Welcome to Ctrl + Alt + DMV

Ctrl+Alt+DMV is a college student only game jam bringing together student developers, artists, designers, musicians, and more from around the Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia (DMV) area for a fun 2 day weekend game jam.

Whether you’re brand new to game development or a seasoned jammer, Ctrl Alt DMV is a low-pressure, high-energy space to experiment, learn, and ship something cool alongside other local students.

This jam is being Co-hosted by the leadership of the UMBC Game Developers Club, The UMD Game Dev Club, and the John Hopkins Game Dev Society.

For this Jam, we are letting you all pick the theme! We hope this gives you some time to brainstorm some ideas for the set of themes you can see right now, and save yourself time during the 48-hour development period. 

We have picked out the following candidate themes for participants to vote on:

1. Working as Intended

2. Connection

3. Parasite

4. Leave No Trace

5. Hands Off

Join the official Ctrl + Alt + DMV Discord Server to find directions and further information on how to vote for your favorite theme! The winner will be announced on Discord when the Jam starts on February 27th at 12:00 pm.

Start: Friday, February 27th – 12:00 pm

End: Sunday, March 1st – 12:00 pm

(Exact kickoff and submission times will be posted closer to the event.)

• Open to college and university students in the DMV 
  • This means your college must be located in Washington DC, Maryland, or Virginia for you to be able to participate
• All skill levels welcome!
•  Solo developers and teams of up to 4 people are allowed

Our official sponsor, Firaxis Games (creators of Civilization, XCOM, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, and more!), is offering exclusive career development opportunities to the top 3 community-voted teams:

• Firaxis Studio Tour: Visit the Firaxis Games studio in Hunt Valley, MD, and go behind the scenes at one of the world’s top game development studios.

• Professional Project Presentation: Present your game jam project directly to Firaxis developers and receive career-focused feedback to help you level up your skills and showcase your work.

Should you place among the top 3 teams, you will have the rare chance to step inside a top-tier video game studio, get direct feedback from industry professionals, and take your game and career to the next level! Winning teams will be contacted to arrange tour and presentation dates sometime in March of 2026.

Teams

• Solo or team participation allowed  
• You may have up to 4 people on your team
• All participants must be current college or university students in the DMV
• Teams may be made of mixes of students from different campuses

Tools & Assets

• Any type of game is allowed  
• Any engine or tools are allowed  
• Pre-made assets are allowed (with proper credit!)

Time Limits

• All work must be done during the jam period  
• Brainstorming and learning tools beforehand is fine  
• Do not submit projects that were substantially worked on before the jam

Theme

• The theme will be announced at the start of the jam  
• Your game should meaningfully relate to the theme
• Literal, abstract, and experimental interpretations are all valid
  • Just be able to explain how your game relates to the theme in your submission!

Tools & Engines

• Any game engine or framework is allowed  
• Any platform is allowed (PC, web, mobile, etc.)  
• AI tools for *CODE ASSISTANCE ONLY* are allowed but must be disclosed on your submission page.

Assets

• Third-party and pre-made assets are allowed  
• You may not make visual or audio assets using AI. Please consider using an asset pack instead
• You must have the legal right to use all assets  
• All non-original assets must be credited on your itch.io page  
• Original assets are encouraged but not required

Submission Requirements

• Submit your game on itch.io before the deadline  
• Your submission page must include:
  •  A short description  
  •  Controls / how to play  
  •   Credits (team members and assets used)
  •   An explanation of how your project relates to the given theme
  •   A DMV college / university student email for each of your team members
• Your game must be **playable** at submission time

Voting & Conduct

• Games will be rated by fellow submitting participants  
• Leave respectful, constructive feedback  
• The winning projects will be thoroughly reviewed to ensure they adhere to all rules described above
• Harassment, plagiarism, or hateful content will not be tolerated

Have Fun!

This jam is about learning, experimenting, and finishing something.  Don't worry if your game is not perfect, polish is important, but it is more important that you submit your project!

Join the official Ctrl + Alt + DMV Discord Server for:

• Theme reveal  
• Team-forming info  
• Resources and guidance
• Submission reminders
• Interact with other students interested in game development!