Deadfellaz Game Jam

The Horde is coming to The Sandbox and it’s time for your brave voxel heroes to engage in nerve-wrecking battles against tough bosses. Design adrenaline-fueled showdowns, strategic battles of wits, challenging mechanics, and more using the exciting and versatile tools of The Sandbox’s no-code Game Maker software!

Download the Game Maker HERE to get started!

Theme: You must create a game centered around one or more boss battles. Feel free to take inspiration from Deadfellaz and their amazing NFTs!

We look forward to taking on your bone-chilling bosses!

Why participate in Game Jams in The Sandbox?

• Exciting prizes: Win SAND prizes, funding opportunities for your project, and recognition within The Sandbox Community.
• Exposure: Game Jams are a great way to show off your game development prowess to become a recognized game developer in The Sandbox ecosystem, while also gaining valuable feedback and connections within the community.
• Build Your Resume: With strict time constraints, these contests offer you a great opportunity to rapidly build your resume as a creator and show the world what you are made of!
• Skill Enhancement: Sharpen your Game Maker skills and experiment with new ideas. The Game Jams are an opportunity to learn, grow, and refine your game development abilities.
• Community Spirit: Take part in a vibrant community of fellow creators, where you can share your progress, exchange ideas, and collaborate with others who share your passion for game development. Don’t forget to join our Discord!

🏆 Prizes

Claim your share of a 50,000 SAND pool split amongst participants in the following ways:

• 1st place: 10,000 SAND + 1 LAND +1 Deadfellaz NFT!
• 2nd place: 6,000 SAND + 1 LAND!
• 3rd place: 3,500 SAND + 1 LAND!
• 4th-10th place: 1,500 SAND + 1 LAND each!

All LAND prizes are from the Deadfellaz’ own estate, so you can look forward to some cool neighbors!

Additionally, up to 10 winners, each winning 1,000 SAND, will be hand-picked by the judges across the following three categories:

• Honorable Mention: Games that did not make the Top 10, but they stood out as favorites for the judges.
• Rising Star: Participants who have shown great creator growth over the course of 1 or more previous Game Jams.
• Best Newcomer: Rewarded to new participants showing great potential. Participants nominated for the award must have completed KYC for us to verify that it is their first time participating.

Some entries may also be hand-picked by Deadfellaz to be published on their LAND!

By submitting your entry, you accept that you may be contacted by a Game Maker Fund representative with an opportunity to be onboarded if you placed in the Top 10 or won one of the additional awards.

🗓️ Important dates!

• Game Jam start: September 4th.
• Submission deadline: September 17th, 3 PM UTC.
• Voting and processing: September 18th — October 20th.
• Winner Announcement (Live Awards Ceremony): October 21st, 7 PM UTC on Twitch!

Make sure to join the Live Awards Ceremony on the date stated above to take part in the celebration and for a chance at exciting giveaways!🎉

Winners are additionally announced on Discord and Twitter between October 22nd — 23rd for those who missed the Live Awards Ceremony.

🗣️We strongly recommend that you join our Discord where you will find all updates and announcements related to Game Jams and the Game Maker.

☑️ Submitting your entry

To submit your Game Jam entry, please ensure that you complete the following two steps:

1. Upload your Game Jam entry to the Drafts Gallery in the Game Maker. Please follow the directions in the GIF below and make sure to use the paper airplane and not the globe when sharing.

2. Fill out the SUBMISSION FORM.

PLEASE NOTE: It is a good idea to go through the submission form before you start creating your game. This ensures that you are best prepared for everything that you need in order to submit your entry.

TEST YOUR GAME: It is advised that you take some time to test your game before submitting. We strongly recommend that you also upload your game to the Drafts Gallery and test it there, too, as new issues sometimes arise, which may cause you to have to spend time on fixing and adjusting. We do not allow extra time for bug fixing after the deadline.

⚠️ Important rules

• Software: Your game must be designed in our Game Maker software using version 0.8.7. In the event that a new version of the Game Maker is released while the contest is still active, please do not update your game.
• Creation Date: Your game must be created on or after the starting date of this Game Jam.
• Playability: Your entry must have elements of gameplay that drive players towards a goal, which may include quests, missions, crowd events, etc.
• Game Length: Your game must have at least 5 minutes of gameplay, which should be reflected in your unedited gameplay video sent on the submission form.*
• Sensitive Content: Entries containing elements of any kind of discriminative or overly sexualised nature will be disqualified from the contest.
• Copyright: Do not use copyrighted characters, names, people, logos, and other copyrighted material in your Game Jam entries. If in doubt whether something will cause copyright issues, look it up online. If you find no clear answer, it is always best to avoid including it. You may take inspiration from an IP’s brand, work, and values.
• Uniqueness: Submitting a copy of any existing experience does not count as a valid entry.
• Asset requirements: Your entry must contain a minimum of 25 unique assets.
• You may use basic assets created by “TSB-Account-1” and “SandboxGame” from the Game Maker library.
• You may use assets that you have created yourself using VoxEdit.
• You may use assets that you own in your wallet. These could be assets that you have purchased or won.
• You may NOT use assets that you have wishlisted in The Sandbox Marketplace but that you do not own. These will appear in your Game Maker library, but are not allowed in a Game Jam entry unless you purchase them.
• Theme: You must create a game based on the theme stated in this article. We leave room for interpretations of the provided themes, however, if you stray too far off course, this could impact your final score or, in some cases, get you disqualified.
• Spam Entries: Submitting many low quality entries to get multiple participation rewards or in the hopes that one will win one of the prizes is not permitted. Doing this may result in all of your entries being disqualified.
• KYC/Verification (Top 5): To place in the Top 5, all prize-winning wallets must have completed KYC or they must classify as “Verified Creators”. To qualify as a Verified Creator, you must fulfill one of two conditions:
• Your studio is linked with a Game Maker Fund account.
• You have participated in 5 Game Jam and/or VoxEdit contests and placed in the Top 10 at least once.
• Deadline: You must submit your game on the date and time specified in this article. It is not allowed to update your game before the final results have been announced.

*5 minutes of gameplay does not include elements such as quests that send players to collect items all over the map so they spend a large amount of time traveling.

Judges reserve the right to remove any entries that do not follow the above rules. Entries perceived as spam will likewise be removed at their discretion.

Judges & Voting

Voting consists of two phases and is done primarily by The Sandbox staff in collaboration with The Council.

Game Jams done in collaboration with The Sandbox’s partners may also include partner judges who will vote in phase 2.

Games are judged based on five categories, amounting to a maximum of 22 points per judge. Voting categories consist of the following:

Overall Creative Idea (max 5)

• Is your idea good?
• Is your idea unique?
• How well is the game following the theme?

Level Design (max 5)

• Does the game flow well so it is easy to find your way?
• Is the player able to skip past or enter areas that they shouldn’t be able to?
• Is the terraforming visually appealing / coherent with your game?
• Is the artistic direction appealing and coherent with your game?

Game Design (max 5)

• Is the logic well designed, so the game is fun and engaging to play?
• Have you used interesting and/or innovative mechanics?
• Does the player encounter bugs, issues, or poor design choices that negatively influences player experience?
• Is the progression curve too easy, just right, or too challenging?

Playability (max 5)

• Is the gameplay intuitive?
• Is the game immersive?
• Does the player encounter issues that disturb the player experience?
• Does the game offer good replayability?*

Wow Factor (max 2)

• Does the game have outstanding artistic direction?
• Does the game include good unique mechanics/features?
• Does the game have an outstanding atmosphere/immersion?

*Replayability is taken into consideration where it makes sense. We are aware that some games and genres are naturally more replayable than others. Regardless, it is always a good idea to consider ways that your game may encourage players to play it again.

👥 Resources

• Learn to use the Game Maker here.
• Learn to use VoxEdit to create assets here.
• Join our community of creators on Discord, where you can ask for help, find teams to work with, read important updates, and make connections with other passionate game developers.
• Download the Game Maker here.
• Download VoxEdit here.
• Save time and buy assets from our Marketplace here.

❓FAQs

If you have any questions or concerns, please read the rules and FAQs carefully first or consider whether the answer could be found in the VoxEdit or Game Maker Academies linked above.

If you did not find an answer, you are always welcome in the Game Maker and Game Jam channels in our Discord!

Who can join the Game Jams?

Anyone can join in on the fun for a chance at our amazing prizes! All you need is a Sandbox account with a linked wallet, a good idea, and a competitive spirit.

Don’t have an account? Go here for a guide on account creation.

Are teams and studios allowed?

Yes! You may work independently or in teams of up to 4 people. Rewards will be split among all wallets supplied in the submission form.

If you want to make connections and find other creators to work with, we recommend that you visit our Discord.

What are my chances as a solo creator vs. teams/studios?

Do not feel discouraged as a solo creator. We have seen plenty of solo creators ranking in the Top 10 in our Game Jams.

💪 TIP: Stay organized! Carefully plan what you need to do and when. Consider the most important aspects to creating a good game. You may choose to spend less time creating assets, as this is time consuming work which has some but limited influence on your score. You can make great games using basic assets and just a few important assets created by yourself. You can also browse the Marketplace for assets to buy.

Do I need to create a lot of high quality assets in VoxEdit to win?

No, you do not. Artistic direction, which includes assets, is taken into account in your score, but there are many other factors taken into account.

If you have limited time, focus on creating an engaging game with good logic, fun mechanics, a good flow, and perhaps a good narrative. You can create just the most important assets yourself and still make a visually appealing game with that and the Game Maker’s basic assets.

I discovered a bug after the submission deadline — can I fix it?

No, we do not allow any updates after the deadline. We expect that you plan and organize yourself so you have enough time to test your game and fix potential bugs before submitting your entry.

I made an amazing game for a Game Jam, but it did not win — why?

Please read all the rules and voting criteria carefully. There are many aspects that go into creating a good game. Maybe you invented an incredible mechanic, amazing assets, or a thoughtful narrative, but your game fell flat because it did not feel engaging, immersive, or fun to play.

Please note that all judges from The Sandbox and The Council who vote on your games are experienced in using the Game Maker and know what makes a good game and what does not. If your game did not rank, something was missing from the overall experience.

When you submit your game through the submission form, you are also able to opt for feedback from The Council. If you do, The Council will contact you when results are out to give you feedback on your game.

Good luck to all participants!