Halloween Game Jam

9 min readOct 30, 2023

The Sandbox Game Jams are Creator Contests open to anyone who is passionate about creating games! We invite you to enter our vibrant ecosystem where gaming meets culture, and creators come together to build the future of the platform to make their dreams come true. Only your imagination sets the limits. Let’s build the metaverse together!

We invite you to join us for another exciting Game Jam in The Sandbox! The spooky season is upon us, and something ominous is lurking in the dark…

Not convinced? In this Game Jam, you will also have a unique chance to work with some of Avenged Sevenfold’s amazing ASSETs and music!

⏰ Registrations are CLOSED!

Theme

The Deathbats compel you to enter an eerie mansion and explore the secrets hidden within… if you dare.

Let your imagination run free! What horrors will we find within? 💀 We look forward to know.

The theme is: Horror Mansion

You will need

Our no-code Game Maker software to create your game (required). Download it for free here.
Our VoxEdit software for creating your own custom assets (optional). Download for free here.

You will receive a separate version of the Game Maker in your email on November 13th — please make sure to install and use this version to build your game!

Prizes

You stand a chance at a share of the prize pool, valued at $15,000 in total! All prizes are distributed in SAND, The Sandbox’s native token, which can be used to purchase various items in our ecosystem such as ASSETs and LAND!

BRAND OPPORTUNITY: Avenged Sevenfold wants to see some of your awesome games on their virtual estate in The Sandbox! This contest offers select contestants the opportunity to get their games published directly on their LAND.

🥇1ST PLACE — $5,000 in SAND tokens

🥈2ND PLACE — $2,500 in SAND tokens

🥉3RD PLACE — $1,500 in SAND tokens

🎖️ 4TH-10TH PLACE — $500 in SAND tokens

⭐Honorable Mention (up to 10) — $250 in SAND tokens

To place in the Top 3, you must have completed KYC for the wallet provided in the registration form. Read more about KYC and our other Terms and Conditions.

If you are using a Team / Studio wallet without KYC, it must instead meet the conditions for a “Verified Creator”. Find out more under ⚠️Important Rules.

Key dates

October 30th: Registrations Open (10:00 AM UTC)
November 12th: Registrations Close (11:59 PM UTC)
November 13th: Game Jam kick-off & theme reveal (10:00 AM UTC)
December 4th: Submission Deadline (5:00 PM UTC)
January 6th: Live Awards Ceremony on Twitch (7 PM UTC)

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/X between January 7th-8th 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.

How to participate

Please follow the steps below to get started!

Create a The Sandbox account by following these steps.
Join our Discord to stay up to date and meet other creators!
Form your team consisting of 1–4 people.
Register for the Game Jam.
Stay ready for the Game Jam kick-off on November 13th!
Make sure to check out the 📚Resources section below to learn more about being a creator in The Sandbox.
Plan and build your game!
Share your completed game to the Game Maker Gallery. Instructions will follow in the registration email sent to you on November 13.
Submit your entry to the submission form provided in the registration email.

Why participate in The Sandbox Game Jams?

The Sandbox is an exciting ecosystem where the lines between creators and brands are blurred and everyone comes together to build the future of the platform. Whether you have dreams of creating your own gaming franchise or work alongside your favourite brand, there is a special place for you in The Sandbox!

Regardless of your experience level, Game Jams have much to offer for all creators!

Exciting prizes: Win exciting prizes, publishing opportunities, and recognition within The Sandbox’s community.

Exposure: Game Jams are a great way to show off your game development prowess to become a recognized game designer 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 competences.

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!

⚠️ Important rules

Software: Your game must be designed in our Game Maker software using the version sent to you in your registration email.
Creation Date: Your game must be created on or after the kick-off date of this Game Jam.
Size: Your game must be no larger than 1x1.
Playability: Your entry must have elements of gameplay that drive players towards a goal. This 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 with the Submission Form.*
Sensitive Content: Entries containing elements of any kind of discriminative or overly sexualised nature will be disqualified from the contest. Please also read our Terms and Conditions.
Copyright: Apart from any materials we specifically make available for you during the Game Jam, you may not use copyrighted characters, names, people, logos, and other copyrighted material in your 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.
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 use assets available in templates provided for the Game Jam.
You may NOT use assets that you yourself have wishlisted in The Sandbox Marketplace and that you do not own, unless otherwise stated. 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.
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.
KYC/Verification (Top 3): To place in the Top 3, 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 wallet is linked with a Game Maker Fund account.
You have participated in 5 Game Jams and/or VoxEdit contests and placed in the Top 10 at least once.

*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 (5 points)

Originality / uniqueness of idea
Theme adherence

Level Design (5 points)

Game flow
Ensuring that areas cannot be accessed or skipped past unless intentional
Terraforming
Immersion (visual design & coherence)

Game Design (5 points)

Quality of logic design / mechanics
Fun and well balanced mechanics
Immersion (based on mechanics)
Narrative (applicable based on narrative’s importance in your game)

Playability (5 points)

Intuitive gameplay
Severity of issues / bugs disrupting player experience
Level of replayability*

*Some games and genres are naturally more replayable than others. The impact of replayability varies based on the type of game that is being evaluated.

BONUS: Wow Factor (2 points)

Outstanding assets and artistic direction
Unique / innovative features
Outstanding atmosphere / immersion
Exceptional player experience

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 resources 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 The Sandbox account with a connected 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.

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.

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.

💪 TIP: Stay organized! Carefully plan what you need to do and when. Consider the most important aspects to creating a good game. You may, for example, choose to spend less time creating assets if you are working alone, 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 you or your team. You can also browse the Marketplace for assets to buy.

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!