CRCS Fall Game Jam - Sponsored by the Cypress Ranch Computer Science Club

Discord Server - https://discord.gg/JsRVnsem

Welcome to our game jam! This is both an experiment and an opportunity for developers of all skill levels to create something exceptional. With a full four weeks to develop your game, we're expecting a bit more than typical short-form jams while maintaining our focus on learning, creativity, and community building.

🎯 About the Jam

This extended format gives you time to polish, iterate, and create games with real depth. You'll develop a game from scratch based on our announced themes, with optional wildcards to spark additional creativity and challenge conventional approaches.

Duration: 4 weeks
Themes (3):

• Cost
• Inertia
• Dissonance

You may find it helpful to explore the dictionary definitions of the themes.

Wildcards (6):

• Perspective Matters: How you see things changes what they are - implement mechanics where viewpoint, angle, or perspective fundamentally alters gameplay elements.
• The Butterfly Effect: Small actions lead to great changes - design your game so that minor player decisions or tiny interactions create significant consequences later.
• Grounded: Set your game in a real place on Earth and keep all mechanics realistic - no magic, no impossible physics, just authentic realistic gameplay.
• Faerie Ring: Incorporate circles, rings, or circular motifs as meaningful gameplay or narrative elements.
• Echoes in Stone: If only the walls could talk - tell your story through what the environment has witnessed, letting walls, floors, and objects reveal their secrets.
• Monochrome + 1: Limit your entire visual palette to black, white, grays, and exactly one other color.

About the Themes: We're offering three options for maximum creative flexibility. Choose at least one theme that resonates with your vision - you're welcome to combine multiple themes for richer gameplay possibilities, but it's not necessary. Focus on executing your chosen theme(s) thoughtfully rather than cramming them all in. Quality implementation matters more than quantity. 

Wildcards: Optional creative constraints for extra challenge. Use any combination you like - or none at all! Just like the themes, quality implementation matters more than quantity.

With the extended four-week timeframe, you have the opportunity to dive deeper into planning, iterate on your ideas, and polish your implementation. Take advantage of this extra time to explore your themes more thoroughly and create something truly refined.

📋 Rules & Requirements

Team & Participation

• Maximum 5 people per team
• Each person can only contribute to one submitted game
• At least one team member must be in our Discord server

Submission Requirements

• Submit before the deadline on this itch.io page
• Include a web-playable version and/or downloadable builds for Windows, Mac*, and Linux
• Provide your public GitHub repository link
• Include at least 4 screenshots of your game
• State themes and any optional wildcards used in the game's cover, menu, credits, or other similar pages.
• Game description is optional but highly encouraged

Development Guidelines

• Games must be built during the jam period (planning ahead is fine!)
• Use any engines, tools, or asset packs you like
• Ensure you have rights to all content (code, music, art, etc.)
• If using AI-generated content, please mention it in your description
• Keep content appropriate (SFW) - action and mild violence are okay

Version Control

GitHub is required for all submissions. This helps us:

• Verify your game was created during the jam
• Confirm team contributions
• Encourage good development practices

Repositories must be public. If this is a concern, contact the organizers and we'll work something out.

*Notarized Mac builds are appreciated but not required.

🏆 Prizes

We'll have prizes — gift cards, recognition on the club website, maybe some physical goodies we're working on. Nothing crazy, but definitely something to celebrate the winners.

But here's what we're really excited about: You get four weeks to build something that matters. Not a frantic weekend sprint where you're just trying to get anything working. Four weeks to actually care about your game. To have an idea, build it, realize it's not quite right, and then make it better. To add that extra feature. To polish that animation. To make players actually feel something when they play.

Most jams, you walk away thinking "imagine what this could have been with more time." This time? You get that time (assuming you don't procrastinate).

The opportunity is there to create something you're genuinely proud to put your name on. Something that represents what you can actually do when you're not just racing the clock.

In our opinion, that's the real prize here.

🏆 Judging Criteria

Given the extended timeline, we're developing evaluation standards that reflect the additional development time while maintaining the spirit of learning and experimentation. So far, expect grading on the following: how well the themes were implemented, how well the wildcards were used, graphics, story writing, and originality.

🚀 Getting Started

1. Join our Discord server
2. Read the full rules in the announcements channel
3. Find teammates or go solo
4. Set up your GitHub repository
5. Ask questions in our help channel

🎮 What We're Looking For

With four weeks at your disposal, we're excited to see what you can create. This extended timeline allows for:

• More polished gameplay mechanics
• Deeper exploration of the themes
• Creative use of optional wildcards
• Evidence of iteration and refinement
• Unique perspectives and innovative approaches

However, those don't need to (and may not) happen: we just want you to have fun and make something you are proud of!

Remember: this is our first time organizing a game jam, and this extended format is an experiment. We appreciate your patience and feedback as we learn together!

📞 Support

Questions? Need help? Join our Discord server and ask in the help channel. Our community is here to support each other throughout the jam.

Good luck, and happy jamming!

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Organized by the Cypress Ranch Computer Science Club