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Castle Game Jam is a rapid result driven game development event where teams create prototypes over the course of 1 week in a big castle. Teams generally consist of 1 to 4 developers which are either formed beforehand or during the start of the event. The location of Castle Game Jam vary from year to year and its participants come from all over the world. After a successful game jam the teams should've created prototypes and formed connections they can bring with themselves home. There's also lectures, workshops, live music, trade fair, parties and so much more for the participants to attend. You have to be at least 18 years old to attend this event as a participant since there may be alcohol present at the venue during the week.
Discord: https://discord.gg/JuemGJw
Tickets: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spelkollektivet/castle-game-jam-2023
Location: Ventspils, Latvia
Ventspils is a Latvian port city on the Baltic Sea. It's bisected by the Venta River. The old town, with cobblestone streets and 17th-century storehouses, is centered on Town Hall Square and Market Square. The 13th-century Castle of the Livonian Order now houses Ventspils Museum, with exhibitions on the castle and the city. Close to the city's beach, Ventspils Water Park has slides and pools.
Schedule
There may be changed and more details to the schedule as we get closer to the event.
2023-06-10 14:00 - Accommodations and check-in opens
2023-06-10 18:00 - Tent accommodation opens
2023-06-10 18:00 - BBQ party and mingle
2023-06-10 20:00 - Theme announcement
2023-06-11 00:00 - Jam starts
2023-06-15 24:00 - Jam ends
2023-06-16 09:00 - Tent accommodation closes
2023-06-16 10:00 - B2B Conference starts for the day
2023-06-16 18:00 - B2B Conference ends for the day
2023-06-17 10:00 - B2C Conference starts for the day
2023-06-17 16:00 - B2C Conference ends for the day
2023-06-17 17:00 - Award show and final words
2023-06-17 20:00 - BBQ party and mingle
2023-06-18 09:00 - Accommodations close
Game jam
The actual game jam will last for 120 hours, midnight to midnight, 2023-06-11 to 2023-06-15. We recommend you plan for a 24 hour game, and instead focus on polishing a small tight core of a game. The absolute best thing you can bring with you home from a game jam are memories and new friends/connections, so make sure you also spend time networking with others!
Theme
The theme for the jam will be announce 2023-06-10 20:00 at the BBQ party, and during the week leading up to the start the event you'll have the opportunity to vote for various themes in order to impact the final choice.
Competition
If you're interested in participating in the competition to win a trophy or 2 to celebrate your ingenuity, the rules are simple. The amount of contributers may be max 4 people, all must be on-site and no other assets may be used unless it's free and open-source, and each such asset should be mentioned in credits. No limitations on engines or platforms, but the game should be playable in the browser for the sake of simplifying the judging process.
Talent pool
There are some areas of game development which are hard to work with in a specialiazed manner, and still have enough to do, in just one team. For that reason we're introducing a concept we're calling "Talent pool", where teams can submit requests for talent, and any person in the talent pool can pick it up if it fits their profile. Some areas for these would be music, sound effects and voice acting. Being a part of the talent pool doesn't mean you can't also join a team officially. Either way, each team using assets from the talent pool, should credit the person helping them out!
Mentors
Attending Castle Game Jam is quite an experience, and is something some may want to do even if they don't feel like they are up for jamming themselves. For this reason, we're offering up the opportunity for people to join Castle Game Jam as mentors. A mentor is someone who's experienced and knowledgeable and are willing to spend the week helping others out. Mentors may help you with engine issues, math problems or perhaps discuss game design problems.
Conference
To be announced!
Accommodation
Shared accommodation
We provide basic accommodation in the form of shared accommodation in a nearby school. We'll have different class rooms available and you may choose a location based on preferences, such as "no snoring" or "females only".
Hotel
If you've got it made and you're looking to have the best sleep, we've got your back. We've partnered up with one of the hotels in Ventspils and are able to offer you an affordable option for a hotel!
Tenting
For the adventurers attending Castle Game Jam, we've managed to create a camping area within the castle walls, so that you may sleep just a few meters from the castle itself. The camping area is surveiled by security guards. This accommodation is only available from 2022-06-10 to 2022-06-16.
There's an add-on available to rent tents and other necessities if you would like to have this option, without having to bring your own gear.
Food
Food will not be provided by the event itself, with exception of the BBQ-parties and opt-in breakfasts we'll provide. We've already talked to some of the restaurant owners, and will provide a list of recommended restaurants nearby that will provide discounts to all attendees.
Travel
Tallin -> Tartu -> Castle Game Jam
We're organizing free bus trips thanks to our partners at GameDev Estonia!
2023-06-10 08:00 - Tallinn
2023-06-10 10:30 - Tartu Science Park
2023-06-10 16:00 - Ventspils
For the return trip, the bus is leaving Ventspils at 2023-06-18 09:00!
Riga -> Castle Game Jam
We're organizing free bus trips thanks to our partners at TO BE ANNOUNCED!
2023-06-10 13:00 - Riga
2023-06-10 16:00 - Ventspils
For the return trip, the bus is leaving Ventspils at 2023-06-18 09:00!
Vilnius -> Kaunas -> Klaipėda -> Castle Game Jam
We're organizing free bus trips thanks to our partners at TO BE ANNOUNCED!
2023-06-10 09:00 - Vilnius
2023-06-10 10:30 - Kaunas
2023-06-10 13:00 - Klaipėda
2023-06-10 16:00 - Ventspils
For the return trip, the bus is leaving Ventspils at 2023-06-18 09:00!
Sweden -> Castle Game Jam
We recommend travelling to Nynäshamn, and from Nynäshamn take a ferry to Ventspils.
https://www.stenaline.se/rutter/nynashamn-ventspils
World -> Castle Game Jam
We recommend flying to Riga, and from Riga take a bus to Ventspils.
https://www.bezrindas.lv/en/home
Press & content creators
If you're interested in covering Castle Game Jam as a journalist or a content creator, reach out to us and we'll help set it up. Our goal is to give as much attention as possible to our attendees, and we'll do our best to accommodate you!
For more information contact James Newnorth; james@castlegamejam.com.
Main organizers
James Newnorth
Hi, I'm the founder of Spelkollektivet and Castle Game Jam and I've been working on it and its concepts since somewhere in 2014. My big passion in life is programming, I love building systems and tools. Between running companies and events, I still spend a lot of time trying to make games.
Laura Vilsone
5 years of experience as a games artist / animator / Unity developer. 4 years of experience in the board of Latvian Game Developers Association. Participant in Magnetic Latvia business incubator program. In the winning team of GameCamps European cross border business incubator. Experience in work with international teams, EU projects and bridging the gap between governments and games industry.