Alaska NSF EPSCoR's Fire and Ice project is hosting an online "Solstice Game Jam" from June 22nd-29th.  Games can range from highly technical code-based video games to classic board games. Participants can design their games as part of a group or individually, and all ages and experience levels are welcome. Our game jam is "Fire and Ice"-themed so participants are encouraged to find creative ways to incorporate fire and ice elements into their games. Additional information regarding the theme will be shared at the start of the game jam. This game jam is directed toward residents of Alaska but open to all who wish to participate. Registration through a separate registration form is required to qualify for prizes (see below). A parental consent form is also required for minors who wish to participate and qualify for prizes.

In order to inspire participants to engage with our theme more deeply we've introduced a Best Use of Theme prize. A resource pack will be shared with participants on the morning of Monday June 22nd. Read more details about the structure of this event and judging criteria below our poster graphic.

Here's how our game jam will work: 

• Register for the Solstice Fire and Ice Game Jam here. If you recognize this form then you've already filled it out. This registration form is required to qualify for prizes.
• Participants are invited to meet on Zoom at the beginning (noon Alaska time on the 22nd) and end (noon Alaska time on the 29th) of the Game Jam; during the rest of the event teams will manage their own interactions but are free to reach out to us for any support. While the Zoom meetings are not required to qualify for prizes they are highly encouraged. The purpose of the initial Zoom meeting is for introductions, a little background to our project, and more details on our theme and judging criteria. The last Zoom meeting will be a place for discussions of what went well, what didn't, and what you feel most proud about in regard to the game making process and your final product. 
• Games will be submitted to a website (itch.io) and judges will choose winners.
• This is an all-ages university sponsored event so games must fall under the "E" category of the ESRB rating system to qualify for prizes. We want everyone to feel welcome. Community guidelines will be discussed at our Zoom meeting.
• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-place winners will have prizes emailed to them. Prizes consist of Steam keys that provide access to download games from the popular gaming platform.  For teams, prizes will be split between team members equally.
  • Best Use of Theme: $250 Steam key
  • 1st Place: $250 Steam Key  
  • 2nd Place: $150 Steam Key
  • 3rd Place: $100 Steam Key
• All participants will receive a participation award.

General Judging criteria: 

1st, 2nd, 3rd Place:

Your game's overall score is the sum of the scores in each of these four categories. These are elements the judges will look for, but don't worry if your game doesn't include a bunch of these things. This is not a prescription for what your game should have in it. It's really just a list of metrics that we thought might be helpful to consider. The judges are willing to look thoughtfully at each game that's made for our game jam with the clear understanding of how much work goes into the process of game development.

• Story (Scored 1-5): Judges will rate games based on story elements
  • The game contains characters.
  • The game contains conflict.
  • The game has a clear beginning and end.  
  • The game has a plot and gameplay moves it forward.
  • Innovation: the story feels new and engaging.
• Aesthetics (Scored 1-5): Judges will rate aesthetic elements
  • Graphics: the game has an interesting visual appearance. 
  • Sound: if the game uses sound, it adds to the experience.
  • Innovation: the art or sound does something new and interesting.
  • Overall, the game's art is well rounded.
• Fun (Scored 1-5): Judges will rate how fun your game was for them to play
  • Humor: the game is funny.
  • The game gives the player a sense of flow and feels smooth to play.
  • Innovation: the game does something new and is fun to play.
• Gameplay (Scored 1-5): Judges will rate gameplay elements
  • Game mechanics and user interface contribute to this category.
  • Innovation: the gameplay does something new and interesting.
  • The game balances increases in difficulty with the player's abilities.

The Best Use of Theme is a separate category that will be judged upon and has it's own prize. It's possible to win one of the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd prizes and win this one too depending on how much you choose to utilize content from our resource pack.

Best Use of Theme scoring (Scored 1-5):

High theme score:

• Game exhibits elements of the boreal fires side of our project
• Game exhibits elements of the coastal margins side of our project
• Game exhibits elements from both sides of our project
• Game utilizes an element of our project as a part of the game mechanics
• Game exhibits something from our resource pack

Medium theme score:

• Game utilizes fire or ice as a concept
• Game utilizes fire or ice as an aesthetic choice
• Game explores something about hot and cold

Low theme score:

• Game doesn’t utilize fire or ice as a theme at all
• There is no apparent correlation of the game with our theme

Winners will be announced a week after the end of the event in early July and prizes will be emailed out to participants shortly after.

More details, including Zoom information and the resource pack, will be emailed to the email you provide on the registration form.