Submission Deadline
The hand-in procedure has two (2!) deadlines, is simple to follow, and can be handled by a single member of each team.
- You need to create an initial placeholder game project page on the GGJ site by 3pm on Saturday.
- The final upload window opens on Sunday 2nd of February at 3pm, and closes at 5pm.
Contents
- Create a Placeholder Game Project
- Upload final game
- Uploading a Digital Game
- Handling updated versions
- Who owns the intellectual property of games made during GGJ?
- How can I make my game accessible to gamers with disabilities?
1. Create a Placeholder Game Project
This must be done by 3pm on Saturday, 1st of February.
One member of each team must login to the Global Game Jam website, and go to My Profile to access your own personal profile area. From there, click on the Upload a Game link just below your profile picture.
Fill out a few fields in the Game Information page, such as the title of the game, and maybe a 1-sentence description in the “About” field (these can always be changed later). Don’t forget to list the Educational Partner as “Aberystwyth University”. Then Save!!!
After the Game Project is created, add all of the team members who have worked, or are working on the game. “Add contributors” in your game under the credits section.
Upload final game
The final upload of game content must have started by 5 PM at the latest on Sunday afternoon. This is done at the Game Information page that you created in the previous step. Edit the project, enter the necessary information, including a screenshot of the game, picture of your team, description of the game, etc., and Upload.
If possible, it is recommended that you also include a link to a gameplay video on your game page. For tips on this, see the Making Gameplay Videos section.
Uploading a Digital Game:
Submit the game in the form of one (1!) compressed file format (zip preferred) with the following file and directory structure:
/src/: The full source code with all assets of the project.
/release/: The distributable (.EXE) files including a README.TXT with full installation instructions.
/press/: One hi-res image called press.jpg to be used for GGJ PR (1024×768 or better). Links to YouTube videos etc should be provided in a VIDEOS.TXT file. Do not try to upload raw video files!
/other/: Licensing information, game credits and contact information.
license.txt This is a small text file with precisely the content described here (just copy-paste the complete contents of the Creative Commons licensing file into license.txt)
Upload the compressed file as an attachment on the Game Information form. If your file is bigger than 500MBs or you are unable to upload for some reason, you have the option of uploading somewhere else and then providing a link in your game under “Alternative Upload” field.
The /src/ directory
Everything your team has created themselves for the GGJ (code, art assets, etc.) needs to be handed in. Anything you use that you did NOT create (middleware, etc), does not have to be turned in, but you should provide a link to where anyone else can get it and use it.
Ideally any third-party libraries you use should be free and easily accessible. If the assets have gone through an asset pipeline, preferably all the original files should be submitted as well (example could be the original blend file for a .3ds model).
The /release/ directory
This folder has to hold the necessary compiled exe, asset files, dlls, etc necessary to run the game. The idea is that people should be able to just download and run the game. If you are submitting a Web game this should contain the files and directory structure of the game on your web server.
The only acceptable exception is if the game requires middleware that needs a personal proprietary license (for example the download and installation of the Ageia PhysX library). The runtime version of any middleware must be easily and freely available (runtime version should be free, not necessarily the SDK – if in doubt what this means ask your event host). Web links or other information for obtaining these extra dependencies must be given in a README.txt
Handling updated versions
If you update the game after uploading, it is okay to upload a new version. Please leave the old version alone, and just upload new updates in the proper format, updating the version number or indicating in some other way which is the newest version. Who owns the intellectual property of games made during
Who owns the intellectual property of games made during GGJ?
The team/makers of the game hold all IP rights. However, the Global Game Jam may use the games for demonstration as it sees fit. All games must be posted in the condition they are in as of the close of the GGJ event (Sunday). If the team/makers of the game wish to upload subsequent versions, they are welcome and we will host and archive them. All participants and all games entered for GGJ must agree to a Creative Commons, share, alter, no sell license .
Making Gameplay Videos:
Once your game is finished (or mostly complete!), it’s a great idea to create a gameplay video. This lets other people get a quick overview of what your game is like, especially when there are thousands of different games to review.
The quality of video that you make is up to you. Any of these options would be fine:
- (easiest) Use your phone or digital camera to record over the shoulder of someone else playing .
- Video capture software, such as http://fraps.com, or windows “Game bar”
- For Macs, QuickTime player in OSX Lion (or newer versions) can record gameplay.
Videos should be uploaded to a site such as http://youtube.com or http://vimeo.com
In the description box:
- Be sure and mention which jam site you’re with;
- Include a link back to your game’s page at globalgamejam.org;
- Please also add tags #GlobalGameJam and #GGJ20.
On your game’s page on the GGJ site, you can add a link to the video in the URL box, and it’ll show up easily during game searches.
Check out previous GGJ projects for good examples of gameplay videos.
How can I make my game accessible to gamers with disabilities?
Over 20% of gamers have some kind of impairment that may affect their ability to play a game. Avoiding the barriers they face not only means more players, it also makes a real difference to people’s quality of life. Independent access to recreation, culture and socialising may not be easily available, and games can provide that. There are four main types of impairment. Considerations for them range in complexity and not all are appropriate to all game mechanics, but whichever one/s you choose to design for, there’s a huge opportunity for innovation, new approaches that haven’t been tried before.
Visual (the ability to see)
Example conditions: colour blindness, glaucoma, myopia Example considerations: Reinforcing colour information with symbol or shape, ensuring large clear visuals and text, audio game with no reliance on visuals
Motor (the ability to operate a controller)
Example conditions: RSI, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s Example considerations: Re-mappable controls, simple/one button controls, no reliance on precise timing or accurate movement
Hearing (the ability to hear)
Example conditions: presbycusis, auditory processing disorder, otosclerosis Example considerations: Subtitles, separate volume for background/effects/speech, visual representation of important gameplay sounds
Cognitive (the ability to understand, remember, process information)
Example conditions: aspergers, dyslexia, global developmental delay Example considerations: dismiss text on button press rather than a timer, in-game contextual help/guidance, option to turn off all non-interactive elements
Most importantly though, list all accessibility features on your game’s GGJ page, to let players know that your game is suitable for them.
Acknowledgments
This handbook was created with help from Richard Hebblewhite, GGJ 2020 Regional Organiser (UK and IE) at Wrexham Glyndŵr University, who allowed me to copy large sections from last year’s handbook.