Update: THE JAM HAS CONCLUDED! Here's what the judges liked!

THEMES ARE LIVE!
This year the themes for the jam are:

BUBBLES
Caravans
Spear
Confusion
Jonathan
Birds
Robots
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Hi, I'm Kevin Cole! I make video games with my friends as part of a group called SuperTry. This year the SuperTry game jam is going on the road and is being hosted by our friends at Hackfort.

If you're new to game jams they're a game making challenge where individuals and teams attempt to develop a whole, playable video game within a short time limit. I'll be providing themes and a few other tools to assist your creative process during the jam.

This is a chill, unranked jam but to make things a little more exciting I've asked a few judges to review your submissions. Each judge can pick any amount of their favorite submissions to be immortalized here on this very jam page. We'll also be encouraging our judges to spread the word and champion their favorite games through whichever medium they most enjoy.

I'll be jamming with you during Hackfort this year! I'm kicking off the jam with a presentation at Hackfort and I'll be running an interactive workshop during Hackfort if you want to come check out the game making process. I'll also be showcasing my favorite games of the jam in a presentation at Hackfort on Saturday. Thanks Hackfort!

The themes will be revealed when the jam starts!

This jam will provide multiple themes to help your creative process. You can incorporate as many or as few themes as you like into your project. The themes are just there to help you create though some judges may enjoy deep and interesting interpretations of the themes.

The themes will be taken from submissions made by SuperTry's patrons over at GiveKevinMoney.com

The judges will be revealed sporadically! We may find and reveal new celebrity judges over the course of the jam and potentially even after the jam concludes.

Judges are not required to play all the jam entries so make sure your marketing is appealing. That's part of the jam too!

Our first judge is me, Kevin Cole!

I'm running the jam and I'll be submitting my own project to it. I've made quite a few jam games in my day and I'll be looking to shout out games that are short and sweet with tight mechanics and minimalist graphics.

Our second judge is Paul Ritchey!

"I haven't ever made a game, but I have played a lot of them on my weekly webshow Continue? and in my regular old life. I tend to like games with short gameplay loops, catchy music and sound design, and designs where tone and style are deeply connected with the mechanics."

Our third judge is Jed "HakJak" Steen!

Jed Steen, better known as “HakJak” in gaming circles, is the creator of Guts and Glory and co-creator of the unreleased title Pigeon Simulator.  He’s just begun working on a new project, to be announced later this year!  As an ADHD gamer, he enjoys bouncing around between a wide variety of titles and genres, but tends to gravitate most towards action, comedy, and horror games.  His biggest draw, however, is projects with a unique premise, mechanic, or strong personality.  Indie games FTW!

Our fourth judge is Eric Mack!

Eric Mack is the artist and developer behind the action platformer Doko Roko and many more. Eric likes fantasy games, RPGs, platformers, and 2D games. He'll be looking for entries that show off the immersive qualities of video games.

Our fifth judge is currently unknowable.

You must make and submit a video game within the jam window. The jam starts at 12:00 PM Mountain Standard Time on Thursday, March 21st, 2024 and ends 48 hours later at 12:00 PM Mountain Standard Time on Saturday,  March 23rd, 2024.

Your submission must be appropriate for a general audience. Submissions with hate speech or adult content will not be accepted. Your submission must also adhere to Treefort's Code of Conduct. Your submission may be removed from the jam for any reason and without explanation.

Don’t make games about or based on the judges. This gets creepy really fast.

Pre-existing code and assets are allowed. Please let everyone know what was made outside of the jam window.

Be kind, constructive, and helpful with your feedback. This is a laid back jam.

Don't over do it! A video game is not worth your health. Drink water, shower, sleep, feed yourself, and take care of your pets and loved ones. Even if you don't finish your submission, you'll still have something you can work on after the jam.

Get organized before the jam starts! You can work alone or in groups but it's a good idea to get your team together and establish what your roles on the project will be. It's also a smart idea to get your pre-existing code and assets together in one place before the jam.

You can submit any kind of game you want to the jam but keep in mind that the judges will most likely be reviewing submissions solo and don't have to play every submission. Multiplayer games, graphics-intensive games, games that require specific hardware, games that require print outs, and games that require controllers may cause judges to pass over your game.

In general a game that is playable in a browser with keyboard controls and optional controller support is your best bet for attracting a judge. A windows-playable game with keyboard and/or mouse controls is probably the bare minimum.

Marketing is a part of the jam. Remember to make time to add screenshots and a succinct description of your game to your submission to entice the judges.

Keep things simple! You don't have much time and you need to take care of yourself.

You own anything you make during the jam and can do whatever you want with it. We claim no rights or ownership of your submission.

Your submission may show up in promotional material for Hackfort or Treefort without your express permission.

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This is the fourth game jam from SuperTry. Last year we ran the SuperTry Grab Bag Jam!

If you have any questions about the jam you can email Kevin at SuperTryStudios@gmail.com