8 Bits to Infinity presents PUZZLE JAM, a week-long game jamming challenge (June 6 - 13, 2019) to create a prototype puzzle game.

Watch the keynote and get the presentation

Special thanks to benjames171 for the awesome logo

The theme is... Black & White

What is 8 Bits to Infinity? A community of game developers, creatives, streamers, and gamers dedicated to refining creative skills through honest criticism and rapid iteration. We host a game jam every month! Check out past jams here.

Join us on Discord to discuss the jam and generally have a good time. :)

The jam has ended! Play as many games as you can and leave some good feedback. Don't forget to reciprocate!

These awesome people are streaming games from the jam. Follow them on Twitch to get notified when they go live, and be sure to check out the VODs (recordings) if you miss the streams!

• Mr. Joshua McLean: Saturday, June 15 and Sunday, June 16 at 12 Noon ET (plus more probably)
• YourBr0ther: Wednesday, June 19 at 7pm ET

Rules

Games which break rules or have no clear relation to the Requirement will be removed.

1. 1-4 members per team.
2. One game per team.
3. Credit everything in game, including Creative Commons 0 assets and your own work. This must be accessible from the start of the game (in the title or a credits menu).
4. Game must work in Windows. Web builds are fine.
5. Game cannot require unusual peripherals (beyond keyboard, mouse, and gamepad).
6. Make everything during the jam or use freely available assets (including open source code). Exception: You may use general-purpose code made before the jam.
7. No NSFW content. This includes sexual content (including language), nudity, or excessive realistic gore/violence.

Requirement

Create a game you could reasonably call a puzzle game.

Here are some ways to think about what makes a "puzzle game," although some puzzle games don't meet all three criteria:

• One or more solutions
• No uncertainty in the system
• Two possible conclusions: you win, or you give up

This can be any kind of puzzle: word, number, shape, traversal, jigsaw, logic, etc. However, the puzzle element must be the main focus of the game, not simply part of it.

Some examples of commercial games which meet this requirement: Tetris, Sokoban, PipeMania, Sudoku, Candy Crush, Portal, Monument Valley, Myst, ChuChu Rocket!

Some examples of jam games which meet this requirement: Check My UNO! by Paradigm Games, Money is Life and Cube Love by lilou_cormic, Elemental Puzzle by Joshua McLean

Generally, create a game which someone will look at and say "Hey, that's a puzzle game!" The most important requirement is to remain in the spirit of the jam. If you feel like you're working against the requirement, you probably are.

If you have any doubts about whether you meet the requirement, or any other questions, check the FAQ, then ask on Discord or in the Community. We're glad to help.

Easter Egg

The Easter Egg is an optional "challenge" to hide a specific thing in your game, enticing players to explore every corner of the experience. This won't affect your rating directly, but the joy of finding a common secret may bump up the fun factor.

Protip: Don't say where you hid it on your game page, and don't spoil other people's Easter Eggs!

The challenge for Puzzle Jam is: Hide a birthday cake in your game, because the jam starts on Joshua's birthday.

FAQ

About the Requirement

Can I combine another genre with puzzle?
Yes, you can combine any genre with puzzle, as long as the core gameplay is puzzle. If you're describing your game, you should be comfortable saying it's, for instance, a "puzzle platformer" and not a "platformer with puzzle elements."

Can I make a board/card game? 
Sure! But keep in mind that you may not receive as many ratings given judge limitations.

Other Questions

I'm awful at music. How can I still have cool background audio in my game?  
Get free royalty-free tunes from Joshua here or from various other websites such as OpenGameArt (where you can also find Joshua's stuff). Simply google "free to use music" or "free royalty-free music" and you're sure to find something.

What about other assets, tools, and engines? 
See this list of game dev / audio / art tools for things you can use.

Is the theme a limitation? Do I need to interpret it literally?
Not at all! In fact, you will score higher in Theme by having an unusual and unique interpretation. Just be sure that your game has some kind of theme usage.

Should I build a Windows/Mac/Linux/web/[insert system here] version? 
The more builds you have, the more people will be able to access your game. Some people also prefer web versions (because running software can be spoopy) while others prefer a download (such as Joshua, who likes to keep the games archived and often struggles with web versions).

If you're using something like Unity, export versions for all systems! Most of the time, they'll work fine without any testing.

I didn't finish. Should I still submit? 
Yes! A solid prototype could still win the jam, and it's worth showcasing your work to get feedback.

How can I get more people to play my game?
Play the other submitted games and leave quality feedback. Be sure to politely ask the dev to play your game, so they know you want feedback.

Can I make a multiplayer game?
Yes, but include AI opponents to be safe. Judges may not be able to play with others during the judging period, and if the game cannot be judged appropriately, we may have to disqualify it.

Can I make a 2D/2.5D/3D game?
Yes! There are no limitations on graphics.

What tools / engines can I use?
Anything. Literally anything. We've seen games made in PowerPoint and Excel - if you want to use those, all power to you! Although, we suggest using something more geared toward games like Unity, Godot, Unreal, etc.

Can I enter other jams with the same game?
Absolutely, as long as you follow all of the rules and time limitations for each jam. Note that we lock submissions, so you won't be able to upload new files after you submit to this jam.

Where can I ask more questions? 
Ask away in the community or on Discord.

Judging

Games will be rated by a panel of judges with differing views but a shared interpretation of star values and voting categories. Judge entries and disqualified submissions will not be rated. Judging will be on the following criteria:

• Fun: Enjoyment of the game. Are the mechanics interesting? Do I want to play more?
• Innovation: How cleverly are the game concepts mashed together? Are there interesting original concepts?
• Technical: Complexity of implementation. Does the game push technical boundaries? Does it scream "wow, this was done under jam constraints?" Does it have special tech that makes it stand out?
•  Audio: Auditory presentation. How well does the music/sound fit the game? Maximum 4 stars if external assets are used.
• Graphics: Visual presentation. How clean/consistent does it look? How fluid are the animations? Is there a clever use of color, contrast, and other visual skills? Maximum 4 stars if external assets are used.
• Theme: Implementation of the jam theme. How much does the game utilize the theme? How unusual is the interpretation? Thinking out of the box on the theme (not taking it literally) will score you more points.

Prizes

We will produce a video for the 8 Bits to Infinity YouTube channel featuring the top three games from the jam.

In addition, the winning team (if they so desire) may choose a game for Joshua to showcase on his stream after the voting period. He will play the game for at least four hours. The game must be commercially released and either in his collection, available for free, or gifted by the team.

Twitter Prize

A "Tweeter of the Jam" will be selected from Twitter. To win, share the jam and your experience using the #8bitstoinfinity hashtag.

The winner's Twitter handle will be displayed on Joshua's stream until the next jam begins, with a link to their Twitter placed among the chatbot's random messages.