THIS JAM IS 18+ AND BY ITS NATURE INCLUDES DARK TOPICS AND THEMES
Imagine the perfect horror project. A project that was tailor made to terrify you personally. Every aspect crafted expertly to send cold sweat down your spine, make your stomach sink with dread, make you feel observed, witnessed, known in the worst way possible. What would that project look like? What medium would it be? What would it be about?
For this jam, answer that one question:
What are you afraid of?
GOAL:
Create a project (Video game, Comic, TTRPG, Art Zine, Prose, Poetry, Short Film, etc) with the explicit goal of creating something that terrifies you, the artist. Tap into those phobias, confront your idiosyncrasies, your neurosis, those strange, minor things that make your skin prickle. Whatever medium that perfect project would be, make it as such, even if you have never worked in that medium before. Push yourself mentally and physically to make the perfect horror project crafted just to scare yourself.
Because this is a project expressly about pushing your own comfort zones and experimenting with mediums you’re unfamiliar with, this jam will be much longer than my other jams have been.
Note: Know yourself and what will cause you harm. If participating in this jam would be harmful for you in some way, then don’t do it. This is a prompt, not a challenge. There is no winning.
At the end of this Jam will be a curated Personal Fears bundle. If you’re interested in that, please also feel free to submit your projects to the bundle! Participating in this jam does NOT guarantee that you will be included in the bundle.
THIS IS NOT A RANKED JAM. THERE IS NO WINNER.
Works which utilize Generative AI are not eligible for the jam or bundle.
Works must be original content. Fan works are also not eligible for this jam or bundle.
This jam is only accepting full narrative or experimental art projects. Do not submit game assets for this jam.
FAQ
But what if no one else thinks this is scary?
That doesn’t matter. Don’t worry about what other people think is scary. This is about what YOU personally think is terrifying, uncomfortable, or makes your skin crawl. If that means an art zine that’s just photos of things you find unsettling, go for it! If that means a comic where you see a child in the woods, that’s the project for you! If that means a video game where you’re chased by giant vacuums, hell yeah!
For example, I am making a game where you walk through a house in the dark and nothing happens, because when I think of the perfect horror experience for me personally, that’s what I envision. It can seem strange and absurd to other people, it doesn’t matter. The only person you’re trying to scare here is yourself. Capture whatever that means to you.
Since this is a horror jam, are there any topics that are off limits?
Horror is the exploration of the taboo, so there is no censorship in regards to what you can or can’t cover in your project. However, safety is important, and content warnings are highly encouraged. They don’t need to be front and center if it could spoil your story, but it is best practice to have them easily available so people can know what they’re getting into beforehand. Horror is about being disturbing, but we still want to avoid harm as best we can.
Content warnings are not a moral judgment, just a safety tool.
If you have questions about how to approach content warnings for your project, I’ll put together a basic guide to content warnings in the community section. THAT BEING SAID. Works that are expressly endorsements of real world violence or intolerance against minority groups or hate speech will not be tolerated.
If NSFW allowed?
For the Jam: If your personal hell project involves erotic situations, then absolutely go for it! However, for the bundle, we will for the most part be rejecting full erotica projects due to ITCH’s policies. Sorry!
What should I make?
Whatever will scare you the most! TTRPGs, games, comics, fiction, poetry, art zines, some combination of all of that or more! The more diverse the better! If your ideal project would be a short film, you can also submit that!
Is this jam curated/is there a winner?
The Jam itself is not curated and there will be no winner. It’s just about the joy of creating something! But, there will be a bundle made after the jam which will be curated, probably to about 20-30 pieces.
However I will be keeping an eye on the submissions to ensure no one submits something against the rules or entirely off theme.
You say no fan art, are fairytales allowed?
Absolutely! Where would we be without dark and horror retellings of fairy tales? Fairy tale retellings are welcome and encouraged! Similarly, works exploring public domain horror concepts (Dracula, Carmilla, Frankenstein, H.P. Lovecraft, etc) are also welcome.
Can my jam project be commercial/cost money?
Yes! Feel free to put whatever price you would like on it. If you are also submitting to the bundle, I’ll probably reach out for access keys for moderation purposes once I have put together my shortlist.
I’m already working on a project, can I join the jam with that?
Yes! You are welcome to begin work early or continue on a project you’re already making. This is about motivation and finishing a project, not a competition with a strict timeline.
I’m a person/company who wants to collaborate with you on this jam and offer prizes for the winner. How can I contact you?
Well! You clearly didn’t read the jam details as there is no winner and no rankings! If you message me offering prizes or asking for free advertising, I’m going to tell you no automatically for not reading the details. If you have a different, interesting idea for collaboration, tell me your favorite color to prove you read this and then we can chat. You can dm me on bsky but any collaboration messages that don’t mention your favorite color will be ignored.
What If I already finished my project, can I submit it for the jam?
Please do!! Then I can go look at it :)
How do I submit to the bundle?
You can submit your project to the bundle via this google form! Link Coming Soon!