What?

Hey hi hello folks! Time for the first 2016 installment of the Giant Bomb game jam! Apologies for starting this one so late in the year; life kicked my butt really hard, but now I'm back in business (I hope). Let's make some wonderful, silly games together again!

THEME WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON MY TWITCH CHANNEL FRIDAY, AUGUST 5TH, RIGHT BEFORE MIDNIGHT EDT! Watch the announcement here!

The theme is set! E3 PRESENTATION (Thanks Drew!)

And as a special farewell, bonus theme! BLEAK CYBERPUNK DYSTOPIAS (Thanks Austin!)

Pick either one, or both! It's up to you! As long as you include it in some way, that's okay!

SUBMIT YOUR GAMES HERE ON THE ITCH.IO JAM PAGE!

START: August 6th (I will announce the theme live as the 5th turns to the 6th!)

(I will announce the theme live as the 5th turns to the 6th!) END: August 14th (be sure to submit your game before that day is over!)

(be sure to submit your game before that day is over!) There will be a special theme picked from those given by the GB staff list!

picked from those given by the GB staff list! The game should also be somehow related to Giant Bomb.

Do what you want, but please try not to be too crude or offensive -

be a Giant Bomber, not a Giant Bummer!

So that's August 6th to August 14th - 9 days total, which includes two weekends. Hopefully that's enough to let as many people as possible make some really cool, really silly games... again!

The Themes

The list started being put together when I asked GB folks to submit themes during the 2015 PAX Prime panel, and I've since tracked down everyone else to get a complete set. Here are the themes; only one will be chosen! (SURPRISE! Two were chosen! Pick either one, or both!)

The Community: Johnny V

Jeff: East VS West

Dan: (sitting this one out since his theme was chosen last time)

Vinny: Italian Pac-Man

Austin: Bleak Cyberpunk Dystopias << SELECTED THEME

Jason: Babies

Alex: FMV

Brad: Dave Lang's Ideal Game

Drew: E3 Presentation << SELECTED THEME

Rorie: One Big Chomp

How?

Check out the Giant ROM Boot Camp! Resources are listed there, both in terms of programs and free assets you can use! If you have any suggestions, post 'em and I'll update accordingly.

Also, I've made a Team-Up Sheet if you want to find fellow jammers! Any questions? Post 'em here and we'll help!

You can also totally submit a game by yourself if you want! :D No pressure to make a masterpiece or anything - we're all making silly things out of love and inspiration. <3 Every game counts!

Where?

Like the last time, I'll be hosting the jam on itch.io, which has a terrific game jam feature! Everybody will be able to post their creations there, add them to the jam, and enter their team's details at the same time. There's even an integrated ranking system that I will fill with arbitrary and silly parameters!

Are There Fabulous Prizes?

THERE WILL BE PARTICIPATION PRIZES FOR ALL TEAMS WHO SUBMIT A GAME!

Probably Steam codes for games. But maybe Something More for the games that stand out in some way! Who knows?

WHAT NOW?

Put your team together if you don't already have one, and get to developing a ridiculous game!

Happy jamming! :D