This jam is now over. It ran from 2018-06-30 23:00:00 to 2018-07-31 22:59:59. View 41 entries

2018 is the 200th anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein and the birth of Emily Bronte, writer of Wuthering Heights. Both novels are key works in the gothic novel genre. So it's a perfect opportunity to run a gothic novel themed challenge this July.

What is a gothic novel?
Gothic novels often feature mystery, terror, supernatural horror and sometimes romance set in old buildings, such as castles or crumbling mansions. As well as Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights, both Dracula and The Hound of the Baskervilles are regarded as gothic novels.

If you want to know more about the genre, the Discovering Literature section of the British Library site has plenty of inspirational information, and this GoodReads list of popular gothic novels will introduce you to more classic titles.

To get involved in Gothic Novel Jam all you need to do is make something creative (eg story, poetry, art, game, music, films, pictures, soundscape etc) inspired by the gothic novel genre and upload or share it here by the end of July. If you can't upload whatever you've created (eg because it's not physically possible to upload a cake in the shape of Frankenstein!), you can upload images and text to this jam to show what you've created.

This jam is being run as part of July's Read Watch Play online book, film, music, game discussion group, but you don't have to be involved in Read Watch Play to get involved in the jam. It's open to anyone.

As part of the jam we also want you to use at least one of the images on the British Library Flickr account as inspiration for your submission. They're freely available for anyone to use.

You might find the following British Library Flickr albums and galleries particularly inspiring.

However, don't feel that you need to limit yourself to just those images. The full list of image albums can be found here.

There's also this atmospheric set of British Library sound files on Soundcloud you can use for inspiration.

Sub-theme

The sub-theme is... The monster within.


Teams

If you want to join a team for the jam we've set up this page over on Crowd Forge - you can either join a team there or create one yourself using that site.

A quick word about NSFW content

Please read and abide by these official itch.io rules about identifying NSFW content.  

Chat

We've also set up a space on  Discord where you can chat, share ideas and get inspiration for the jam.

If you're on social media don't forget to use the #GothNovJam hashtag.

Submissions(37)

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Browser playable (22)
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Windows (10)
macOS (4)
Linux (4)

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A ship crashes on a peculiar isle. 3D Adventure.
Adventure
in deepest dreams
Play in browser
A Gothic Bitsy Adventure
Adventure
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a woman lives and gnaws
Interactive Fiction
Play in browser
A Practical Treatise on Manners, Feeding, and Etiquette
Interactive Fiction
Play in browser
endless wondering?
Interactive Fiction
Play in browser
And nothing more.
Interactive Fiction
Play in browser
A Comedihorror for #GothNovJam
Puzzle
Play in browser
It is your child. It lives in the barn. It is hungry.
███ days and ██ hours have passed since you've been taken here. [English]
Play in browser
A man gets invited to a manor by his mistress, unaware of the secrets that lay waiting for him.
Interactive Fiction
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Explore an old manor where rooms change around you with every step.
Adventure
Play in browser
A game for Gothic Novel Jam 2018 and #bitsyjam July 2018
Visual Novel
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There's something fishy going on at the castle...
Interactive Fiction
Play in browser
Puzzle-filled bitsy entry for the #GothNovJam
Puzzle
Play in browser
An 1800's Headstone Generator
Run in browser
Interactive Fiction
Play in browser
Inside Samuel Daggue's classic book lies answers to the unknown
Adventure
Play in browser
A little gothic tale.
Play in browser
a dark bronte-esque narrative adventure
Interactive Fiction
Play in browser
Interactive Fiction
Play in browser
Here candles go; when snuff’d out.
Interactive Fiction
Set during the War of 1812, a lost merchant ship ran aground in arctic waters.
Adventure
A Binaural Gothic Exploration
Adventure
A Gothic Narrative Game
Interactive Fiction
Exploration/survival game, explore a castle with only a candle light
A teenage girl came back where she grew up to fight her past and face the Ogre who stole her heart long ago.
A poem for Gothic Novel Jam
Gothic Seance TRPG
An action-filled game with randomness, bugs and lots of cats. Made in a weekend game-jam
Action
An Interactive Flash Fiction
Interactive Fiction
Play in browser
An interactive Gothic novel: dark, gloomy, and sexy.
Adventure
Visual Novel
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Murder, mystery, mayhem, oh my.
Interactive Fiction
Play in browser