on the jam page it says "Please submit games with elements of personal growth, evolution, exploration, discovery, and experimentation"
does this mean the game has to be about personal/emotional stuff or can you take the theme literally as stuff actually evolving and growing?

Hi, thanks for the question. The theme is optional, so the game does not need to include the theme at all. For games working within the theming, we encourage people to be creative and take it in many directions. The elements we've listed are just suggestions!