Welcome to the Ready, Set, GODOT Game Jam!

We challenge Australian Geeks to make a game based on the theme below, in just one month! 

This Game Jam is hosted in the Northern Territory, but open to all Australian Developers! 

There are prizes to win but best of all, your games will be played by the amazing NT streaming power couple, ActualAzza and PurpleCookiex, AND winners will be displayed at local convention, TROPiCON 2023!

Don't worry if this is your first jam, or if you are only starting out on your game developer's journey - give it a go and see what happens! No one is expecting a polished product, and it's all about stretching yourself! The best bit is, at the end of the competition you will have learnt a lot, made some friends and have finished a game!  

The NT Game Designer's Discord server is the place to head if you have questions about the jam, want to team up with other developers or want to showcase your progress! 

To be eligible for the prizes, you must complete the submission boxes with your details so we can get in touch (they will appear during the submission process) and be based in Australia.

This event is proudly sponsored by The Array [ ] .

Theme:

READY, SET, GODOT!

This Game Jam's theme looks to inspire developers to consider video game engines they may not normally use. If you always use Unity, this is a great chance to try out others like Godot, Twine, Construct, Scratch, Lumberyard... 

HOWEVER

If you are new or new(ish) to making games, then ALL the engines count! Please feel free to crack on with your favourite engine of choice - making games is hard enough!

Once submissions close, your games will be played by local streamer celebrities ActualAzza and PurpleCookiex and winners announced! Stay tuned to the Discord and the forums here for exact time of the stream. 

Rules

There are only two rules. The first is that your game must not include any NSFW and offensive/discriminatory content. We want all the games to be playable by everyone! The second is that to be in the running for the prizes, you must be currently based in the Northern Territory and have entered your contact details upon submission.  But if you still want to join and don't care about the prizes, that's totally fine! We welcome you!

Apart from those 2 rules, you are allowed to use any game engine or framework, you can also use assets not made by you, but make sure you have the proper license to use them and crediting is of course strongly encouraged! Making everything from scratch is not mandatory, but if you do you get to be extra proud of yourself at the end!

Teaming up is allowed, and encouraged! Our recommendation is that you stick with 4 people maximum, otherwise you'll have a hard time coordinating.

Criteria

We want to see your work as you progress in your game engine, so please include 3 screenshots showing your project in the game engine you have chosen on your game's page.  

Generally speaking, the judges will be looking at the following:

• Innovation - Have you done something new or different? A classic mechanic in a different way or perhaps a new art style... 
• Game Play - How does a game feel to play? Hard to quantify and yet, immediately noticeable...
• Best Design (Art and/or Sound) - What is the style of the art and sound. Does it bring the game to life?
• Is there a clear love for your theme??

If you are using a brand new engine, we want to know how it felt! What were some surprises, things that were easier/harder than you anticipated?? There is a section upon submission for you to fill out exactly how you felt about using your game engine of choice. We also encourage you to share these thoughts on your game's page so that other members of the community can learn. 

If the engine you end up using is familiar to you (which is totally fine!) then perhaps you can use this as a chance to talk about the pros / cons of the engine, and why you decided to stick with it. 

Awards!

Thanks to our awesome sponsor for this game jam, The Array [ ], there is a total pool of $500 in total value ($100 per Award). 

There are five Awards in total. 

This time, we are awarding four Dinki-Di Awards to games which excel in the CRITERIA outlined above, plus one Award especially for those using a new engine. 

Yes, the CRITERIA are broad, on purpose! 

It means no matter what you make, from a narrative game in Twine, to a top-down shooter in Godot - there is room to shine.