Bored of not seeing yourself in media/games? Me too. Well there is one way to fix it. Do it our damn selves.  Let's create and share stories about people like us, our lives and our identities. The stories need to be heard! Never done a game before but feel like you would like to try? Welcome to the jam, we will help you out! 

This jam is born from the combination of us needing representation in media, but also from me finding my passion in making games, and now I really want to show others that, yes, you too can make games if you want! Making a game might feel like a daunting task at first, but just making a tiny short game might be simpler than you though.

Rules:

• If you wish to do a solo project, be a trans woman, while this is a rule, there won't be any policing of the gender of the participants.  No sort of binary gender presentation is required for this and for example nonbinary people are welcome as long as you feel like your experience aligns with the focus of the jam.
• If you do not fill the above requirement, it would be preferable you only join a team of a friend who does fill the above requirements to support them.
• Gender is a mess and things don't need to be so black and white so as long as the spirit of the jam is being upheld everything is fine.
• Absolute priority on keeping the jam, submissions and the community around it safe and respectful, so everyone can be comfortable. 

•  As an optional theme; Make a game with one or more trans women in the game. It could be just the main character or maybe everyone in the game is trans, it's up to you! It would be good if you have someone, but depending on the game type it isn't always easy to show a character as trans. Making the game also be about trans related things counts too!
• Games are allowed to have heavy themes or nsfw content, but only with appropriate content warnings, so people know what to expect. No blatantly bigoted content with the sole purpose of upsetting people. Disrespectful or unrelated submissions will be removed.

F.A.Q.

Q: I have never done a game before but I'm interested, how do I make a game?

A: Please join our discord and ask for advice someone will help you get started! I am hoping to encourage even first time devs to create something and get started in game development and will do what I reasonably can to help everyone make their games. If you're just curious you are totally allowed to join the jam and discord and have no pressure to make anything, just observing is fine if you wish to.

For tools to actually make the game there are various options, but I recommend Twine for text based games and Ren'py for visual novels. They're both free and fairly simple to use and have plenty of resources available online for new users. One simple option is a browser based game maker Bitsy, which makes adorable simple pixel art games! Unity is also a really versatile option,  with it you can basically make anything from 2d platformers to 3d walking simulators, but it is fairly more complex than the previous options. Some suggestions for various tools for different things can be found through this interactive site.  http://www.sortingh.at/ 

Q: What if I work on something but don't finish it in time?

A: You are welcome to submit your works in any state, incomplete projects and demos are just as important as full finished games! The jam is about encouraging people to make, and the final completed product is just a nice bonus.

Q: I'm not trans but I'm in a team can I be part of the discord/conversations?

A: Yes, you are free to join the discussions, but please please remember to be respectful and keep in mind this jam is a space for trans women and others who relate to the transfeminine experience so make space for our voices. 

Q: Why are there so many rules and why are only trans women allowed? Unfair.

A: Sorry, I just want to have a space where we can build a small community and do some games together. If you didn't know the world and especially the internet is generally a mean place for trans women and it's very hard to find our own place in all the storm. So I'm making my own place for us. You are welcome to join any other jam, or optionally, make your own like I am.

Q: Voting? Prizes?

A: There will be no voting or prizes, as I want this to be a supportive and relaxed jam with no pressure to perform, ideally a place for new devs to come and try making a game with others supporting them in their projects. Everyone who takes part is automatically a winner!

Q: When can I start working on my game? Can I continue working on a previous project?

A: It's fine by me to start working on your game beforehand! Since we have no voting or prizes, I'm pretty lax about it. It's also 100% fine to pick up old projects, the purpose of the jam is to encourage trans girls to make about trans girls!

https://discord.gg/FDuGmFdtUF