Come join Unexpected Jam and Movie Game Jam 2!

Welcome to the TV Game Jam, where you have two weeks to create a game inspired by a TV episode!

TV shows come in all shapes and sizes, and within each show there are episodes which explore a wide range of interesting themes, ideas and scenarios. However, the TV medium is rarely used as an inspiration for the games we make.
Thus, the aim of this jam is to explore the potential of TV as a source of inspiration for interesting and innovative video games!

Discord & Twitter

Jams are more fun when there's a community, so come join our Game Jammers Discord!

Twitter users, make sure to follow the official Twitter account @TVGameJam and tweet with the hashtag #TVGameJam :)

You can also follow my Twitter @XavierEkkel if you have any questions or just because you like living life on the edge.

Rules

• Anyone, regardless of experience, is welcome to participate!
• Teams are allowed and encouraged! Max team size is 4. You can find team members easily on our CrowdForge page.
• Games must be inspired by a TV show, but should not infringe upon any copyright or trademark (so please avoid using identical names, dialogue, appearances, or music).
• Please avoid big plot spoilers in your game title, description (unless you put a spoiler warning at the top first), or screenshots.
• Do not start working on the game prior to the game jam, as it isn't fair to other participants starting from scratch.
• You must start from scratch. However, you may use publicly-available assets if you mention this upon submission (there is a text box).
• Leave feedback on any game you rate! Your comment will include a link to your game so they can play yours too:)
• Your game must be free to play until the voting period is over.
• Games that try to manipulate voting (including asking your friends to create accounts to vote on your game) will be removed.
• Games that are discriminatory, contain hate-speech, or are in very poor taste will be removed.
 

Voting

After the submission period is over, you'll be able to rate entries on the following categories on a scale from 1 to 5 stars:

• Overall
• Interpretation (how well you convert the TV episode into game form - which can be creative/abstract or a faithful adaptation)
• Gameplay Innovation
  
• Fun
  
• Visuals (only rate based on art assets created during the jam, not art assets created before the jam)
• Audio (only rate based on the audio created during the jam, not audio created before the jam)

The voting period will run for roughly two weeks. Please only vote based on the aspects of the game that were created from scratch.

Don't forget to leave feedback on any game you rate! It's more helpful than just a number, and it helps them find your game :)

YouTubers/Streamers

Here's a YouTube Playlist of TV Game Jam 'let's play' videos!

FAQ

Who can participate?
Anyone! All experience levels, from beginner to expert, and all disciplines from coding and art to design and music, are free and encouraged to join this jam!

Do I keep the rights to my game?
Yes! You and your team keep the rights to everything you create for this game jam.

Can I use other peoples' work in my game?
We do not take responsibility for any unauthorised uses of other peoples' work (e.g. music, sound, art, other copyrighted/trademarked material) and any consequences that may result from its use. Please use work that you are authorised to use or that you created from scratch yourself.

Can I use the characters / names / art / music / other assets from the TV show in my game?
Not directly. Games should be inspired by the show without directly using any of the show's characters, names, art, music, or other copyrighted/trademarked aspects. Variations that stand on their own but draw inspiration from the show's content are totally fine.

Is there any restriction on game engines?
Nope! You are free to use whichever game engine you like - including your own custom-built engines - as long as you create the code and assets specific to this game from scratch.

Where can I download the logo? Can I put it in my game?
You can download the logo here, and you are welcome (and encouraged) to include it as a splash screen for your game!

Can my game be based on multiple episodes / a specific scene from an episode / a TV show as a whole?
One episode (or a scene from within one episode) is recommended because it will likely lead to more focused and coherent game designs, and more time for polish. However, I won't restrict the use of multiple episodes or a TV show as a whole if that's what you want to do and you're confident in your ability to do so!

Can my game be based on [some TV show]?
Yes! Any episode from any TV show can be used as inspiration for your game. This includes animes, children's shows, reality shows, web series, etc.