ACM/> Pi Day Game Jam

Welcome to the first Pi Day Game Jam hosted by the  UA Little Rock ACM Student Chapter. This is a 24 hour game jam running from 12:00 pm March 14th to 12:00 pm the next day.

ACM/> Note of COVID-19

Disregard the prior email about the jam still being hosted physically. Shortly after the email was sent out, information on additional cases was relayed to the Pi Day Game Jam hosts. We will switch over to online participation ONLY. Sorry for the inconvenience, and an additional email will be sent out tomorrow regarding this development.

AGAIN: PI DAY GAME JAM IS NOW ONLINE PARTICIPATION ONLY.

ACM/> What is the Schedule and Where is the Event?

The jam will be hosted online.

Saturday, 12:00p.m. CST - Event starts

Sunday, 12:00p.m. CST - Submission deadline, software showcase begins

ACM/> What is the Theme?

The theme for the Pi Day Game Jam is... Pi! Whether you make your game around the number, Greek symbol, or even a homophone of Pi is up to you. Just be sure to make your interpretation of the theme distinct in your game so that way you'll score points in the "Adherence to Theme" category.

ACM/> Who can I Contact about the Event?

If you have any questions regarding the event, signup, or venue, please send an email to inquiry@ualr.acm.org. You can also get in contact with us on our Discord!

ACM/> Who can participate?

Anyone and everyone of all skill levels, backgrounds, and experiences may participate. Participants only need enthusiasm and the drive to learn and compete.

Participants can compete individually or in teams of up to 4 people.

ACM/> Where will the event take place?

The event is open physically in room 417 of the EIT Building on UA Little Rock's campus. The event venue will be open from 12:00 pm - 10:00 pm Saturday, and 8:00 am - 12:00 pm Sunday. The event is also open remotely, so you can participate from the comfort of anywhere. Whether you participate remotely or in person, please ensure you register for the event.

ACM/> What are the rules?

1. Maintain Politeness, Respect, and Decorum

Help the event go smoothly by being pleasant and considerate of the other teams and their works. You may even make friends along the way.

2. Use original works or those licensed for reuse

The fun of the event lies in what you make. Avoid plagiarizing others' works while making use of free-to-use tools and assets: GNU Software, GPL & MIT Licensed software, and Creative Commons content.

3. Maintain Health and Hygiene

Working hard and long is a virtue in these events, but take care of yourself with adequate food, sleep, and bathing. You don't want to look rough for when you're showing off your software!

4. Submissions must Execute

Pen and Paper, tabletop, or any other physical submissions will not be judged. However, digitally interactive forms of these concepts are permitted. Any game or software that you make must be able to run in Windows or Ubuntu 16.04/18.04 on x86-64 hardware architecture. Projects and/or code that does not compile will not run nor will be judged!

5. Must Be Appropriate

Creative works take many forms, but please ensure that your game is suitable for most audiences. This includes no swearing or nudity, we want to show off your work to others after all!

Outside these broad rules, feel free to ask an event moderator if you have any questions.

ACM/> Who will judge the works and on what criteria?

A panel of judges include our sponsors and UA Little Rock professors, each skilled in the area of computer science and game design. Creations will be anonymous and ranked by their placement in the following categories: Design, Originality, and Adherence to Theme. The panel of judges will recognize a submission for each category, but only a single submission will be recognized as overall winner. This submission will cover all categories exceedingly well, showing comprehensive adherence to the judging criteria.

ACM/> What can I make my game in?

In short, you can use anything to make your game! Keep in mind that your submission must be in the form of an executable file (such as .exe). Otherwise, there are a variety of game engines that make game creation easy: Godot, Unity, Unreal Engine 4, etc. You can even program your game from scratch if you wish!

ACM/> What do I do if I don't know where to start?

Don't fret! This is a competition meant for fun and learning after all. Ask another team, browse tutorials, or even check out the Community forum tab if you need some direction to get your project going.