Make sure to register your team before the 16th of November!
The world of work has become more flexible with hybrid models of remote working, and the games industry is no different. Students who graduate are likely to move into flexible roles within games studios that give them the opportunity to work remotely from anywhere in the world.
As such, Ukie and Sharkmob have teamed up to launch Collab-jam - a student game jam entirely themed around the idea of working together.
Ukie’s bi-annual student game jam draws from a pool of 4,000 students from 40 different institutions across the UK and new for this year we will be inviting selected international schools to join in. Last year had 80 teams comprised of 380 students.
Each student team will be a mix of students from different countries. Working as a team remotely from different countries means teams will need to understand how to successfully collaborate with one another.
Teams will have to adhere to the theme and parameters of the jam, with the winners making the game that best shows the benefits of working together.
Why is collaboration the theme behind this year's game jam?
Collaboration is a working practise whereby individuals work together for a common purpose to achieve business benefit. Collaboration enables individuals to work together to achieve a defined and common business purpose. It exists in two forms:
- Synchronous, where everyone interacts in real-time, as in online meetings, through instant messaging, or via Skype
- Asynchronous, where the interaction can be time-shifted, as when uploading documents or annotations to shared workspaces or making contributions to a wiki
Collaboration at the conceptual level involves:
- Awareness – We become part of a working entity with a shared purpose
- Motivation – We drive to gain consensus in problem-solving or development
- Self-synchronization – We decide as individuals when things need to happen
- Participation – We participate in collaboration and we expect others to participate
- Mediation – We negotiate and we collaborate together and find a middle point
- Reciprocity – We share and we expect sharing in return through reciprocity
- Reflection – We think and we consider alternatives
- Engagement – We proactively engage rather than wait and see
By getting teams of students from different countries to work together, we think that they'll be able to see the importance of collaboration in all the ways listed above in the world of game development.
When is Collab-jam taking place?
Collabjam takes place between the 23rd and 24th November
The game jam takes place over two days to allow students to take a break. It is encouraged that students take time off in the evening of the 23rd to get food, chill out, sleep and start again in the morning of the 24th.
Where is Collab-jam taking place?
Collabjam is taking place entirely remotely. Students will be made up of students from different countries and so will need to find a suitable place (and way) to work across borders.
Will there be mentors for Collab-jam?
Each student team will be assigned an industry mentor who will be there for support throughout the game jam. This mentor will be an industry professional who already works within the games industry.
How big are the teams for Collab-jam?
Students will be split into small teams of up to 6 maximum. Team selections will take place from the 15th of November.
How is Collab-jam being judged?
The judging criteria for Collab-jam is as follows:
1) Concept – How well does it match the theme?
2) Creativity - How creative and unique is the game?
3) Playability - Is it fun and challenging enough to play?
4) Visual impression - Does the art style suit the game?
5) Narrative - Does the game's story work and flow?
6) Replayability - Is it compelling and does it have high replay value?
7) Soundtrack - Does the audio fit the game?
Should we use social media during Collab-jam?
With this being a remote game jam, student teams are encouraged to Tweet their progress online to create a virtual feel to the event. There will also be an award for the team that drives the most engagement online. Tweet your progress throughout the game jam to @UkieStudents & @SharkmobGames using the hashtags #COLLABJAM.
What awards and prizes can be won during Collab-jam?
There are three main awards up for grabs:
- First Place Award - this goes to the winning team for the game jam.
- 'Mentor' Award - this award is given to the best industry mentor.
- Social Champions Award - this is won by the team that proves savviest on social media.
As for prizes, award winners will secure the following.
- Each participant of the winning team will win travel and accommodation to visit Sharkmob’s studios in Malmö or London for up to 3 nights in 2022 - sponsored by Sharkmob T&Cs apply
- There will also be a number of Alienware monitors - sponsored by DELL - available for the winners.
- Multiplayer booth sessions at Platform (each recipient will receive 90 mins of gaming for up to 4 people) - sponsored by Platform
The winners of the jam will be announced on 29th November via press release.
How can we register for Collab-jam?
If you want to enter Collab-Jam, you can register here to enter your team
Or if you want to register to be a mentor, you can do so here.
Terms and Conditions
Rules
- Teams must be registered to itch.io page to enter this game jam
- Work can only commence at 9:30am on the 23rd November
- Students can use any game engine they choose to create their game
- Students can use free open source content but must reference where they got it from on the itch.io page
- Students/teams must not infringe on any copyrighted works and any caught doing so will be disqualified
- Students must let their lecturer(s) know they are participating
- Only students registered and submitted as a part of the team can take part
- If you are having issues, then please contact kirstie@Ukie.org.uk.
Submission details
- Games must be submitted via itch.io on the Ukie Student Game Jam page here by 5:00 PM 24th November.
- When submitting a game on itch.io please title your game with your team name as well as the name of the game – E.G ‘Team A – Water Slide’. This will make it easier for the judges to find and mark your game.
- Please also upload a gameplay footage video of your game to YouTube and post the link to your video in the description of your Itch.io submission page.
- Please also submit a short paragraph about why you created the game on your itch.io submission page.
- If you are having issues, then please contact kirstie@Ukie.org.uk.