Check out the Fragment Jam Bundle 2019 here!
Welcome to Fragment Jam!
Do you have ancient projects, discarded prototypes, or dusty experiments? We want to celebrate those with you!
Uncover your unfinished games (or create new ones), prepare them however you see fit, and release them to the world by submitting to Fragment Jam.
What is Fragment Jam?
Fragment Jam is a game jam focused on admiring and sharing unfinished games (fragments). Maybe you want to revisit these projects someday, maybe you want closure and to move on, perhaps you want to make a new fragment for the jam. Fragment Jam is here to help sort it out and to provide a platform for celebrating and sharing our fragments.
What is a fragment?
For the sake of Fragment Jam, a fragment is any previously-unreleased executable/launchable game file.
There are exceptions: if you have an unfinished non-digital game, we welcome a rules document in lieu of an executable file. The goal of Fragment Jam is to highlight incomplete projects that exist beyond single assets (audio tracks, concept art, design documents). But fear not! If you do have complementary unused assets, consider submitting them as part of the Family Album diversifier! You are also encouraged to include stray assets within your executable so players won't need specialized software to open and appreciate them.
Discord & Twitter
Jams are more fun when there's a community, so come join our Game Jammers Discord!
Twitter users, make sure to follow the official Twitter account @FragmentJam and tweet with the hashtag #FragmentJam :)
You can also follow the Twitter accounts of the organizers: @XavierEkkel and @just404it.
Prizes
This is a non-competitive jam; however, we will be awarding ~$200 in game prizes to random participants, as an extra incentive to participate!
How It Works
Please submit standalone executables. If your game needs instructions, please also include a notepad README file. No individual assets (e.g. just a screenshot, a model, an audio file) unless you’re submitting them alongside an executable as part of the diversifier Family Album.
HOW THE BUNDLE WORKS
Because everyone is submitting fragments, we feel that a bundle would be a great way to make the fragments more accessible to others beyond the jam, as it would provide a single (free-to-download) downloadable separate from the jam sorting page.
Once Fragment Jam ends, the games (whose developers have agreed to join the bundle) will be collected into a zip file.
The zip file will be released on its own Fragment Jam Bundle page on itch.io (and perhaps elsewhere too)!
The bundle's game order will be alphabetical by fragment title and will be subdivided according to diversifiers. Additionally, all participants will be credited in both the bundle .zip file itself (in a notepad file) and on the Fragment Jam itch.io page, if they wish to be credited. The credits will be alphabetically ordered by fragment title. Participants retain all rights to their games.
Diversifiers
- Stepback - Release a postmortem of your fragment! Tell us about your vision for the completed version. Talk about how you came up with the idea. How has your life changed since? Why is it a fragment? Any reflections on your experience surrounding the fragment are welcome! Include this as a notepad file within your build folder.
- Family Album - Have designs documents, screenshots, or other files for your fragment? Include them in a folder along with your fragment!
- Voice-Over - Fragments aren’t often polished nor do they often feature tutorials, so please walk us through the experience! Tell us about what’s missing, what you’re proud of, what didn’t work out. Give us the audio tour!
- C-C-C-Combo! - Have more than one fragment? Why not combine them! Submit a single executable consisting of multiple fragments. Together they’ll create a new unique experience.