Welcome to Jam for Democracy! 

Democracy is facing challenges, and is in need of major improvements. 

One might imagine if Democracy was done well, that it could lead to solving some of our world's greatest challenges. 

While this game jam is certainly influenced by the challenging state of Democracy in the United States of America, this jam is primarily about making Democracy better in general. However, you can absolutely address the specific challenges of any specific nation's Democracy.

Below are some topics and ideas related to Democracy/Political Systems that may help to inspire some ideas:

• Greater Transparency in Government

• Eliminating the Electoral College

• Keeping Money out of Politics. 

• Leaders & Representatives required to pass a knowledge test related to their country/government. Determining a level of merit prior to taking public office.  IRS records released to help minimize aspects of corruption.

• Making sure the Defense Department and Intelligence Community are not interfering, overstepping their legal boundaries, primarily with the Executive and Legislative branches.

• Creating an Educated Populace

• Achieving Greater Voter Turnout

• Renewed Confidence/Trust in the System

• More Individual Involvement in Government. 

• Greater Consequences for leaders/representatives if they don’t do their job properly, but especially if they break the law. Not protected any more than the average citizen.

• No lobbying. The voice of big oil, or any major industry for that matter should not be greater than that of the collective people of that nation.

Inspirational and Thought Provoking Quotes on Democracy

“Somehow we must be able to show people that democracy is not about words, but action.”

— Eleanor Roosevelt

“The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.” 

— John F. Kennedy

“For no country is a true democracy whose women have not an equal share in life with men, and until we realize this we shall never achieve a real democracy on this earth.”

— Pearl S. Buck

“democracy is the worst form of government – except for all the others that have been tried.” 

— Winston Churchill

“Education … like democracy, is always in the making, forever incomplete, founded in possibilities.”

 — Maxine Greene

"As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy."

 — Abraham Lincoln

“Women’s fight for equal rights is essentially a humanist and peaceful struggle for true democracy, and a higher form of civilization.”

— Leyla Zana

Theme:

This jam can be on anything related to democracy.  Social commentary, a historical aspect, educational content, a comedic approach, whatever you want. Major bonus points for projects that address a problem and solution within the subject of Democracy. 

Voting Criteria:

This game jam will have voting criteria used to rank games/projects that will ultimately help to determine the accolades of those participating Voting will be open to the public after the jam ends. There will be one week period to cast your votes.  The specific voting criteria is as follows:

1.  Relevance to Theme [How well the Theme is Communicated]
2.  Technical Excellence [Research, Design, Engineering]
3.  Aesthetics [Visual & Audio Presentation]
4.  Immersion [Gameplay, Storytelling Engagement, Overall Experience]

About:

This event has been organized by DEV The Solution, a nonprofit organization that encourages game development to help solve significant global problems. https://www.devthesolution.org/

Terms and Conditions:

Naturally we want everyone to respect one another while jamming, by participating in this event you agree to our code of conduct, which can be viewed here: https://www.devthesolution.org/code-of-conduct

Our age policy is the same as the official age policy of itch.io,  as publishers and those participating in this game jam must be at least 18.  Users must be 13 or older to use the itch.io platform, which means if you are under the age of 18 you cannot submit a project but you can certainly be involved in playing and rating games.

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Is there a prize for getting the highest ranking?

A: No, we have tried cash prizes in the past and found that it did not increase project submissions or involvement. We like to think of the prize as the feeling you get for challenging yourself to create something, especially one that can help to educate and or solve a problem.

Q: What license will games/projects be submitted as? 

A: You may have any license that fits your needs.

Q: When will the winners be announced?

A: Within one week after the deadline.

 

Q: Can programming and art assets be used?

A: Yes, as long as the licenses and terms of use are being used accordingly.

 

Q: Can a project be made with any tool?

A: Yes, projects can be made using any tool or resource as long as license agreements are properly followed.

 

Q: Are there any restrictions on content I submit for the game jam?

A: Yes, the project submitted must not contain any NSFW content, or anything that is considered universally offensive and or in poor taste/judgement.

 

Q: Does my project/application need to be in English?

A: No, but preferably each project will be able to communicate well to a diverse community of users.  

 

Q: Is there a maximum number of members a team can have?

A: No

 

Q: How can I get in contact with DEV The Solution for any questions or feedback?

A: We will have the community forum open, you can also contact us at:  info@devthesolution.org

Join our discord community to connect with likeminded problem solvers: