2025 Triangle Game Jam

Welcome to the official submission page for the 2025 Triangle Game Jam, held by the game development clubs of Duke, UNC and NCSU.
The jam was to be held across three campuses from January 16th to January 18th. However, due to weather concerns, it was changed to January 16-17, then a submission on the 25th and showcase on February 1. Join our Discord for the schedule, live announcements and important information: https://discord.com/invite/nRrQtFztdc
See more information here: entrepreneurship.ncsu.edu/trianglegamejam/

Theme: Di⛛ing Deeper (Diving Deeper)

Rules

• The jam is catered towards current university students across North Carolina, but we welcome alumni and non-students in the area to attend and participate! Award eligibility is determined according to the Winning category rules below.
• Submissions open 1/16 at 5:30 PM and close 1/18 at 2:00 PM, though we will let teams that have issues submit until 2:30 PM. CORRECTION: Submissions are recommended to be submitted by 1/25 at 6:00 PM due to an extension, with a 24-hour grace period, meaning submissions are due no later than 1/26 at 6:00 PM, excluding special cases.
• The theme for the game jam will be revealed during the opening ceremony presentation.
• You have approximately 3 days in between to develop a game according to the theme.
• Once the submission deadline passes, you cannot edit the files of your game anymore.

Winning

• Judges will rank games for all eligible awards based on a (as of now private) rubric during the showcase period.
• You may choose which awards you want to be considered for. You must explicitly state all awards during the submission period, even the overall awards.
• In order for your team to be eligible for prizing, no one on your team can have had full-time experience in a game development related field, your team must begin or end the jam with members from more than one university, and you may have a maximum of 6 people on your team.
• At least one member of your team must attend the demo showcase session and closing ceremony in order to be eligible for a prize.
• The prizes are NOT determined by the result of the itch.io vote, except possibly the people's choice award. Please do not sabotage other teams or vote for your own team.
• All teams can only win one award, except for people's choice, which will be given to the top team regardless of prior awards.

FAQ

• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 How many people can I have on my team? Up to 6, and we recommend at least 4!
• 🖼️ Can I use free or AI-generated assets?  Yes, with credit (will disqualify you from awards that require original assets)
• 🤖 Can I use AI-generated code? Yes (use judgement - it is a tool, not a silver bullet)
• 🕒 When can I work on my game? Anytime from the reveal of the theme (1/16 @ 5:30 PM) until the deadline (1/18 @ 2:00 PM)!
• 📃 How will we ensure originality? Please credit your team in your itch submission field and link your GitHub so we can see proof of ownership of code.

Category Awards - each team gets certificates and a cool trophy

• 🎨 Best Original Visual Identity 2D*
• 🧊 Best Original Visual Identity 3D*
• 🎧 Best Sound Design**
• 🎷Best Original Music*
• ⚙️ Best Game Mechanic
• 📚 Best Narrative
• 👥 People’s Choice***

* = all assets must be made by a member of the team - asset packs and genAI will disqualify you.
** = external sound libraries and samples are allowed - judged on the quality of the design
*** = voted on according to the itch.io rankings. Subject to change if the voting system isn't working.

Overall Awards

• 🏆Triangle Game Jam Award