IGDA Melbourne

Hey all,

We had a bunch of questions after the GGJ talk on Tuesday night, and I’ve posted questions below so everyone can see. Hopefully I’ve covered them all, but if you have any more questions, please comment below to add them, and we’ll get answers to you as soon as possible.

Please remember, places are filling fast! If you want to be part of the Melbourne Game Jam, you need to register here to be a part of it.

Q: Can we form our own teams before the event?
A: Wow, we had lots of feedback on this! It seems that my brief statement on this sounded too restrictive, so let me clarify. In saying not to bring teams to the event, our intent was not to impose strict rules on who you can work with, but more to allow for room to mingle with all the new people that you’ll be meeting at the event. Most likely, games will be pitched by groups anyway on the Friday, and then people can choose which groups they want to work in for the weekend. If you come with friends, and know that you work well with them, then you are free to form a group with them on the day. We may step in if a team becomes too large, but otherwise people are free to form groups as they see fit. The main thing is for everyone to be having fun over the weekend, and being part of a good team is a big part of that.
Q: What game technologies can we use?
A: You are free to use any game technologies that you are legally allowed to use. Examples of free game engines include Unity, UDK, Game Maker, XNA. Some art software packages are commonly available with a 30-day trial period. We will have some installers available on the day, but if you can have software already installed and ready to go, that will be best.
Q: Is the Game Jam considered making a game commercially?
A: In terms of software licensing, the Game Jam is not considered a commercial enterprise, so you should be free to use educational licenses or trial versions of software. See below for details of the Creative Commons license that all games in the jam will be submitted under.
Q: Can we use our own game engines?
A: If you have a framework or game engine that you have created yourself, you are free to use that in your game. However, please note that all games must be submitted online at the end of the jam, including full source code with all game assets. If you are happy with this, feel free to use your own tech.
Q: Who owns the IP?
A: The team/makers of the game hold all IP rights. However, the Global Game Jam may use the games for demonstration as it sees fit. All games must be posted in the state they are in as of the close of the GGJ event (Sunday). If the team/makers of the game wish to upload subsequent versions, they are welcome and we will host and archive them. All participants and all games entered for GGJ must agree to a Creative Commons, share, alter, no sell license (http://creativecommons NULL.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3 NULL.0/).
Q: Can we bring our own PC’s?
A: Yes, feel free. To make things easier, there will be plenty of monitors, mice and keyboards available to use. This will make setup a lot easier and less for individuals to transport to and from the event.
Q: Will we have Internet/Network access?
A: We will be using La Trobe University’s IT Labs, and will have access through that to the Internet and network storage space. Reasonable use guidelines will be in place for internet access, and participants will be required to agree to La Trobe’s IT usage policy before beginning the jam.
Q: Will wireless networking be available?
A: We’re not sure on this one yet. This was asked with regard to using wifi for multiplayer networking for a game. This depends on whether we can get specific hardware for this, so we can’t guarantee it unfortunately.
Q: How much will it cost?
A: We’re still finalising things, but it depends on the final details of sponsorship. Hopefully it will be free of charge for jammers, but otherwise we’re looking at a cost of $20-$30 per person for the weekend.

Again, any other questions, please ask them in comments below and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.