The theme is: "Uncharted Depths"

 Rules

 Registration and teams

• Who can join? Anyone! Regardless of experience level.
• You must stick to the team size requirements that will be announced on the team forming night. There will be a minimum of 2 members and a maximum of 5 members in a team, no solo submissions.
• Only one person from each team is required to submit the game, but you can add additional teammates who have itch.io profiles from the More > Admins heading under the game project.
• It is NOT recommended to join more than 1 team.

 Jam submission rules

• You may use any game engine/framework/language to make your game.
• No submissions that require external games or software (i.e. Roblox)
• Your submission must ideally run on web, and most computers with low-mid end specs. Otherwise you submission can be created for Windows, however if running on Windows you must bring your own device to demo your game, i.e. a laptop with your game pre-installed.

 Content and crediting rules

• You are allowed to create games featuring mature content such as violence and sexual themes, but you MUST disclose this in a content warning on your submission page and tag +18 in the title of your game and the game thumbnail.
• You may not make NFT games. Games that are monetized by or affiliated with NFTs or cryptocurrencies will be banned. 
• Using AI generated art (Dalle, Midjourney) for assets or images is NOT allowed due to copyright concerns. Games with AI generated art will be disqualified and removed from the jam.
• You may use AI generated text (ChatGPT) for ideas and code generation.
• You may use third party resources in your game if you have the legal rights to use them.
• To credit resources in either the game credits or the game’s itch.io page, state the resource and the creator’s name and link. (i.e., Art by cool_artist)
• You can use pre-existing code and libraries you have the rights to use, including your own. However, anything specific to this jam game should be created within the jam timeframe.

 Legal and payment rules

• You retain all rights to your game and are free to sell it even after the jam has ended.
• You do not have to pay to join or submit to the jam, however note that some game development tools cost money (but there are plenty of free options).

 Look after yourself and Have Fun!

This jam is about creating positive experiences and connecting with people from across both societies. It's not about crunch and competition. Remember to stay hydrated, eat good food, move around, take rest breaks, and give yourself enough time to get plenty of sleep each night. For more tips on looking after your mental health at a game jam, check out this link from Global Game Jam: https://globalgamejam.org/news/looking-after-your-mental-health-ggj 

Look out for each other, learn, create together and have fun. This game jam isn't just about making games; it's also for creating friendships, connections, experiences, and memories.