Kickoff and Showcase

First off, we're glad you decided to join the GDC Arcade Game Jam!

The first important date to note is the kickoff, which happens at 5 PM on December 21 on the GDC discord. Here we'll go over the arcade machine you'll be developing for, some information including an optional theme for the jam, and a workshop to help get you started with arcade game design.

We'll be holding our closing ceremony at 5 PM on January 11, where you'll have a chance to showcase your games to other GDC members.

Afterward, if you choose to make a game for the arcade machine, we'll be showcasing your games at the university on January 15th and throughout the SU Clubs Week. Here, people will have the chance to pay coins to play your game on the arcade machine, and all funds will go towards the prizes after the showcase.

Workshops/Check ins

Submissions

You can check in with us at any time -- for a specific time, look for the check-in times above. When you're ready to submit your game, put an executable in the itch page.

Your game doesn't have to run on the arcade machine, but if you choose to, please notify us and try to submit your game early. This lets us be aware of your game and work with you to test it, and get back to you in time. If you're making a game for the arcade machine, when you upload your game, please also upload a working Linux executable. (If you have any questions, feel free to reach out!)

Prizes

When we have the arcade showcase, every time someone plays a game, it costs money for them; sort of like a real arcade. When the showcase is done, these funds are split for two winners:

80% → The team that wins, by having the most people play their game

20% → The person that wins, by having the highest average score across the games submitted

It should be noted that, especially considering the state of the world, we're probably not going to have as much profit. While the winnings do matter, what matters more is having fun, and learning something in the process!