Welcome to the Trans Representation Game Jam! 

This is a two months long GameJam all about Trans representation in gaming.

About:

The Trans Representation Game Jam is a non ranked Jam without any prices. The purpose of this jam is to create more games that have trans representation in them in a chill environment. There are however achievements that you can display on your gamepage (if you wish) for completing challenges! :) 

Theme:

The theme is all about  trans representation! That means at least one major character in your game has to be Transgender or a major part of the story has to be about the trans experience. There are no further themes that you have to incorporate; just let your imagination run wild! Any engine or type of game is allowed, as long as the final game abides by all the rules. Feel free to @TransRepJam and use the #transrepjam when posting about your games and work in progresses if you use  twitter! 

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Rules:

✧ You have to finish and upload the game within the jam period

✧ Your game has to feature trans representation,  and this representation has to be referenced or acknowledged within the game. Just claiming that a character is trans in a small text in the description without any indications within the actual game is not enough. (more on this in the Q&A section) 

✧ Your submission needs to include a screenshot that showcases this representation in some way (the screenshot does not need to be on the official gamepage, you can just comment it on the submission page of your game for this jam and I will comment that your screenshot has been acknowledged, after which you may delete it if you want to)

✧ Be respectful and informed. Games endorsing any form of racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia or transmedicalist gatekeeping/ bio-essentialism are not allowed. 

✧ If your game deals with topics that some may find uncomfortable, please include a content warning screen.

✧ Graphic displays and detailed descriptions of sexual scenes are  only allowed after they have been approved by one of the moderators. If you publish a nsfw game that has not been screened by a moderator of the jam, it will be disqualified and removed from the entries until a screening has taken place.

And most importantly:

✧ Have fun!

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Challenges:

There are 8 challenges that are rewarded with achievements that you may display on your game's page after the jam has concluded! If you do any of these challenges, be sure to mention it in your  submission description or write me on discord (link to the discord server further down) I will send you the corresponding achievement or comment it under your game :)

- Start and finish the game within the jam time period 

- Have choosable pronouns for your main character 

- Have a character that canonically uses neo-pronouns 

- Only use the colors of the trans and the nonbinary flag in your game (you may slightly adjust the

colors to fit your game aesthetic more)

- Make up a gender - give one of your characters a gender that doesn't exist yet. You made it up.

- Silent Story - tell an impactful story without using any written words - In world writings can only exist in a made up language

- Acapella - make every sound in the game with your mouth and a microphone - including the music

- Scrap book - make your games assets by mashing preexisting freestock image material together

you are not allowed to draw a single line yourself (You are allowed to make scetches of course,

given that they won't be in the final game)

Here is a preview of the achievements you can collect!

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Q&A:

Q: So my game has to evolve around the trans experience?

A: Not necessarily! It can be, but you could also just have one (or more) major character/s be trans and have their identity acknowledged within the game. If we get the feeling that your game was never meant to be about a trans person, and you just made one of the characters trans as an after-thought, so you could submit your game to this jam aswell, we will disqualify you. The game itself can be about anything you want as long as it follows the Jam rules and itch.ios TOS. 

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Q: So my character has to straight up state that they are trans?

A: No, and I would discourage this if it doesn't fit naturally into your game. There are many ways of writing a character openly trans without having the character say it. Visual clues are a good way; Like a trans flag in their room, pronoun pins or empty hrt bottles lying around. Get creative with it :)

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Q: Why do nsfw games need to be screened before they are allowed entry? And what does screening even mean?

A:  We need to ensure that these games treat trans people and their bodies respectfully. Games fetishising the community are not allowed. If you want to make sure that your game gets approved, we encourage you to join our  discord  and share your progress in the appropriate channels so we can comment on it. Screening means that we need to talk to the developers, ask them a few questions about the game and play it before we can approve it for this jam.

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Q: Can I work in a team?

A: Yes

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Q: Where can I find a team?

A: You could post about it in the community-tab or join our discord to find someone!

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Q: May I submit more than one game?

A: As many as you want!

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Q: Can I start on my submission before the jam starts?

A: You can, however one of the challenges will be to make the game from start to finish within the jam period. If you don't care about the challenges, then you don't have to worry about that though! (Also keep in mind that even if you start development before the official start, the game can not be finished until the jam starts.)

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Q: Can I use assets that aren't mine?

A: Only if you have the rights to them. Be sure to properly credit any second party assets that you use (unless they do not require you to)

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Q: Can I submit my game to other jams aswell?

A: Sure! As long as it abides by all the rules :)

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Q: Is there a discord?

A: Yes! https://discord.gg/S2xkNkSQRQ

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Post your games under the hashtag #transrepjam.