General Rules

• You have to be signed up for the Bahrain Game Jam to be eligible for winning the PlayStation 5 grand prize.
• Participation age starts at 12 years and older, there are exceptions to younger Participants which are decided by the jam organizers.
• The Bahrain Game Jam theme will be announced on the 5th 12 of December at 5:00 PM (GMT=3). Stay tuned to social media and YouTube.
• Signups will remain open until the 17th of December 2020.
• Submissions of games must be done through the official submission page on Itch.io (link) before the end of the jam on the 19th of December 6:00 PM (GMT+3).
• [New] Teams can submit more than one game.
• Usage of 3rd party assets are allowed but needs to be declared in the final submission.
• you will be asked to pitch your game to a jury panel after your submission, where at least one member of the development team needs to be present.

Team Formation

• Teams can consist of up to five members.
• Team members can be substituted with others provided they inform that organizers.
• Game testers are not considered team members.
• [New] Team members need to signup their teams on the discord channel for the participation to count.
• [New] Team members are required to fill a team sheet before the submission deadline, the sheet will be sent via email so make sure that Organizers@UnrealBahrain.com are not marked as spam.

The Game Jam Theme

• The game jam theme will be announced on the 12th of December at the opening ceremony at 5:00 PM (GMT +3).
• It is important for the game jammers to develop their games around the concept of the theme which can be part of visual elements game mechanics sound and many others elements in your game.

Evaluation criteria

The games being developed for the job would be subject to six evaluation criteria. They are:

• Relevance To The Theme: How deeply-rooted into the game is the theme? Is it embedded into the sounds, gameplay, or visuals of the game? Will the game feel/play the same without it?
• Visuals: Pay attention to how well each visual element contributes to your overall game. Do the assets match your visual style? Is the style consistent throughout the game? Does your UI fit with the game?
• Audio: Pay attention to how much audio and music contribute to the overall feel of your game. Pay attention to small details like sound effects, sound volume, and environment sounds.
• Gameplay: Pay attention to the fun factor of your game. How well do the implemented mechanics contribute to the overall experience? Does your level design complement the mechanics you created? Is your game well balanced?
• Polish: Pay attention to how you present your game. Make sure that your game runs smoothly while removing as many game bugs as you can. Pay attention to small details like animations and make your game “feels” like a complete product.
• Originality: Games are meant to be entertaining and excite us with new experiences. Make sure that your game has its own attractive factor. Mix and match something old with something new!

Games will be scored between zero and five points, five being the highest.

Usage of Third Party Assets

• Usage of third party assets for this game jam are allowed.
• All assets that have not been created by the participants need to be disclosed in the submission document.
• Third party assets include assets that have been purchased or acquired for free custom. Such as but not limited to 2D, 3D, Textures, sprites, Materials, Music, Sound effects, Animations, Code, etc..)
• In engine assets are allowed without need for disclosure.

Game Submissions

• Game submissions are to be done online in the Bahrain Game Jam Itch.io site (Link)
• Game Source files need to be uploaded to an online folder which will be shared with each team.
• We encourage you to include Screenshots & videos of your games in the Itch.io Page and the file uploads.
• [NEW] More than one game can be submitted by a single team.

Disqualifications

• They are involved in disruptive behavior at the jam.
• The team is found in violation of the Bahrain Game Jam rules.
• Is utilizing help from external members outside of the jam.
• Games developed are unethical or culturally inappropriate.
• A game has been submitted to another game jam before.
• Failed to disclose the assets that were used from third parties.
• The game is not submitted on the deadline (With exceptions).
• [New] Team information is not filled up.

Game Ownership

• All Games and assets produced in the jam are the property of their respective owners.
• The Bahrain Game Jam partners and Organizers have the full right and permission of the participants to use the games and the media produced for marketing purposes only.
• Images and Videos of the games will be used for future marketing efforts.

Ethics and Code of Conduct

• Participants are encouraged to support each other and offer help and guidance.
• Fairness and Respect should be demonstrated at the venue.
• All participants are required to cooperate with the game jam organizers.