Welcome

(the following text is "inspired" from the GMTK Game Jam 2022)

Here's what you need to know:

Who can enter? Anyone, of any age, from anywhere. You can work alone or in teams.

When does the jam begin? The jam begins on the following day/time, depending on your time zone

What is the theme? The theme is Levels

What can I make my game in? Anything, provided you can upload a file that runs on discord, and doesn't require any additional hardware or software.

What assets can I use? The game should be developed during the jam, but you may use pre-existing code and can use whatever art and audio assets you have the legal right to use.

When should I submit my game? While the jam concludes at 18:00 BST, there will be an additional two hours on the clock (until 20:00 BST) that is just for submitting your game. That being said, we recommend uploading something nice and early, and updating as you go! Once this concludes, all submissions will be shut - with no opportunities for late submissions!

Who will judge the games? Games will be judged by the public. bastikadu will then test the Top bots and pick his favourite 5. All of the results will be revealed when this process is over.

What will the games be judged on? Games will be ranked against the following criteria: enjoyment, creativity, and presentation.

Is there a Discord I can join? Yes! https://discord.gg/hncEK3m7nB

Further information:

Main rules

Who can enter?

This is an online game jam, so anyone, from anywhere, aged 13 or older can enter the jam. (Those younger can take part, as long as a parent or guardian uploads the game).

You can work alone or in teams. There is no limit on the number of people per team and people can be in multiple teams.

Only one person needs to join itch.io and submit the game. However, if others on the team also join itch.io, they can be tagged as contributors. (On your game's itch page, pick "Edit", "More", "Admins", and follow the instructions). 

What's the theme?

The theme will be announced at the very beginning of the jam.

Your game should follow the theme, and you will be asked how your game fits the theme on the itch.io submission page. That being said, you will not be disqualified from the jam if your game doesn't adequately fit the theme. 

When does the jam begin and end?

Discord Bot Jam begins on July 15th at 18:00 UTC. The jam ends on July 22cd at 18:00 UTC. There will be an additional two hours (taking us to 20:00 UTC) for submitting the game, though you can submit at any time during the jam (and we recommend you get your game up early!)

What can you make?

When it comes to what kind of bot you can make, we’re ultimately looking for bots that are suitable for a general audience, and that are really easy for people to  judge. With that in mind...

What can I make my game in?

You must produce a digital computer bot, that runs on discord.

The bot files need to be uploaded to itch.io when you submit.

• You can not require the user to download additional software from external sources (so no ROMs for emulators. If your bot requires additional files they should be included in the download and not require separate installation). 
• The itch.io file limit is 1GB. You can compress your bot as a ZIP or RAR file.

Can I make..?

We try not to put limitations on what people can make, as long as it fits the eligibility discussed above. So if you want to make a poker simulator, a strange piece of interactive fiction, or a highly personal exploration of your own subconscious… go for it. 

Just note that many players will be alone (so they may not be able to adequately judge local multiplayer bots) and will only have a few minutes to try your bot. 

Your bot must not contain nudity, or hateful language or visuals. This could see your game being disqualified. Please consider avoiding extremely strong language and excessive gore, as the jam should be suitable for a general audience. If you’re uncertain, err on the side of being less gratuitous. 

As always, bastikadu and the mods can't decide, on a case by case basis, what is and isn't acceptable so please use your best judgement!

Please don’t make bots about or based on bastikadu, the DBJ - it’s easy for parody and inside jokes to go wrong. 

What can you use?

Can I use pre-existing code?

Yes! You can use pre-existing code, libraries, and functions. But we ask that you don’t write code specifically for this jam, ahead of time. 

You can also create things like a blank Javascript project in advance to save time.

The jam moderators cannot advise you individually on what pre-existing code is or isn't allowed. So please use your best judgement and work within the spirit of the rules.

Can I use pre-existing art and / or audio?

Yes! You can use whatever art and audio you have the legal right to use. We'd recommend making your own stuff (especially your own art) but it's up to you.

You should credit all external art and audio in your game description. 

Upon submission, you will be asked whether your team created the vast majority of the game's art during the jam. (This does include animations). 

This is a way of highlighting the artists and composers who were involved with the jam, and this will not impact your rating.

The jam moderators cannot advise you individually on what assets you can use, so if in doubt, be cautious and make your own stuff! And they cannot advise individually on what answer you should provide to the submission questions, so please use your best judgement.

During the voting period

Can I change my game after the jam ends?

When the jam ends, there's a 48 hour rating period (details below) where you must not change your game. Uploads to the jam will be locked, meaning you can no longer provide bug fixes, additional versions, or extra levels. 

Also, please do not put links to other builds (such as "Bot jam upload has a bug! Please use this one!”) in your description or comments. This may see you being disqualified from the jam. Whatever you upload before the jam closes is what people will play and judge.

If you delete your game during this period, we will not be able to help you and you will be disqualified from the jam.

You can change your jam's page during this time though, including the thumbnail, description text, screenshots, and page design. You'll want to do this as fast as possible though, as the majority of the ratings happen at the very start of the rating period.

Once the rating period is over, you're free to update your bot however you please, charge for it, release it on other platforms - the bot is yours, do what you wish with it! 

Are the games judged?

Yes! For 2 days after the jam ends, people will be able to rate your game against three criteria:

Enjoyment - How enjoyable the bot is to play

Creativity - How interesting, original, creative, and inventive the underlying idea is

Presentation - How the bot looks

These three criteria will add to to your Overall rating for your bot. 

Everyone is eligible to rate bots - and will be able to find them on the itch.io page for the jam, after it ends.

Those who submitted or contributed to a bot will be able to judge whichever games they like. Others will have to vote on bot provided at random, until they unlock full rating privileges.

Hey, this person is cheating!

If you suspect foul play or encounter a virus, please use the report button on Itch.io.