The first MytholoJam of 2019 is celebrating mythology, history, and culture from all over the world! Including, but absolutely not limited to: Egyptian, Central American, Japanese, Greek, Norse, Southeast Asian, Roman, Mesopotamian, and as many more traditions as you can think of. If there is a myth, a place, a piece of artwork, or something else from the past that fascinates you, go for it — and if your culture is not often represented in discussions of antiquity or mythology, this jam is for you!

This jam emphasizes and celebrates the fact that antiquity is vast and diverse, and our understanding of the past relies on complex interactions and global dynamics between numerous cultures. The jam is designed to uplift often-marginalized or misrepresented cultures, and to enable participants to learn about history and create unique interactive projects as conscientious inheritors of the past.

Guidelines:

1. Ensure that you're treating fellow participants courteously, and if you're approaching a culture that is not your own, do so sensitively and with respect; spend some time doing research and avoid stereotypes or misinformation.
2. You can brainstorm, outline, or work on concept art before the jam period, but projects finished before the jam begins are not allowed. However, you may revisit a prototype created before the jam period, so long as it is relevant to the jam. This includes previous MytholoJam projects you may have been unable to finish or submit, and projects that were conceptualized and worked on previously, but are still in early development (grayboxing, missing key assets, etc) or are not yet playable.
3. You're welcome and encouraged to use the community to ask questions, look for a team, or post devlogs and progress screenshots!
4. Entries irrelevant to the theme will be removed. Blank submissions similarly risk being removed; to be sure that your entry isn't mistaken for spam, briefly describe your project and how it relates to the jam in the "Description" section of its page. One sentence is enough.
5. This jam is beginner-friendly! If you've never made a game or participated in a jam before, you're more than welcome to join.
6. Working with something new that you want to learn more about is ideal — but so is working with something that you're already interested in or know a lot about. All levels of familiarity with history and mythology are welcome.
7. Have fun!

Links:

• The World MytholoJam Community
  
  
• "Getting Started" Thread
  
  
• Check out the MytholoJam hashtag!
  
  
• Find or create a team on CrowdForge!
  
  
• Official World MytholoJam Discord server!
  
  
• Browse previous MytholoJam entries!
  

Main themes:

The past: From antiquity to the medieval period and plenty of time in between, this jam widens the MytholoJam scope. You're also welcome to take an ancient concept and work it into a modern or futuristic idea of your own. Bear in mind that you can look to any source you'd like for inspiration — not just mythology!

Worldwide culture and global interdependence: MytholoJams are an opportunity to explore the past, which we need to understand as a product of diverse, complex interactions and global dynamics between a variety of civilizations and cultures. No aspect of history exists in a vacuum, and you're invited to examine lesser known and marginalized aspects of history as well as familiar ones. Some questions to think about: when we discuss the past, what gets misrepresented? What gets emphasized? What do you find most compelling?

Interactivity: Make something interactive! Your entry may be in any format: a sidescroller, a PICO8 game, a 3D game, a visual novel, a Twine project, a comic or interactive print, a form of blackout poetry, a video, etc. Whatever floats your trireme!

Optional theme: Ghost Stories

Spirits, ghosts, death rituals, and tales of unnerving creatures are abundant in every culture. Whether your interest is piqued by legends of ancient obake, the shades roaming Hades, an aspect of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, or something else entirely, you're more than welcome to explore more morbid fare (but you don't have to).

This page might help to serve as inspiration or further reading regarding ghosts and death in the ancient world.

FAQ:

Q: Can I still make something inspired by ancient Greece?
A: Yes! Anything is fair game, it's just that no single culture is the focal point of this particular jam. Given the popularity of Greek mythology, there's also a yearly Greek MytholoJam that runs each fall.

Q: What if I don't finish my game, or have only completed certain assets?
A: That's still great, and you're encouraged to submit whatever you create as a proof-of-concept! This could be art assets, music, a font, etc. Straightforward interactivity, while a theme of the jam, isn't a hard and fast rule. After all, anything can be interactive if you spin it right.

Q: Are premade assets allowed? How about paid assets?
A: Both are fine, provided you use them under the proper terms stipulated by the creator.

Q: Can I join in later on in the jam?
A: Absolutely. We're taking these jams slow now at two months, so even if you can't start participating until April, there will still be plenty of time. You may also want to time your working hours concurrently with another jam, which is fine; games can be submitted to this jam as well as others, provided you follow the guidelines for all jams you've entered.

Q: Is this jam ranked?
A: MytholoJams are not ranked. These jams are for developers of all skill levels and emphasize learning and experimenting over competition.

Images used in the jam's banner (courtesy of the Met):
Illustrated Legends of the Kitano Tenjin Shrine (Japanese, late 13th c AD)
Unfinished Stela to Amun-Re (Egyptian, ca. 1184-1070 BC)
Gold Bracteate (Scandinavian, ca. 400-600 AD)
Goddess & Attendants (Indian (West Bengal), 1st c AD-1st c BC)
Codex-style Vessel (Mayan (Guatemala), 7th-8th c AD)
Terracotta Oinochoe (Greek, ca. 325-300 BC)