What is GBJam?
GBJam is about making gameboy games. Following the original specification, with a few fun additions, participants have two weekends to create a game. GBJam was started back in 2012 and has been hosted every August since (except for one year but we keep that off the records :P )
Let's mingle!
Rules
- Keep a theme of the original GameBoy.
- Keep the original GameBoy screen resolution of 160px x 144px. You are allowed to scale to viewport, but must keep the aspect ratio.
- Color palettes must consist of 4 colors. (Only 4 colors can be displayed on the screen at a time, so you are more then welcome to have changing palettes!)
- Use the same control scheme as the GameBoy.
- All assets must be created in the duration of the jam.
FAQ
- Is there a theme? The only theme is the jam's main theme; Game Boy
- Can I work as a team? Yes
- What languages or engines are allowed? Anything is allowed
- Can I submit multiple games? Yes
- Can I use a resolution under 160 x 144? Only if you're using the PICO-8 engine. If you can stick to the right resolution, do it!
- What are the rules on audio? There are no specific rules, but making it feel like gameboy sound is encouraged
- What can I work on before the jam? You are allowed to set up your tools and your game engine. Tools include: palettes, fonts, tracker instruments and code libraries.
Resources
GameBoy Screenshots | Over 1500 screenshots of official releases (Google Drive, 2.5mb .zip)
GameBoy Demakes | Screenshots from GameBoy Demakes (Google Drive, 800kb .zip)