Photo: Nintendo

HOW YOU BECOME PART OF HISTORY...

Created by legendary designer Gunpei Yokoi, Nintendo's Game & Watch series of handheld electronic games was originally released in 1980 and has continued in various forms up until today. 

The Game & Watch series was the first to introduce Yokoi's cross-shaped directional pad (or "D-pad"), which went on to become the industry standard for game controllers and would win a Technology & Engineering Emmy Award in 2007.

In this jam, you will embrace the constraints of the Game & Watch handheld, and like Gunpei Yokoi and other Nintendo designers, rely on creativity and elegance to bring a memorable title to life!

HOW GAMES WILL BE RATED

Winners will be determined by voting. Submissions will be hidden until the voting period begins. Only jam submitters and contributors are allowed to vote. During the voting period, you must rate a queue of 5 randomly-selected games before you are allowed to rate any other game.

** RATING CRITERIA **

You may create your game for any platform, but browser-based games are recommended as they will reach the most number of players. All game jam submissions will be rated according to the following criteria:

1. *Constraints. Does the game use all three properly? If not, the game is immediately disqualified.
2. Art. How well can you create a sense of place, movement, and emotion with limited sprites?
3. Sound. How well can you support your game through minimal sound consistent with the original Game & Watch games?
4. Gameplay. How well can you surprise, entertain, or compel players with gameplay and progression?

*Your game must adhere to the following three constraints. Failure to do so will result in disqualification of the submission.

CONSTRAINT #1: CONTROL SCHEME

Instead of a jam theme, a control scheme has been provided:

• UP/DOWN + UP/DOWN (i.e. Lion and Mario Bros.)

CONSTRAINT #2: SPRITE DESIGN

a. Only one sprite (character or object) may exist in any given position on the screen. This sprite can be either on (visible) or off (invisible) at any given time.

c. Character design should be relatively consistent with the "Mr. Game & Watch" aesthetic. There is some variety for interpretation here, but see if you can create a look that wouldn't be too out of place with the series.

c. Sprites must be coloured  black/off-black (100% opacity), and should include transparency which allows for the background to show through.

CONSTRAINT #3: BACKGROUND DESIGN

IF a background is desired, a single, static (non-changing) background layer MAY be included. This background may be multi-coloured and visible where either no sprite or the transparency of a sprite exists.

THE JAM TIMELINE

The jam begins on September 29th at midnight (NZST/UTC +12).   
The deadline for submission is October 27th at midnight (NZST/UTC +12).   
The voting period runs from October 27th at midnight until November 10th at midnight (NZST/UTC +12).

FAQS

1. Is there a community for this jam? Yes, there is a related itch.io community found from the link at the top of this page. A Discord server will be added once the community grows large enough.
2. Do I need to work on a team? No, but you are welcome to. Communicating through the community is a good way to find teammates.
3. Is a title screen needed? No. In fact, none of the early LED Game & Watch handhelds had title screens. However, if you would like to create a title screen, a great alternate would be to create box art in the style of the Game & Watch.
4. Are GAME A and GAME B options necessary? No. These were options in the original handhelds that offered easier or harder gameplay from the start. You may include these if you wish, or simply increase the difficulty of the game as the player progresses.
5. Is an on-screen watch (clock) function necessary? No, but you will probably gain our admiration if you do.
6. What are  the rules regarding audio? Sound should be minimal and consistent with the early Game & Watch titles. A good example of the most complex sound design would be 1988's Super Mario Bros.