CS Night Game Jam

Have questions? We have answers! Check out below, or email gamejam@cs.usfca.edu with your questions and/or comments.

Questions

General	What is a game jam? What are some example game jams? When will the next CS Night Game Jam be held? Where will the next CS Night Game Jam be held? Who sponsors the CS Night Game Jam?
Teams	Who can participate in the CS Night Game Jam? How large can the team sizes be? Do I need to register to participate? Do I need to already have a team formed? Can I be in a team by myself? Do I have to be present in-person to participate?
Coding	How long will we get to create the game? What can we use to create the game? Do we have to use graphics and sound? Does the game have to be functional? How do we submit the game?
Judging	How will the game prototypes be demonstrated? Will there be prizes? How many teams can win? How will the winning team(s) be decided?

What is a game jam?: A game jam usually involves several teams competing to create the best game prototype based on a theme. These events are usually very intense, happening over just one or two days. We will be hosting a mini game jam, lasting only two hours.
What are some example game jams?: There are many active game jam contests that are held every year. Some include the Global Game Jam, Molyjam, and the Ludum Dare.
When will the next CS Night Game Jam be held?: The next CS Night Game Jam will be on Thursday, December 5, 2013. See the home page for the latest schedule.
Where will the next CS Night Game Jam be held?: The CS Night Game Jam will be held in LCSI G12. See http://usfca.edu/csi/ for more information on the new LCSI building. The room LCSI G12 is located on the garden level, in the middle of the plaza.
Who sponsors the CS Night Game Jam?: The CS Night Game Jam is organized by the CS Tutoring Center. The Department of Computer Science provides free food and drinks for this event, and the College of Arts and Science provides the prizes.

Who can participate in the CS Night Game Jam?: Any CS Night Attendee, including students, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests, may participate in the CS Night Game Jam.
How large can the team sizes be?: The teams may range from 1 to 4 people maximum.
Do I need to register to participate?: No, you may simply show up for the kickoff meeting on CS Night. However, if you know you will be attending, we ask that you fill out the registration form so we can make sure we have enough food and space for everyone.
Do I need to already have a team formed?: No, we will help form teams during the kickoff meeting if you do not have a pre-formed team.
Can I be in a team by myself?: Yes, but we strongly encourage everyone to join a team.
Do I have to be present in-person to participate?: You have to be physically present at CS Night to receive a prize, but you are welcome to participate remotely if you want.

How long will we get to create the game?: The schedule starts with a 30 minute kickoff meeting where we announce the rules, theme, and help form teams. After that, you will have two hours to complete your game prototype.
What can we use to create the game?: We highly recommend you use App Inventor to create the game. Using App Inventor, you can quickly create a mobile game with a touch interface, graphics, and sound. We will provide a brief introduction to App Inventor in the kickoff meeting, and most computer science majors can pick it up very quickly. We will also provide systems with App Inventor already installed. However, you are welcome to use whatever languages and tools you are most familiar with.
Do we have to use graphics and sound?: No, if you are feeling old-school, you can make a text-based Adventure game! If you do use media, we ask that you use appropriately-licensed media for this competition.
Does the game have to be functional?: Yes, the judges need to be able to run your game. It is important you focus on creating a prototype with base functionality first, and worry about bells and whistles later.
How do we submit the game?: See the Submit page for more details.

How will the game prototypes be demonstrated?: The judges will download your submissions and run your game on one of the systems in LCSI G12.
Will there be prizes?: Of course! Each member of the winning teams will receive a prize. We will announce the prizes on the main page just prior to the kickoff meeting.
How many teams can win?: We have enough prizes for two teams of four. If the first place and second place teams have smaller sizes, we may be able to offer third-place prizes as well.
How will the winning team(s) be decided?: After the game jam is complete, a panel of judges will choose the winners. See the Prizes page for more details.