8 Bits to Infinity presents SHAPE JAM II: ART EDITION, a two-week game jamming event.

This is the first week, where developers will create a prototype using simple placeholder graphics and an easy way to import audio and visuals to the game.

In the second week (click here to join), artists will create and polish assets both visual and auditory to import into games from the first week.

Everyone is welcome to participate in both weeks (on two separate projects) or whichever appeals to you more.

The theme is... CONNECTIONS

What is 8 Bits to Infinity?  A game development community working to improve creative and technical skills through rapid iteration and honest critical feedback.  We host a new game jam every month!

Not sure what a game jam is? Want to know how to do well? Check out these articles on game jam success.

Join us on Discord to discuss game dev and the jam, join the logo challenge (in #challenges), form teams (in #team-up), and generally have a good time. :)

Not sure where to start in game development? Follow the link above to our Discord and ask away! Our community is glad to help you get started in programming, art, design, or game development in general.

Want to form a team? Join us on Discord above.

Check out Joshua's Patreon to support his projects, including the 8 Bits to Infinity community and jams. Perks include extended feedback on your game jam games!

Schedule

Wed Jan 1 @ 12 Noon ET / 5pm UTC Theme Suggestion Begins	Mon Jan 6 @ 12 Noon ET / 5pm UTC Theme Voting Begins
Fri Jan 10 @ 1pm ET / 6pm UTC Theme/Challenges Announced Jam Part 1 Begins	Fri Jan 17 @ 2pm ET / 6pm UTC Jam Part 1 Ends Judging Part 1 Begins Jam Part 2 Begins	Sun Jan 19 @ 12 Noon ET / 5pm UTC Mr. Joshua McLean  feedback stream Part 1
Fri Jan 24 @ 2pm ET / 6pm UTC Judging Part 1 Ends Jam Part 2 Ends Judging Part 2 Begins	Sun Jan 26 @ 12 Noon ET / 5pm UTC  Mr. Joshua McLean  feedback stream Part 2	Fri Jan 31 @ 1pm ET / 6pm UTC Judging Part 2 Ends

Rules

Entries  which break rules or have no clear relation to the Requirement will be removed.

1. 1-4 members per team, one entry per team.
2. Credit everything in your entry, including Creative Commons 0 assets and your own work. This must be accessible from the start of the game (in the title or a credits menu).
3. Answer all of the questions on submission completely and honestly.
4. Must work in Windows 10. Web builds are fine.
5. Cannot require unusual peripherals (have keyboard and mouse as a backup).
6. Make everything during the jam or use freely available assets (including open source code). Exception: You may use general-purpose assets (general-purpose code, logos, or fonts) made before the jam.
7. No NSFW content. This includes sexual content (including language), nudity, or excessive realistic gore/violence.
8. All participants must be at least 13 years of age to submit a game.

Requirement

Create a game using simple, solid-colored shapes like boxes and circles.

Only include enough visual elements for the game to make sense.

Construct the game in such a way that it is easy for artists to add art to the game. This may be as simple as providing the source project with information on where to put files, or as complex as a moddable game executable with a folder for images and audio.

There are no limitations on mechanics, engine, or genre.

Credit yourself clearly in the game to avoid any issues of ownership. We strongly  recommend including a link in the game to your itch page or other personal website to ensure anyone playing any version of the game can get back to the original creator.

Include instructions for how to add assets to your game.

Optional, but recommended: Include a way for the audiovisual artists in part two to add their name to the game credits.

Also optional, but cool: Include a way to customize the game further, such as adding custom audio, levels, or even gameplay.

How to Submit

The jam proper ends at 1pm ET on the final day, but submissions remain open until 2pm ET. The timer on this page will count down to the 2pm ET hard deadline according to your time zone.

The final hour (from 1-2pm ET) is "Submission Hour" where we strongly encourage you to stop work on your game and focus on creating builds, putting together your game page, uploading your game, and ensuring your game is playable.

No submissions will be accepted after the 2pm ET deadline. No exceptions.

Double-check that you have followed all of the rules and requirements above to avoid disqualification.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact Joshua via email, Discord, or Twitter or post a message in our Discord server or the community here. Remember that you will not receive any assistance to submit if the 2pm ET deadline has passed.

Challenges

In addition to the theme, we will include optional challenges which have no effect on judge rating, but can make the jam more fun or spark additional creativity. You're welcome to ignore them, use any number, or use all of them for a super-challenging experience.

Be sure to mention which challenges you accepted in your jam page, so players know you went the extra mile!

The challenges for Shape Jam II Week 1 are:

• Use only two different kinds of shapes
• Retro resolution (256x240 or 256x224)
• Procedural generation

FAQ

About the Requirement

Aren't people stealing my game for part 2?

This jam is meant to be a fun, collaborative experience where you get to see your game prototype come alive with polished art. We understand how much work goes into completing a game prototype, even in the short period of a jam. We take copyright and creative ownership very seriously. 

When you submit your game, you will be asked to agree that the community can add their own assets for part 2 of the jam, provided they include a link to your original game. You are also required to hard-code credit for yourself in your prototype. We strongly recommend linking to your itch page or other personal website in the game as well.

If anyone (other than the original author) is found using prototypes from this jam for any purpose other than entering part 2 of this jam, their entry will be removed and reported for copyright infringement, and they will be banned from future 8 Bits to Infinity jams. We have zero tolerance for stealing work.

How do I set up my project to make it easy to import assets in part 2?
Working in Unity? You can swipe or peruse this demo for how to import external images into a Unity game at runtime.

JoeStrout has written an article about how to handle runtime import of both graphics and audio in MiniScript if you want to use that. Check out the article here.

If you use a different engine (or even a custom engine), head to the Discord and ask around! The community is filled with experienced developers who may be able to help.

Can I use shapes other than boxes and circles?
Yes, but don't overdo it. You want artists to be free to create their own interpretation in Part 2.

Can I add audio to my prototype?
Yes, and it's recommended if you don't have a way for artists to add audio in part 2.

Can I make a board/card game? 
Sure! But it needs to be a digital version for the artists to add to it and for the judges to play it.

Can I include text in the game?
Absolutely! If your game is text heavy, be sure to setup a way to add voice-overs in Part 2. Someone might be keen to do that.

Other Questions

What tools/engines can/should I use? 
Anything. Literally anything. We've seen games made in PowerPoint and Excel - if you want to use those, all power to you! Although, we suggest using something more geared toward games like Unity, Godot, Unreal, etc.

Should I build a Windows/Mac/Linux/web/[insert system here] version?
The more systems you support, the more people will be able to access your game (and use it in part 2). Some people prefer web versions because running downloaded software can be spoopy, while others prefer a download to keep the games locally and avoid the extra problems associated with web builds.

If you're using something like Unity, export versions for all systems! Most of the time, they'll work fine without any testing.

I didn't finish. Should I still submit? 
Yes! A solid prototype could still win the jam, and it's worth showcasing your work to get feedback.

How can I get more people to play my entry?  
Set your game "Community" to "Comments" to maximize the number of comments on your game. Play other entries and leave quality feedback. Be sure to politely ask the dev to play your game, so they know you want feedback. There's a new feature on itch.io that shows your entry when you comment on the game's jam page so be sure to do so there.

Can I make a multiplayer game?  
Yes, but it's not recommended because it's difficult for most judges to test.

Can I make a 2D/2.5D/3D game? 
Yep!

Can I enter other jams with the same game? 
Absolutely, as long as you follow all of the rules and time limitations for each jam. Note that we lock submissions, so you won't be able to upload new files after you submit to this jam.

Where can I ask more questions?
Ask away in the community or on Discord.

Judging

Games will be rated by a panel of judges with differing views but a shared interpretation of star values and voting categories. Judge entries and disqualified submissions will not be rated. Judging will be on the following criteria:

• Fun: Enjoyment of the game. Are the mechanics interesting? Do I want to play more?
• Technical: Implementation polish and complexity. Does the game push technical boundaries or have special tech to stand out? Are there few, if any, bugs? For heavily narrative games, this will include grammar and spelling.
• Theme/Limitation: Implementation of jam theme and limitation. Is the theme prevalent? How unusual is the interpretation? How strictly does the game follow the requirement? Out-of-the-box thinking on the theme (not taking it literally) will score more points.

Prizes

Three winners will be recognized for each of the two parts, for a total of six prizes:

• Judges' Choice will be the highest-ranking overall game in the jam.
• Developers' Choice will be selected by a closed vote among everyone who entered the jam.
• Community Choice will be selected by an open vote by the 8 Bits to Infinity community and anyone else interested in playing the games.

All winners will receive the following:

• A choice of two games from a list of several available Steam keys.
• (Optional) Showcase of a commercially released game you choose on Joshua's stream after the voting period. The game must be in his collection, available for free, or gifted.
• Priority feedback from Joshua on an updated version of your game with at least two weeks notice. The game will be streamed to completion (defined at Joshua's discretion).

Each entry may only qualify for one prize, regardless of how many categories they win.

In addition, the winners will be added to the list of 8 Bits to Infinity Jam Winners.

Tweeter of the Month

Any tweet with the #8bitstoinfinity hashtag in January  counts toward winning Tweeter of the Month, given to the person with the highest quantity of relevant tweets. The winner's Twitter handle will be displayed on Joshua's stream for the month of February, with a link to their Twitter placed among the chatbot's random messages.