Game Jam

Have you ever wondered what it is like to be part of making a video game?

How do you test ideas, prototype the technology, get buy-in, and start a company?

What resources and support systems are available for gaming companies operating in the Fraser Valley? The Game Jam is the place to not just learn, but experience all of this in one highly compressed 24 hours on January 26th & 27th, 2024, from 5pm to 5pm

Final presentations and a chance to play all the games are from 2:30pm to 5pm on Saturday, and are open to the public with free admission. Come cheer on these teams, and teams invite your friends and family

 


 

 

 

 

 


Questions and Answers

Who is this for?

This event is targeting gamers, creative arts including audio / music, 2D and or 3D art and hi-tech college and university students in the Fraser Valley, as well as high school students registered via Imagine High. However, this event is also open to anyone over 18 who wants to get involved.

Any and all levels of experience are welcome. 

If you have an existing team, you are more than welcome to enter as a team.

When and where is this happening?

It starts at 5PM on Friday, January 26th, and wraps up at 5PM the next day. Yes, this is an overnight event!

The event for both adults and high school students will start and end at Imagine High. Adults working overnight will do so nearby at Cowork Chilliwack.

What if I don't have a team?

No problem! We will start the event off by playing matchmaker between people and teams

Ideal team

Sizes are typically 3 to 5, but teams may be any size.

Each team requires these skill sets, although each person on the team is not expected to have every skill:

  1. Programming: Someone with previous experience is required for each team
  2. Art: User interface design, environment, characters
  3. Music and sound effects: Good games have good audio
  4. Game design: Hold the vision of the game / document features to ensure the game is fun
  5. Project management: Ensure there is an achievable trackable plan to deliver the game on time
  6. Business Model: Ensure someone on the team understands how to make this profitable

Who is going to help guide us during the Game Jam?

We have assembled a panel of experienced game development experts to help you throughout the event. These mentors will be available at specific times throughout the event.

Each team will also receive one ChatGPT Pro account for brainstorming and coding questions. The opening education session will provide guidance on helpful prompts for these purposes.

What does the schedule look like?

Friday:

Yes, this really is an all-nighter for adults who will head over nearby to Cowork Chilliwack. Bring a sleeping bag and a pillow if you think you'll want a nap.

Saturday:

Judging criteria

Each game will be judged based on the following criteria:

  1. Game Concept in Pitch: / 20
    1. Genre of game: / 3
    2. Theme / Story: / 3
    3. Business Model: / 5
    4. Core Mechanics: / 3 
    5. Differentiators: / 5
    6. Important Menus: / 1
  2. Game Completeness: / 60
    1. Fun factor: / 30
    2. Complete Art, Audio and Music: / 15
    3. Fully playable, including scoring / objectives: / 15
  3. Game Pitch and Demo: / 20
    1. Quality of Pitch: / 10
    2. Quality of Demo: /10

Who will judge the teams, and how do they choose a winner?

We have a panel of industry-experienced judges to select the winning team, plus input from our mentors. The judges will score the teams using the Judging Criteria posted above. Additional judges may yet be named and linked here once finalized.

Experience and learning are all great, but are there prizes?

You bet! The first place 24h team will win:

Great! How do I register?

Adults: Registration is right below: Don't delay; register today! Registration costs $15 plus GST, and includes snacks and drinks throughout the event. Bring your own meals, or order them in. Please do encourage your friends to join you, and if you are bringing a team, please be sure that all of them have signed up :)

High School Students: Register with Matt Slykhuis via email at [email protected] 

Final presentations and awards are open to the public!

Invite your family and friends to be the first to see what your team created! All members of the community are welcome to come and cheer on all teams, and potential investors are encouraged to chat with the teams after the awards.

Can we build any of our game ahead of time? 

No, all games must be started during the event. However, publicly available off-the-shelf assets may be used, providing the sum of their parts are not a majority of the game.


Register


 

Game Jam AI Prompts

These prompts are designed for ChatGPT Pro. However, other AI systems should work as well. Be sure to use these as conversation starters, but ask further questions to explore on your own once these get you started.

Read more...