Hello! 👋

This is a game jam to celebrate the launch of a NEW small game-making web tool, Bipsi!

Bipsi is a small, browser-based game-making tool created by mark wonnacott (a.k.a. candle) for making lo-fi pixel games. It takes a lot of inspiration from Bitsy Game Maker, but with some fresh, fizzy features! Bipsi is great for creating games that focus on exploration, interacting with the environment, and short & sweet narratives. It's also designed to be friendly to both beginner & experienced gamemakers alike!

You can try out Bipsi for yourself HERE: https://kool.tools/bipsi/

Read the Bipsi User's Guide HERE: https://kool.tools/bipsi/user-guide.pdf

To celebrate the launch of this new tool, we're hosting a Bipsi Game Jam! The rules are simple: In the span of about a week, use the Bipsi tool to create something cool! Then, submit it to this jam page right here. We're excited to see what new ideas are born from Bipsi!

If you want even more Bipsi goodness, you can join the Bipsi Discord Server and hang out with other wacky Bipsi enthusiasts! Post your games, talk shop, and connect with others over the love of Bipsi!

For those who appreciate an extra nudge of inspiration, this jam also has an optional theme that you can use to kickstart your game design muscles:

THEME: ✨🧃LUNCH🥪✨

Qs & As:

Q:  A whole new game engine? Where do I even begin???

A: My suggestion would be to read through the Bipsi User Guide first. Not only does it give an overview of all of Bipsi's features, it gives examples of what you might use these features for. After that, I would look at the demo game that loads when you first open Bipsi. How is the demo room constructed? How do you interact with things? You can learn a lot about Bipsi by just getting in there and playing with it!

Q: I'm stuck on how to do something in Bipsi, what do I do?

A: If you haven't given the Bipsi User Guide a readthrough, I would do that first! If nothing in there helps, you can contact candle directly on twitter, OR, you can hop on the Bipsi Discord and describe your issues in the dedicated "Tips and Help" channel. Bipsi people are happy to help!

Q: Are there any other specifications to the jam?

A: Make your Bipsi project as big or small as you want, but remember to keep your scope relatively within a week's worth of jamming! You can start on your Bipsi game before the jam officially begins if you feel inspired. If you think you're not going to finish your project by the time the jam ends, consider submitting a "placeholder" game page and update it with your finished Bipsi game once it's done! If your game tackles sensitive topics, be sure to add the appropriate content warnings! We reserve the right to remove any content that antagonizes marginalized communities (e.g. racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, etc.)

Q: This is cool and Bipsi is cool! Will there be more Bipsi jams in the future?

A: If you want to see more Bipsi jams, make sure to promote Bipsi and this jam on whatever your favorite internet platform is! (#Bipsi!) Also be sure to hop on to the Bipsi Discord Server and join the burgeoning community of Bipsi lovers!

Have fun, everyone!

BG art edited from Pop Art Themes: Coke Bottles and Pepsi Caps by John Haughey