WELCOME!

LoJam is collaborating with the Western Game Design Society for the first ever LoJam x GDS Jam on Friday March 22nd 2024! This amazing 8-day-long game jam aims to help grow the game development scene in London, Ontario and welcomes all who wish to take part, be they beginners, hobbyists, students, or professionals! We're excited to build on the successes of recent years (2023, 2022, 2020).

If you haven't already registered to attend, please do so now on our TicketLeap page! Otherwise you can also take part virtually, see below:

VIRTUAL ATTENDANCE

If you weren't able to secure a ticket, or just aren't feeling up to an in-person event, you can also take part from home! Virtual attendees can work individually or in teams, same as in-person guests. Join our Discord server.

VENUE

Weldon Community Room (Room 128) 

The D.B. Weldon Library -  1151 Richmond St, London, ON N6A 3K7 [Google Maps]

Please note: parking is available. 

• Magenta are parking lots. (free starting at 7:00 pm)
• Green is the Venue.

SCHEDULE

We're continuing our week-long format, which meets over two days. We hope that this better fits in with everyone's busy lives, and also encourages a less crunch-like approach to game dev, as the wider industry is moving to support better work-life balance. So here's how we've broken it down for this year:

Friday, March 22nd:

Day One will primarily be for coming together, forming teams, hearing about the theme and developing an initial concept. After which you'll have a full 8 days to work on your games, at whatever times and locations best suit you! Detailed breakdown:

• 7:00 pm - Doors Open
• 7:30 pm - Opening Ceremonies
• 8:30 pm - Theme Announcement! (Snacks are available afterwards)
• 8:30 pm - Mingling + Jam time 
• 10:00 pm - End of Day

Saturday, March 30th:

Day Two will be more for showing off your games! We'll still begin with our typical Showcase event during which each team can present their games, but after that, everyone will have plenty of time to grab some dinner and wander around and play-test one another's games and give feedback. Detailed breakdown:

• 4:00 pm - Doors Open / Mingle Time
• 4:30 pm - Showcase
• 6:30 pm - Demo time + Dinner
• 8:30 pm - Closing Ceremonies
• 9:30 pm - End of Day Two

THEME

FLIPSIDE

AWARDS

We have multiple prize categories this time around!: 

1. Judge's Choice (Games Industry) - Decided by a panel of games industry veterans
   1. Most Creative Use of Theme
      1. Awarded to Upend
   2. Best in Art / Audio (1 award)
      1. Awarded to Yes Chef!
   3. Best in Game Mechanics / Fun (1 award)
      1. Awarded to Worm Wranglers
2. People's Choice - Voted for by every jammer during the final showcase, this is the game that receives the highest overall score!
1. People's Pick (1 award)
   1. Awarded to FLIPSEED

PLEASE NOTE: All of our prizes are physical goodies. You must attend our event in person or organize to pick it up later to receive a prize.

RULES

You're welcome to use any tools/technologies/game engines you wish, but all assets (code, art and sound) should be created during the game jam (or else should be credited and disclosed on your submission page and during the showcase and play-test session)! Also, be respectful of your fellow jammers - no harassment or divisive behaviour.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

One person from each team should create a submission page for their game through this itch.io portal (and each non-submitting team member should register themselves as a co-contributor on their team's page) 

You should give your team (and your game!) a name, a description, and please upload at least a screenshot, but ideally a short screen recording of it in action! Consider this your 'gameplay trailer'. We recommend using a free tool such as OBS Studio or FRAPS to perform the screen recording - our volunteers can guide you through this if necessary - but please no longer than 3 minutes! This video will play during the showcase event. Remember, all the other jammers will get a chance to play your game, but this is your chance to 'hook them' and encourage them to come check it out during the play-test session! So be sure to include every aspect of your game that you want to show off!

If you also wish to upload a playable (or downloadable) version of your game that is great! But not required. Any questions about this process please ask one of our volunteers.

GENERAL ADVICE

• Pre-install any large tools/technologies/game engines onto your machine before the event 
• Get plenty of rest the night before! 
• Take plenty of breaks - your schedule is entirely your own!
• Connect with us via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Discord
• Most importantly, have fun! 

SPONSORS

We wouldn't be able to run LoJam x GDS without the amazing support of our sponsors! 

Digital Extremes / Western Science Students' Council / Apocalypse Studios / Unity / Microsoft  / Doom Turtle / The Mana Lounge /