Welcome to HG-GJ, HealthyGamerGG's first official game jam: a collaborative event where creators of all kinds—coders, artists, musicians, writers, project managers, and more—come together to create a functional game over a one-month period. Through teamwork and creative energy, small teams will experiment, learn, and connect to create any game that's playable in a browser, inspired by a communal theme (TBA when the jam starts on September 1!): this could be a thinky puzzle, challenging rhythm platformer, weird visual novel, cozy point-and-click, or anything in between. 

The HG-GJ welcomes anyone of any skill level who's interested in exploring how interactive experiences can encourage mental wellness and help people grow, from seasoned professionals to complete beginners who've never even considered making a game before.  Whether you've been around since our early Twitch days or are discovering us for the first time, we hope you'll consider joining a team and making something awesome with us. 

Official rules and guidance, the theme announcement on September 1, and (optional) live educational or co-working events will take place on the HG Discord.

If you're seeing this before August, make sure you select the "Community Challenges" role so that you get a ping when we release more information! After August, you'll be able to select a specific Game Jam role and access an (optional) forum to help find teammates. At least one member of each team needs to be a member of our Discord in order to receive information and updates (and we highly recommend that all team members are, as well!).

All participants and submissions must follow the Healthy Gamer Discord and itch.io rules and community guidelines.

• Teams are limited to six members. You may work alone or with a smaller group if you wish.

• The project should be entirely created within the event period (September 2025). Participants are free to use any tools they have lawful access to, including open-source libraries and 3rd party APIs. NOTE: Our sponsor CraftPix.net offers free and premium game assets including 2D sprites, animated objects and enemies, UI elements, and more. Find 25 pages of freebies here or use our special 25% off discount code "#HGGJ" on any of their premium assets, now through November 1 - perfect for making or polishing your game!

• By submitting your project to this event, you grant the organizers and sponsors permission to display, broadcast, and distribute your project in any form, including but not limited to live streams, social media, promotional materials, and any other marketing or educational channels. You will retain primary ownership of the project under any license you choose. If you need help choosing a license, here’s a helpful site that lists standard software licenses: https://choosealicense.com/

• Teams may make any sort of game they want (point-and-click, visual novel, metroidvania, platformer, something else entirely?!) as long as it follows the stated rules.

• All submissions must be uploaded to itch.io by the end of September and be playable in the browser. You may use any game engine (or roll your own if you are feeling ambitious!)     

Note on AI Usage: While AI code generation is generally accepted, perceptions differ significantly in the realm of AI-generated art and we encourage making a decision alongside your team as to if and how your game may make use of it. You will not be disqualified for using AI, as there is no way to police this, but other options are often available. Being mindful of the impact of the tools we use is encouraged, including the ethical use of generative AI.

Submitted projects will be evaluated according to set criteria and eligible to win prizes including but not necessarily limited to your project being shown on livestream for our ~3M YouTube subscribers and ~667k Twitch followers and:

Third Prize: $20 Steam, Microsoft/Xbox, or Sony gift card to each team member

Second Prize: $40 Steam, Microsoft/Xbox, or Sony gift card to each team member

First Prize: $100 Steam, Microsoft/Xbox, or Sony gift card to each team member

PLUS... all members of the top three teams will win a year-long membership to CraftPix.com's premium assets ($48 value) 

(Don't forget, ALL participants can use code #HGGJ for 25% off any of CraftPix's premium assets!)

Innovation and Creativity (15 points)

• Excellent (14-15): Highly original concept with creative mechanics, art, or storytelling that stands out from typical game designs.
• Good (11-13): Shows clear creative elements with some original ideas or unique twists on familiar concepts.
• Satisfactory (8-10): Demonstrates basic creativity with mostly conventional approaches.
• Needs Improvement (0-7): Limited originality, relies heavily on familiar tropes without innovation.

Impact and Engagement (20 points)

• Excellent (18-20): Creates a meaningful player experience with a lasting impression; has clear target audience appeal.
• Good (14-17): Engaging experience that resonates with players; good understanding of audience.
• Satisfactory (10-13): Moderately engaging with some appeal to intended players.
• Needs Improvement (0-9): Limited player engagement or unclear target audience.

Theme Integration (15 points)

• Excellent (14-15): The theme is seamlessly woven throughout the gameplay, narrative, and design.
• Good (11-13): Strong connection to theme with straightforward integration in most elements.
• Satisfactory (8-10): The theme is present, but the integration feels surface-level.
• Needs Improvement (0-7): Weak or forced connection to theme.

Playability and Fun Factor (30 points)

• Excellent (27-30): Highly engaging, intuitive controls, well-balanced difficulty, compelling gameplay loop.
• Good (21-26): Fun to play with minor issues; good game feel and flow.
• Satisfactory (15-20): Playable but may have some frustrating elements or pacing issues.
• Needs Improvement (0-14): Difficult to play, significant bugs, or not engaging.

Technical Execution and Completion (20 points)

• Excellent (18-20): Polished, bug-free experience with all planned features implemented.
• Good (14-17): Well-executed with minor technical issues; most features complete.
• Satisfactory (10-13): Functional but may have some bugs or missing features.
• Needs Improvement (0-9): Significant technical problems or very incomplete.