GameJam Rules and Regulations

1. Who Can Participate

The GameJam is open to all with a valid Vaughan Public Library card, those whose parents go to work in Vaughan, or who themselves go to school in Vaughan and who are within the grade ranges of 2 – 8 or their equivalents if they are enrolled in an alternative educational setting.

  • a. Age Categories
    • i. This event will have 3 separate entrant categories for participants. There will be a Junior Division for entrants who are in Grades 2-3 (or their equivalents), an Intermediate Division for Grades 4-5, and a Senior Division for Grades 6-8.
    • ii. If an entrant is about to enter a grade that would put them in a higher category, they may opt to enter either in their current grade or their future grade. They may not enter both, as you can only submit a single entry for this event.
  • b. Individual Entries
    • i. Participants are more than welcome to enter this event as an individual entrant. While there are separate categories for age ranges, individual and group entries will be judged in the same way.
  • c. Group Entries
    • i. For this event we will accept group entries with a maximum of 3 members per group. Upon submission for this event, all group members must be listed. When forming a group for entry, please keep in mind that the children need to be in the same grade category to form a group. If there are multiple age categories within the group, the group will be entered into the age category of the oldest member.
  • d. Entry Limitations
    • i. Entrants are limited to one submission. If a participant wishes to enter the competition with a team, they cannot also enter as an individual.

2. What materials will be accepted

As this is an online GameJam, we will be unable to receive any physical entries for this event. As such, games submitted for this event need to be accessible via the internet without any sort of installation requirement. Such as hosted on platforms such as: Scratch, Construct 3, or Itch.io

  • a. Submission
    • i. Submission of entries must be sent via the submission portal on the event web page, hosted on the Vaughan Public Libraries website. By submitting your entry for this event, you hereby allow Vaughan Public Libraries and its affiliates to view and display the submitted work on their website/social media/venues.
    • For more information on how to submit your files, see the Deadline & Submission section (a) How to submit.
    • iii. Each registrant is only able to enter a single project. If someone enters the event registered as an individual, they cannot enter again as part of a group.
  • b. Display
    • i. All entries submitted to the GameJam can be posted on a web portal for the general public to view. While judging of these entries will be done by a selected group of officials, selected by the GameJam team, all projects, whether they be winning entries or not, may be accessible for all to view once the event wraps up.
  • c. Permissions
    • i. By submitting your entry for this event, you hereby allow Vaughan Public Libraries and its affiliates to post your entry for the public to view and for Vaughan Public Libraries to use elements of your entry for future marketing or educational purposes. Credit will be given for any use of the submitted material.

3. Topic

All submissions and projects for the VPL GameJam must be based upon a specific topic. This is to guide the research process and help participants narrow their visions as to what kind of project they wish to create. This will also help judges determine the appropriateness and relevancy of entries.

  • a. Topic
    • i. The topic for the GameJam is: Retro.
    • ii. What does that mean?
      • 1. From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Retro (adjective or noun). Relating to, reviving, or being the styles of the past. Something fashionable nostalgic, or old-fashioned.
    • iii. How does that relate to video games?
      • 1. When someone talks about a retro video game, they are referring to games that mimic, or are in the style of video games of the past.
      • 2. This could mean they use 8-bit or 16-bit pixel graphics, they could be recreations of classic arcade games such as: Pong, Breakout, Frogger, Super Mario Brothers etc. or they evoke the same feelings and style of one of those classic video games.
  • b. Judging Rubric
    • i. Judging for the GameJam will be undertaken by an impartial group of volunteer Judges, selected by the GameJam team who will follow a strict scoring rubric.
    • ii. Projects will be judged on the following criteria:
      • 1. Overall Presentation – Does the game work, is the game appealing, does it feel like a complete game?
        • a. Grading Potential: 10 Points.
      • 2. Is the game fun? - Is the gameplay engaging, are there bugs and mistakes that interfere with the fun of the game. Once completed do you want to play it again?
        • a. Grading Potential: 10 Points.
      • 3. Relevance – How well does this game fit the theme?
        • a. Grading Potential: 15 Points.
    • iii. Projects can receive a maximum score of 35 points and a minimum score of 0. Scores are to be used solely for judging and we will not be releasing the scores of each individual project.

4. Deadline & Submission

  • a. Sign up
    • i. There is no need for pre-registration for this event. There will be a web form for participants to fill out and submit when they are ready to turn in their games.
    • ii. Everyone is welcome to submit a project for this event providing they fall within the age criteria for the event and either they or their registered guardian have a valid VPL library card.
    • iii. The web form on the GameJam portal will allow participants to submit all the necessary information for their project to be considered for the science fair judging committee.
    • iv. Submissions will require:
      • 1. All participants names.
      • 2. All participants ages.
      • 3. A primary contact participant.
      • 4. A guardian’s name and contact.
      • 5. A valid Vaughan Public Library card number.
      • 6. A link to the game.
  • b. Final Submission Deadline
    • i. All projects from all categories are due by March 31st at midnight (12am Eastern Standard Time). Submissions sent in after this time will not be accepted by any means.
    • ii. You are welcome to submit an entry before the deadline and we will take re-submissions up until the project deadline. No judging or viewing of the projects will occur until after the deadline has passed.

5. Ethics

All participants entering the GameJam agree to adhere to a strict set of ethical rules and laws. The violation of any of these rules and/or laws will result in the immediate disqualification of the entry into the event.

  • a. Responsibilities of the participant
    • i. The participant agrees that all activities that occurred in the course of creating this project did not create any undue hardship to any and all participating parties.
    • ii. The participant agrees that they have the rights and permissions to use all resources and assets used in their entries for this event.
  • b. Creative Commons and Rights to use images
    • i. All assets used in the game (art, music, sound effects, backgrounds) must either be created by the participant, or be acquired using a creative commons license.
    • ii. If creative commons assets are used in the game, credit must be given to the creator of the asset.
  • c. Plagiarism & Academic Honesty
    • i. The participant hereby agrees that their submitted project is their own and not plagiarised in any way.

6. Prizes

  • a. There will be prizes awarded to the winners of each age category for the GameJam. Junior (Grades 2-3), Intermediate (4-5), Senior (6-8)
  • b. If the winner is a group, each member of the group is eligible for a prize.
  • c. Prize Packages
    The winner(s) of each category are eligible to win a prize package. This prize package includes:
    • i. A certificate of award for placing 1st in the GameJam age category
    • ii. A 3D Printed Trophy with the winner(s) names on it
    • iii. Vaughan Public Library Service Experience Package
      • 1. A Glowforge laser engraved / cut object*
      • 2. A 3D Printed Object*
      • 3. A 3D Scan of an object or you. We will then 3D print what is scanned.
      • 4. * The requested for items to be printed, cut, or engraved will be subject to review by our creation specialists. We will work with you to find a suitable result; however, not all print / engrave requests can be accommodated.

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