Submissions open from 2024-05-31 23:00:00 to 2024-10-31 23:59:59
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Introduction

The video games mental health charity Safe In Our World is launching the first Mental Health Game Dev Champions event, aimed at empowering gamers and developers to create intimate and personal video games based on real lived-in experiences. 

Game Dev Champions is a worldwide event, encouraging entries from a variety of ages, skills, and diverse backgrounds.

Games are an amazing vehicle to express the difficult and often emotional mental health journey, that people face almost on a daily basis. Through this initiative, and by sharing these experiences, it ensures the creators that their voice is being heard; and for the players, to sample the journey that many people go through, more than often silently.

The event will be judged by an esteemed panel, and winners will receive a selection of prizes provided by our sponsors, that will help gamers develop a career or deeper interest in video game development. 


Who is Mental Health Game Dev Champions 2024 for?

The Mental Health Game Dev Champions 2024 is a worldwide event, encouraging entries from a variety of ages, skills, and diverse backgrounds. Solo entries are allowed, or team up with friends for a group category. The only restriction is that you are over 18, and you are aspiring developers, not an existing development team. 

When and what is happening?

The Jam opens on June 1st for submissions. The development window is open for 5 months, and at the end of October will close to allow a month for judging. A special live show is planned to announce the winners, in December, hosted by Julia Hardy and Doug Cockle.


Theme for Game Dev Champions 2024

The main theme of the game should be focused around mental health. During the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health conversations grew significantly within communities and amongst peers. It almost acted as a catalyst for further mental health discussion. It was throughout that time that many people felt more able to share their stories and experiences. 

We want to use that catalyst to create personal, meaningful stories that surround elements of mental health. That doesn't mean your game must explicitly be around COVID-19, but instead incorporates themes in which were felt during that time in relation to our mental health.

The Categories

 The Judges and Hosts

The judging panel will include esteemed industry folk, game developers, indie publishers, and clinicians. This list is non-comprehensive! 

During December the Safe In Our World Mental Health Game Dev Championship 2024 Winners will be announced via a Live Stream hosted by the renowned Julia Hardy and Doug Cockle

  The Prizes

  The Rules

  • All games must be produced within the time frame of the challenge (development starts June 1st - and must be finished by October 31st), games made before 1st June are not permitted.
  • A 'Small Team' must be a team of people who do NOT normally work together on projects, and must be a maximum of 6 people.
  • Game Dev Champions is for people just starting their career in the games industry, to qualify you must not work within the industry or have only done so for 2 years or less. This does not apply if your current role is different to the one you will take on for the jam.
  • If any member of your team is over 24, you are no longer eligible for the 18-24 category and must instead submit for 25+.
  • The Games may be created using any games engine you wish as long as it is accessible to the judges.
  • Self-made or free existing assets (3d props etc.) are acceptable. 
  • Games using AI generated art or music are not permitted. Algorithms that don't use training data are permissible. 
  • All games must include the theme in some way.
  • All games must be complete and in a full working order.
  • You may enter multiple games or join multiple teams if you wish, as long as they are all created during the given time.
  • You must be prepared to provide your project file if requested. Please note, these will be used for judging only, and will not be made public. This rule is in place to verify authenticity.
  • All games must be submitted to Itch.io by 11:59pm GMT October 31st 2024. 

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Safe In Our World