2025, Thursday, 10:00 AM.

The duration of the jam is 3 days.

Jam will end on 03 May 2025, Saturday 11:59 PM.

All the times are given in Bangladesh Standard Time (GMT+06).

What is the theme?

"3D Horror Theme"

Which assets can I use?

The only restrictions on the usage of assets are as follows:

• No NSFW assets (ie, Background/images/musics/SFX/sprites/textures etc.)
• No assets that go against the terms of service of itch.io
• No copyrighted materials

Apart from these, you are free to use any assets.

Which platform do I need to use?

We have no restrictions on game engines or platforms. Use what feels natural to you if you are a beginner, and what you are used to if you are not a beginner. 

There are many good game engines like Unity, Godot, Unreal, etc., and drawing libraries like p5.js, OpenGL, and Pygame. Use whichever you are comfortable with or make something from scratch if you want.

What kind of games can I make?

Make games for PCs that can be played with a Keyboard and a Mouse. Do not build a game for phones, VR, or any console or emulator. Do not build anything that would need additional software to be playable. The game must be playable on Windows (or web browsers).  

What will be the judging criteria?

The games will be judged based on 4 criteria:

• How well the theme was adopted
• How interesting the gameplay features are
• How fun the gameplay is
• How well the game looks and sounds

All these criteria will carry the same weight in the judgment procedure.

What additional information do I need to provide?

When editing the details of your game in the game page, make sure to add:

• Your name (Mandatory)
• Engine or Framework used in the game (Mandatory)
• The GitHub link to your project (The repository should be empty when the game jam starts and should not be changed after the online round has ended) (Mandatory)
• Installation instruction (Mandatory)
• A short-written description of the game (Mandatory)
• A how-to-play section
• Any other information vital for playing the game (must not include downloading additional software as mentioned in “What kind of games can I make?” section)

These are the mandatory details you need to provide in your project page.

Fields for the additional information will be available when you will go to upload your submission in itch.io

Do I need to provide the source code?

Yes, you need to provide the GitHub link of your project repo.

• The repository should be empty when the game jam starts
• No modifications should be made after the online round ends.
• The repository must be public

The code will not carry any weight in the judging process. 

When do I submit my game to the game jam?

Anytime between the start and end time of the game jam. You can update your submitted project in this duration too. The judgment will be carried out on the final submission.

About the video submission

We want to showcase the submission from our participants. Therefore, the participants will need to create a video highlighting the game features and explain how the game aligns with the theme.

You don’t have to give implementation details in the video.

• Create the video
• Upload it on YouTube
• Include “BhootJam2025” on the title of your video
• In the description, add the hashtag #BHOOTJAM2025

The video must be submitted before May 4, 2024

(We are giving you some extra time after the online round so that you can focus the full time on making games. Edit your game page and add the video URL in the description)

The video is optional. It will only be used for showcasing and helping the judges of the online round to understand the game (just in case if they miss some features). The video will not carry any weight in the scoring process. 

Who are the judges?

We will bring industry professionals, and the organizers of the Game Jam will play and score all the games.

FAQ

Are web games allowed? Yes, but give instructions on how to play.

Is there any registration fee: No

I registered by did not get any confirmation email: You should get an automatic response of your google form's submission in your inbox. Treat that as a confirmation email. As we are keeping the registration email throughout the online round too, we are not going to send any additional confirmation email. But we will check your form responses. If any discrepancy is found, we will email you.

I missed the deadline: Late submission is not allowed, and you can't change your submission after the online round has ended. Judgment in onsite round will also be on the version of the game you published on the itch.io

My game exceeds itch. Io's size limit: Itch.io has a size limit of 1GB. Usually, Game jam games do not exceed that limit. If, however, your game is bigger upload it to drive or somewhere else, give it public access and share the link on the itch. Io's project that you will submit. Also note that you are not allowed to modify your upload after the submission deadline.

Is parody allowed?: We all love some comedy, but don't do anything that might offend someone or any particular racial group. Also don't hint at sexual or radical ideas in your game.

Final words

If you encounter any problems during the game jam, let us know about it in the Discord channel (https://discord.gg/stRXcSth) or email us at support@ghost.com.bd. Also note that the organizers reserve the right to change the event details at any time. 

Happy game developing!!