This jam is now over. It ran from 2018-09-28 23:00:00 to 2018-09-30 23:00:00. View 20 entries

UPDATE!

If you're working on your Arcade Jam game from offsite, please fill out the online submission form on this page as well so we can have all the information we need to add your game to the arcade cabinet!

Sunday Sept 30th-Monday Oct 8th

You can continue to polish your game if you want! Send a link of the final version of your game (uploaded on here) to leadership at stlgamedev dot com for review for inclusion in the arcade machine by 12:00PM CDT on Monday Oct. 8th at the latest. If any content is not approved we will get back to you ASAP, but it may not be in time for the launch of the exhibit.

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It’s finally happening!

THE ARCADE JAM!

After years of planning, we are going to do a Game Jam where the ultimate goal is this: Fill a classic arcade machine with amazing games that YOU make in a weekend and put it on display in a prominent location where people from all around St. Louis can play and experience everyone’s creations.

We’ll be doing this at the Science Center itself for a cabinet that is scheduled to be part of their upcoming GameXPloration video game exhibit. People of all ages will be playing your game every day. Teams or individuals are welcome, but please have each participant pre-register so that we know how many people to expect.

Registration is now open.

THEME

Make a game inspired by one of the exhibits at the Science Center!

LOCATION

The Saint Louis Science Center
May Hall (Lower Level)
5050 Oakland Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110

WHEN

Friday, Sept 28th
5:00pm   On-site check-ins begin
6:00pm Opening Ceremonies at Center Stage
6:30pm   THEME will be announced!
10:00pm   Doors close for the evening

Saturday, Sept 29th
10:00am Doors open for jamming in May Hall
10:00pm Doors close for the evening

Sunday, Sept 30th
10:00am   Doors open for jamming in May Hall
4:30pm   All games must be uploaded to the arcade machine by this time!
5:00pm   Closing Ceremonies at Center Stage
5:15pm   Game Demos! (2-3 minutes per team)

TECHNICAL RESTRICTIONS

Use a joystick and up to two buttons, and map them to these buttons!

Player 1 Movement: Arrow Keys Button 1: . Button 2: /

Player 2 Movement: WASD Button 1: ` Button 2: 1
Make sure the “escape” key quits your game.
Launch full-screen without a resolution picker or other options screen.
Make sure your game outputs as a Windows executable and not an installer. You can make the game on Mac or Linux, but export a build for Windows.
Keep any important game information away from the edges of the screen. The housing of the monitor cuts off the left and right edges by around a centimeter (50-100 pixels on each side depending on your game's resolution).
Design your game so that a single "credit" or "round" lasts around 3 minutes or less. Arcade designers tried to get quarters out of people, but in our case we just want to encourage all of the venue visitors get a chance to try a few different games instead of waiting around while someone hogs the machine.

CONTENT RESTRICTIONS

You are free to make whatever you want!
However, if you want to demo your game on Sunday and/or have it included in the arcade machine, it must be suitable for an audience of all ages.
BASIC GUIDELINES:

No profanity, nudity, blood, or gratuitous violence (Street Fighter II violence is fine, Mortal Kombat is going too far).
Do not promote ignorance of scientific principles.
Avoid politics and religion. Games that broadly question institutions are probably okay, but ones that promote division, or attack any individuals, cultures, or places won’t be allowed. If you're not sure, ask about it on the jam community forum (on here) or our discord (link below).
Don’t use someone else’s art/characters without permission. Open source or asset store materials are okay to use.
Must not break our Code of Conduct.
Must meet the technical requirements and practical restrictions of the arcade format and physical cabinet.
More info here.
Games do not have to match the theme to go into the machine, and do not have to have been made entirely during the game jam.
Games also do not have to be made locally and you do not have to attend in person to submit a game.
We expect every game submitted to make it onto the machine, but the Saint Louis Game Dev Co-op and Saint Louis Science Center reserve the right to reject or remove any game for any reason. In most cases we will provide feedback on what can be altered to be approved.