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.

The previous jams and the entries can be found here, if you're curious; https://itch.io/jam/trans-gal-jam  & https://itch.io/jam/trans-gal-jam-2

Rules:

• If you wish to do a solo project, be a trans woman, transfeminine person, amab non-man or basically any other amab trans/nonbinary person who feels close enough to the trans woman experience and wish to be part of this. If you're intersex and feel like you can relate to the trans woman identity you're free to join too!
• Projects can be either solo or a team project.
• You can't join alone if you're afab or cis, if you still want to be part of the jam you need to be in a team with someone who is trans,  preferably a friend or a partner or something like that.  Although women and afab nonbinary voices in gamedev are valid and need to be heard,  this jam is for the trans girls.
• Because gender is a fucking mess and these things aren't always so simple, in case of you not knowing if you're eligible to join the jam solo or team, just pop in the discord and ask or optionally message me directly on discord and we can sort it out, but most likely you're fine to join anyway. :> add me 'a nadia#6949' Links directly to the discord server can be found below all this text.

• Absolute priority on keeping the jam and the community around it safe and respectful, so everyone can be comfortable. Be mindful of others in the jam and in case of conflicts contact me instead of fighting it out. More specific rules for the discord can be found in the #rules_and_info channel in the discord.
•  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, but only with appropriate content warnings, so people know what to expect. No blatantly bigoted content with the sole purpose of upsetting people. If a submitted game is making people uncomfortable it may be removed from the jam depending on the circumstances.

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 or contact me personally on discord by adding me 'a nadia#6949' and I will help you get started! I am very much interested in helping others get started in game development and will do all I 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/ 

There are a lot of tools  and resources out there for various stuff, and here is one good complication that covers a lot of stuff! http://www.pixelprospector.com/game-development/

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 product is just a 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 all the other related identities I listed earlier 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. Go 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!

Q: Nice banner, dude. 

A: Thanks, my sweet agender gf @sloppydraws drew it for me. Get it, jam? :3c (btw just a warning, if u go to their twitter prepare to see some rad drawn girldicks)

v For the discord link click that little "connect" button below! V

https://discord.gg/fsEzsEK