GameJamFaq

So then, is there anything else you'd like to know about?\n\n[[Do we get anything for participating?|For participating]]\n[[Still a bit hazy on the 'how' part|Making a game]]\n[[More about the theme|On the theme]]\n[[I still have some questions|Contact us]]

Firstly, you can take a moment to look around yourself with a smug look of satisfaction because you've just made a game, and that is awesome!\n\nAfter you've done that, upload it to our [[game jam site|http://itch.io/jam/nine-worlds-2014-game-jam]] so that everyone can check it out! While you're there, you can also have a look at everyone else's entries. \n\n[[Well that all seems simple enough.|Any further questions]]

Our theme is retelling fairytales. \n\nThat said, it doesn't have to be a fairytale you've been told before - fairytales are told all over the worlds, so we encourage you to look for some you've not heard before.\n\nIn addition to the fairytale theme, Nine Worlds likes to celebreate inclusivity, so it would be pretty cool if you made your game as diverse as possible.\n\n[[Why fairytales?|Why the theme]]

Other than the the knowledge that you can make games whenever you feel like it, there is another perk to taking part in our game jam.\n\nAs a token of our thanks for your hard work, you (and your team, if you worked as a group) will get a day pass to attend the Nine Worlds Geekfest for Friday 8th August. \n\nWhy the Friday? Well, that's when the video game culture track is hosting most of its content related to encouraging more people to make games, along with some useful stuff for existing indie developers.\n\n[[Wait, so I submit a game and just get a day pass?|Day pass terms]]

Well then, you've got all the tools you need to start making your own games!\n<<if $experience is 3>>\nBut I'm sure you already knew that, right? You probably already understand the concept of a game jam, so if you'd like, you can skip to the [[specific info.|Specifics]]\n<<else>>\nNo, really! A bunch of really talented people have spent lots of their time creating tools that make it super easy to start making games, and lots of them are free.\n\nIt doesn't matter what kind of games you play, your idea of what a game can be is just as important as everyone else's. <<if $experience is 0>>(Even if you have no idea what that is!)<<endif>><<endif>>\n\n[[So how does a game jam work?|How this works]]

Really? You haven't played any games? We don't just mean big, flashy, action based games; games like Candy Crush count too! \n\n[[I guess I have played a game then|Introduction]]\n[[Still no. Never played anything|Impressively new]]\n\n<<set $experience = 1>>

Ok, just to be clear: the passes will be handed out at the discretion of the organisers. \n\nNow, this doesn't mean the game has to be good (like with any art form, your first attempt will not be that great) or even necessarily totally complete (expect to get the scope wrong if it's your first jam), but we are hoping you'll have put some amount of work into it.\n\nIf you'd like to claim your pass to attend the convention, send an email to [email protected] with the name of your game and the names and emails of your team.\n\n[[Cool!|Any further questions]]

Hi! \n\nWelcome to this interactive FAQ for the Nine Worlds Geekfest's first game jam, run by the Video Game Culture track.\n\nYou must be here because you're a game developer...\n\n[[That's right|Introduction]]\n[[What? Why would you assume that?|Well, you've played some games...]]\n\n<<set $experience = 3>>

Well then you get eaten by a dire pomeranian.\n\nYou scored 12/101\n\n[[Game Over|Any further questions]]

Oh, well then you've at least played a video game before.\n\n[[Ok yeah, I've played some games|Introduction]]\n[[Nope, never played a game|Are you sure?]]\n\n<<set $experience = 2>>

Rules for the Nine Worlds Game Jam 2014:\n\nYou have from the 15th June to the 15th July to make a game.\nThe game can be made in absolutely any way you want to (providing it can then be uploaded to the game jam page).\nThe game must be based around the theme of retelling fairytales.\n\nIn addition, Nine Worlds has an [[anti-harassment policy|https://nineworlds.co.uk/anti-harassment-policy]]. All games and entrants are required to abide by this policy. It's also family friendly: if your game contains mature themes, we'd really appreciate if you'd mark it as such - the more specifically, the better. \n\nFinally, fairytales have the potential to bring up some distressing themes. If you do go down this route, a content note would be great.\n\n[[What do I do once I've made a game?|Get your game to us]]\n[[I may need some clarifications on that|Contact us]]

"Game jam" can be a pretty broad term and there's a lot of variation in how people run them. However, there are a few elements that remain pretty consistent:\n\nYour objective is for you or your team to make a game within a given time period.\nThe game should be based around a theme set by the jam.\n\nAnd that's really all there is to it! You can play with the formula however you want, but all that really matters is that you start with nothing and end up with a game. Which is awesome!\n\n[[Okay, how exactly is this jam working?|Specifics]]

<<if $experience is 0 or $experience is 1>>\nThat's understandable; making a game still sounds pretty dauting, so let's start off small: if you can type, then you can make a game using [[Twine|http://twinery.org/]]. Twine lets you create a bunch of pages which are linked to other pages to create a branching story, sort of like a choose-your-own-adventure book.\n\nAll you have to do is type your story into boxes and follow a few simple rules to put them together. You can find a tutorial on getting started [[here.|http://www.auntiepixelante.com/twine/]]\n\nIf you're looking for something a bit more graphical, take a look at [[Stencyl|http://www.stencyl.com/]]. It's certainly more complex than Twine, but you still don't need to know how to program - you just drag and drop blocks which represent how you want your game to behave and stick them together!\n<<else if $experience is 2>>\nSo many tools to choose from...\nAt the simplest end is [[Twine|http://twinery.org/]] - you just write your branching story and link it together, maybe adding some remembered variables and conditional statements.\n\n[[Stencyl|http://www.stencyl.com/]] is also great if you don't want to write any code - you just drag and drop blocks to define how the game behaves.\n\n[[Game Maker Studio|https://www.yoyogames.com/studio]] is another fairly simple tool; it offers drag and drop code chunks but also lets you write your own scripts for greater control. And it comes with a bunch of tutorials for making games which make a great introduction. The standard version just became free, so now's a great time to try it out!\n\n[[Unity|http://unity3d.com/]] is often popular at game jams as it's free and lets you do just about anything you want. But, with great power comes one hell of a learning curve. Unity will definitely require writing code, but this is a great time to learn!\n<<else if $experience is 3>>\nWell, not that I want to tell you how to do your job or anything...but, you are?\n\nFair enough though; have you tried [[Twine|http://twinery.org/]]? It's easy to pick up and great for prototyping concepts, like with a game jam.\n\nI've mentioned [[Stencyl|http://www.stencyl.com/]] and [[Game Maker Studio|https://www.yoyogames.com/studio]] to the others, but [[Unity|http://unity3d.com/]] seems like a popular choice.\n<<endif>>\n\nSo it really doesn't matter what you use to make it. Some tools allow you to take photos and then string them together into an adventure game, which is cool; or can turn your pictures into sliding block puzzles which would also be cool. But as we said, lots of talented people have worked on lots of different tools so have a look what's out there!\n\nI mean, this FAQ has been made in [[Twine|http://twinery.org/]] (have I mentioned [[Twine|http://twinery.org/]] yet?) and what with its branching, personalised experience, who's to say this isn't a game too?\n\n[[Well ok then|Any further questions]]\n[[I say this isn't a game|You get dead]]

Nine Worlds Game Jam FAQ

If anything in this FAQ is missing, or unclear then feel free to send an email to [email protected] with your query.\n\nAlternatively, catch us on Twitter at @9W_vgculture.\n\n[[Back to rules|Specifics]]\n[[Back to other questions|Any further questions]]

Video Game Culture track\n@9W_vgculture

Well then that's pretty awesome if you're looking into information on how to enter a game jame without every actually playing a game! Dont' be put off though: we're very interested to see what you come up with without any previous experience of game tropes.\n\nHowever, you should totally give some games a try at some point. There's a whole lot of weird and awesome stuff out there that doesn't usually get mentioned when people talk about games. [[Forest Ambasador|http://forestambassador.com/]] highlight loads of cool, free, online games.\n\n[[Well then let's get to this|Introduction]]\n\n<<set $experience = 0>>

Fairytales are fairly thematically consistent, so this means your story can start with a coherent structure that can take some of the pressure off in the early stages.\n\nHowever, fairytales also allow for a lot of leeway for adaptation and new ideas.\n\nExamples of such adaptations can be found on our [[game jam site|http://itch.io/jam/nine-worlds-2014-game-jam]].\n\n[[Ok then|Any further questions]]

body {background: #FFE1FB}\nbody {color: black}\na {color: #670DA0}\n