Celebrate finishing Intro to Games Dev with a fun and friendly game jam!

You have 7 days to make the most awesome game you can, either solo or in a team. The aim is to have fun with some of the new skills we've learnt throughout the semester and maybe even learn some new ones along the way.

Coming up with an idea for a game can be tricky so we'll help you get your ideas flowing with a theme.

Everyone: Your game must meet at least 1 of the 3 themes. You may target more themes, but it won't gain you any more points in judging.

Students from GDS2: Your game must be a game for social good (e.g. physical health, mental health, education, environment, behaviour change, career building, social connection, etc.).

Students from AGP: Your game must be made in Unreal - C++ and/or Blueprints, your choice.

Student from IGDev or who have not completed any of these subjects: No constraints other than the themes! Get creative, test your skills in any way you wish.

To make sure everyone is on the same page there are a few guidelines to keep in mind.

1. Your game must be created within the time frame of the jam. This means you cannot start early and you cannot submit a game that you have already created.
           NOTE: It is okay to use a small amount of generic code from other projects (such as the tween modules we wrote).
2. You must have the rights to ALL the assets used in your game, audio and visual.
3. Use the theme in some form.
4. Any form of racism, sexism, or other discrimination will not be tolerated both in your submission and during the voting period. William and the staff will be able to remove any submissions at their discretion.

Q. Do I have to use Unity?
A. No. Just as in the spirit of Intro to Games Dev, though we used Unity, the focus is not on the engine. Feel free to get creative with whatever engine you choose! NOTE: Some students outside of IGD may have extra restrictions placed on them by Will.

Q. Can I work in a team?
A. Absolutely! We recommend not having a team larger than around 4 members. If you have friends in other subjects at UTS they are also welcome to participate, just be sure to include their names during submission.

Q. Do I have to make everything myself?
A. We would love to see your creativity so we recommend you make your art and sound assets, however, you may use assets that are in the public domain, CC0 or that you have purchased the rights to use.

Q. Do I have to use the theme?
A. Yes. Please try your best to use the theme in some form during your game.

Q. What platforms should I export to?
A. We'd love everyone to be able to play your game so try to target Windows, macOS and Linux. We also strongly encourage you to create a WebGL/HTML5/WebGPU version that can run on the itch.io page. (NOTE: For macOS exports we suggest compiling to x86_64 or the universal target (x64 + Apple Silicon) so that all mac users can run your game. You can of course also export two separate executables for x64 and M1).

Q. Can I fix bugs after I've submitted?
A. While submissions are open you are welcome to fix bugs and make changes as much as you please. If you find a significant bug during the voting phase, contact @Pete on discord.

Everyone in Intro to Games Dev can get involved during the judging period!
Even if you haven't submitted a game you have a chance to go and play other peoples games and participate in voting for your favourite game. Below are the criteria that you can use to judge each submission.

Theme: How well does the game make use of the theme?
Fun: Is the game fun or enjoyable?
Controls: Does the game feel good to play?
Style: Does the game have an cool aesthetic?
Sound: Did you enjoy the sound effects, music, dialogue, VO, etc.?