History

Founded in September 2018, Godot Wild Jam™ (GWJ) is an event in which you create a game from scratch in nine days. GWJ was born out of a desire to see more games made with the Godot Engine. Conceived and lead by Bakenshake aka Kati, it has grown to be the largest monthly Godot game jam.

The goal of Godot Wild Jam is to foster a place of learning while striving to be more inclusive and diverse in the gaming industry. By providing two full weekends to work on a project our jam is more accommodating for people maintaining a job, family, etc.

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Need to contact us?
Direct Message or @mention an Admin on our Discord

Contents

Rules

Refer to the current jam page on Itch.io for the most up-to-date rules.

  1. If you are new to Godot, we suggest using version 4.2.1 for a stable experience.
  2. This is an exclusive engine jam, meaning only submissions created using the Godot Engine will be allowed.
  3. Submissions may be removed at the sole discretion of the organizers.
  4. Reusing existing code and assets is allowed to an extent.
    – No re-skinning of games made outside of the jam.
    – A majority of the code and/or assets must be made in the jam’s time frame.
    – No AI-generated work.
  5. This is an exclusive jam, meaning entries made to both this jam and others will be removed unless otherwise allowed by the organizers.
  6. Submissions require an export to Windows, Mac, and Linux. Please see under Links below on how to Export your game. In lieu of submitting 3 OS versions, an HTML5 export will work. Therefore, you must export to all 3 operating systems AND/OR upload as HTML5. Submissions not including this will be removed.
  7. We will not tolerate racism, sexism, or any other form of discrimination when it comes to participation in the jam or submissions made.
  8. No new content may be uploaded after the submission deadline (no music, no polish, no tweaks). The only approved changes are GAME BREAKING bug fixes. Please include other bugs (e.g. doesn’t play in full-screen, etc.) as information on your entry’s page.
  9. Follow the theme and have fun!

Judging

Jam participants and any contributors will be judging games on the following:

> Theme: How well does the game adhere to the chosen theme?

> Fun: Was it fun? Enjoyable?

> Controls: How smooth is the game? Are the controls clunky or intuitive?

> Graphics: Does the game look good? Does the art style fit the type of game? Is the pixel art charming?

> Audio: How is the music? Does it fit? What about the sound effects?

> AccessibilityHow well did the game implement features from this list

> Originality: Were you pleasantly surprised by some game mechanic or design in the game?

Tips

Here’s some of the best pieces from the #jam-lessons channel in our Discord server:
  1. Be sure to take breaks when you need it! Go for a walk, stand up and stretch, or go watch something. Our jam lasts 9 days specifically for this reason.
  2. Game jams are a good opportunity to experiment with ideas, so don’t let fear or doubt stop you from trying something new.
  3. Set yourself a goal for the jam and communicate with your team if you have any. This goes for new tools, techniques, ideas, etc.
  4. You don’t have to be an expert in every game dev related role. If you are struggling understanding and producing, consider joining a team!
  5. Don’t let fear of the unknown prevent you from creating something really cool.
  6. By acknowledging your flaws, you are giving yourself space to grow.
Here’s the official Godot Documentation for Exporting Your Project.
Otherwise, we won’t be able to download and play your game!

Accessibility

We believe that accessibility in video games is an important component to creating a great game. Here’s a great article on why accessibility matters. We encourage teams to use the Accessibility Guidelines Basic List and check off features as they develop their game. You can view the full accessibility guidelines here.

The Wildling

The Scrolls of Wilderness tell us this much: it is not so much a creature as a force of nature. We do not know for certain if it was named for GWJ, or if the Wild Jam was named in its honour. It cannot be tamed or leashed, and none can say where it roams, whence it came, or whither it goes... but, for the time being, it calls these halls its home.

The original version of the GWJ mascot was created by Stern Flowers member Krystof.
The Wildling Bot was created by GWJ member and winner John Gabriel.

Fan Art (and inside jokes)