8 Bits to Infinity presents HORROR HUMOR JAM, a week-long game jamming challenge to create a game that emphasizes the scary and the funny.

Thanks to benjames171 for the logo!

Check out the Keynote: video and slides

The theme is... LOST IN SHADOWS

What is 8 Bits to Infinity?  A game development community working to improve creative and technical skills through rapid iteration and honest critical feedback.  We host a new game jam every month!

Join us on Discord to discuss the jam, join the logo challenge (in #challenges), form teams (in #team-up), and generally have a good time. :)

Not sure where to start in game development? Follow the link above to our Discord and ask away! Our community is glad to help you get started in programming, art, design, or game development in general.

Want to form a team? Try the Crowdforge page or join us on Discord above.

These awesome people are streaming games from the jam. Follow them on Twitch to get notified when they go live, and be sure to check out the VODs (recordings) if you miss the streams!

• Outsider Media (TigerJ): Saturday, October 19 at 11am ET
• Mr. Joshua McLean: Sunday, October 20 at 12 Noon ET

Rules

Entries  which break rules or have no clear relation to the Requirement will be removed.

1. 1-4 members per team, one entry per team.
2. Credit everything in your entry, including Creative Commons 0 assets and your own work. This must be accessible from the start of the game (in the title or a credits menu).
3. Answer all of the questions on submission completely and honestly.
4. Must work in Windows 10. Web builds are fine.
5. Cannot require unusual peripherals (have keyboard and mouse as a backup).
6. Make everything during the jam or use freely available assets (including open source code). Exception: You may use general-purpose assets (general-purpose code, logos, or fonts) made before the jam.
7. No NSFW content. This includes sexual content (including language), nudity, or excessive realistic gore/violence.

Requirement

Create a game with humor and horror as major elements. In other words, it cannot be a horror game with a few funny moments or a comedy game with a couple jump-scares. Both horror and humor should be present throughout and work together to create a cohesive experience.

Note that "cheap" jump scares are awful and will result in major score reduction. Provide some build-up to such moments, use them sparingly, and make the jump meaningful in the player experience.

There are no limitations on mechanics, engine, or visual style.

Challenges

In addition to the theme, we will include optional challenges which have no effect on rating, but can make the jam more fun.

The challenges for the jam are:

• jack in the box
• duckbill platypus
• corny/cheesy jokes

Be sure to mention which challenges you accepted in your jam page, so players know to look for them!

FAQ

About the Requirement

Can I make a board/card game? 
Sure! But it needs to be a digital version for the judges to play it.

Can I make a text game?
Sure! Adventures are a great way to get humor and horror involved, and doing them in pure text is perfectly acceptable.

Other Questions

I'm awful at music. How can I still have cool background audio in my game?
Get free royalty-free tunes from Joshua here or from various other websites such as OpenGameArt (where you can also find Joshua's stuff). Simply google "free to use music" or "free royalty-free music" and you're sure to find something.

What about other assets, tools, and engines?
We will (try to) have a nice list of recommended software before the jam, which we'll link here.

Should I build a Windows/Mac/Linux/web/[insert system here] version?
The more systems you support, the more people will be able to access your game. Some people prefer web versions because running downloaded software can be spoopy, while others prefer a download to keep the games locally and avoid the extra problems associated with web builds.

If you're using something like Unity, export versions for all systems! Most of the time, they'll work fine without any testing.

I didn't finish. Should I still submit? 
Yes! A solid prototype could still win the jam, and it's worth showcasing your work to get feedback.

How can I get more people to play my entry?
Play other entries and leave quality feedback. Be sure to politely ask the dev to play your game, so they know you want feedback. There's a new feature on itch.io that shows your entry when you comment on the game's jam page so be sure to do so there.

Can I make a multiplayer game? 
Yes, but it's not recommended because it's difficult for most judges to test.

Can I make a 2D/2.5D/3D game?
Yep! There are no limits on graphics.

What tools / engines can I use?
Anything. Literally anything. We've seen games made in PowerPoint and Excel - if you want to use those, all power to you! Although, we suggest using something more geared toward games like Unity, Godot, Unreal, etc.

Can I enter other jams with the same game?
Absolutely, as long as you follow all of the rules and time limitations for each jam. Note that we lock submissions, so you won't be able to upload new files after you submit to this jam.

Where can I ask more questions? 
Ask away in the community or on Discord.

Judging

Games will be rated by a panel of judges with differing views but a shared interpretation of star values and voting categories. Judge entries and disqualified submissions will not be rated. Judging will be on the following criteria:

• Fun: Enjoyment of the game. Are the mechanics interesting? Do I want to play more?
• Technical: Complexity of implementation. Does the game push technical boundaries? Does it scream "wow, this was done under jam constraints?" Does it have special tech that makes it stand out?
•  Music/Sound: Audio presentation. How well does the music/sound fit the game? Maximum 4 stars if external assets are used.
• Graphics/Animation: Visual presentation. How clean/consistent does it look? How fluid are the animations? Is there a clever use of color, contrast, and other visual skills? Maximum 4 stars if external assets are used.
• Theme/Limitation: Implementation of the jam theme and limitation. How much does the game utilize the theme? How unusual is the interpretation? How strictly does it follow the restrictions of the requirement? Thinking out of the box on the theme (not taking it literally) will score you more points.

Prizes

The highest-ranking overall game in the jam will receive the following:

• (Optional) Showcase of a commercially released game you choose on Joshua's stream after the voting period. The game must be in his collection, available for free, or gifted.
• Feedback on an updated version of your game with at least two weeks notice. The game will be streamed to completion (defined at Joshua's discretion).

In addition, the winning entry will be added to the list of 8 Bits to Infinity Jam Winners.

Tweeter of the Month

Any tweet with the #8bitstoinfinity hashtag in October counts toward winning Tweeter of the Month, given to the person with the highest quantity of relevant tweets. The winner's Twitter handle will be displayed on Joshua's stream for the month of November, with a link to their Twitter placed among the chatbot's random messages.