SA GAME JAM is an annual competition proudly sponsored by Free Lives with the aim of encouraging more South Africans to make games. The jam will run right here on Itch from 22-24 October 2021.  We encourage game devs of all levels to enter this exciting competition and stand a chance to win a share of over R50 000 cash!

You can enter as an individual or team. You are allowed to use whatever tools you like and use pre-existing code/sounds/art/assets where it helps you but if you use assets you are required to disclose them.

 Be sure to check out the  Make Games SA community on the Discord Server to chat to the other teams and meet your fellow jammers!

SA GAME JAM is open to all South Africans at any level of experience . So whether you're a newbie or a seasoned pro, get those entries in now!

Epic art work by: Nannaventer 

Please indicate in your submission what level you're participating in (student, hobbyist or professional), and whether you would like to be considered for the diversity prize.

Overall Winner: R20 000

Student (currently studying in any field): R10 000

Hobbyist (not working in the game development industry): R10 000

Diversity (please contact admins for clarity): R10 000

Best Art: R5 000

Best Audio: R5 000

Technical Excellence: R5 000

Best Narrative: R5 000

and surprise last minute category! 

Best Physics: R5 000

WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED 12:00  Friday the 12th NOVEMBER

1. Competition starts on 22 October 2021.

2. Deadline for entries:

24 October 2021, 20:00 (UTC+2) for 48 hour entries. 

25 October 2021, 20:00 (UTC +2) for 72 hour entries.

(Please note in your entry, whether it is a 48 or 72 hour project)

3. You can enter as an individual or as a team.

4. To be eligible to win any of the prizes, your team has to play and give feedback to five other entries by Monday, 1 November 2021.

5. Use whichever language, tool or development system you are comfortable in.

6. Your game must contain all files needed for it to run and should not require other bulky systems to be downloaded or installed, exceptions are browser plugins like Flash and self-contained DLLs distributed with the game.

7. While any fixes post-jam will be taken into account, the version submitted at the time of the deadline will be played and judged, so make sure it is PLAYABLE WITHOUT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION NOT CONTAINED IN THE GAME.

8. Competition is open to entry for South African residents.

9. You retain all copyright to your work.

10. The illegal use of copyrighted material will not be tolerated. Do not steal!

11. All risk or liability in case of copyright infringement or other legal issue resides with the entrant, Free Lives and MGSA takes no responsibility for entered games.

12. The judges’ decision is final and no negotiation will be entered into.

"The Urge To Discover"

When we think about "The Urge To Discover" we think about that feeling that drives us to look around the next corner, reveal the next piece of a puzzle, to demystify a mystery, or unlock a new hidden item. The urge to know the unknown, especially to know the *known* unknown, is a powerful one. And, as far as urges that keep us playing go, this urge can lead to the most satisfaction - as discovery is usually far more satisfying than watching numbers go up or trying your luck for a random prize.

Discovery is also a challenge to set up well - just like foreshadowing in story-telling - discovery requires extra planning on the author's part. But, despite the challenge, setting up discovery is an invaluable skill for a creator to master. This is the challenge we're hoping jammers are going to take on.

Last thought: Games are uniquely good at transporting players into new worlds. And whether these worlds are fantastical or mundane or abstract, the way they are constructed, and the way the information about the world is laid out, has a lot to do with how much urgency players will feel to discover more of them. Audio is a powerful tool for triggering curiosity and wonder. Visuals are excellent at presenting goals that can be fulfilled and for showing what has already been discovered. Words and blank spaces are great at leading players to imagine. While presentation and UX flow is essential for cluing players into knowing what they don't know yet. As we judge the submitted games for each of the categories we will be thinking about how the relevant elements contribute towards the urge to discover.

Good luck! We're looking forward to discovering what you create!

Overall Winner

Winner: Welcome, Archer

Best Student

Winner: Maxwell

Best Hobbyist

Winner: Do-R-Over

Diversity 

Winner: dead ride me good

Best Art

Winner: Timothee &  Good boi, Puggo

Best Audio

Winner: Maxwell

Technical Excellence

Winner: Good boi, Puggo & Beneath the Grass 

Best Narrative

Winners: The Tree of Dreams & Messages into the Void

Best Physics

Winner: Welcome, Archer

and a surprise category that we felt deserved merit...Best Theme Interpretation

Winner: Animalgamation