What is a Hypothesis Game?

           A Hypothesis Game is a game that cannot be played given the current limitations at the time it was designed. This is usually because of one or more of the following reasons:

1. We don’t yet have the technology to play these games. For example, a game that uses time travel as a mechanic is unable to be played at this current point in time. However, in the future, it could theoretically be played.
2. It is too dangerous to be played. These games could be death games like those from Squid Games or Alice in Borderland, or they could be games that deal with difficult topics such as self harm.
3. You (the designer) do not have the resources to create or run the game. These could include mega games or large scale-LARPs for instance, or perhaps a carnival or amusement park game.

The Hypothesis Game you design might fit into one, multiple, or none of the categories defined above. As long as it fits the very loose definition of what a Hypothesis Game is, you can submit it!

But…why?

           The goal of this jam is to spread the concept of Hypothesis Games far and wide. The purpose of Hypothesis Games is to see what game designers can do when all limits are thrown out of the window. Some of these games will never be played in humanity’s lifespan, and that’s alright. However, it is my hope that some of these games, particularly the ones that fit into the first category outlined above, will eventually be played at some point in the future when technology is advanced enough. At some point, a designer from the future will look back into our little corner of the internet and draw inspiration from what they see here. Additionally, for the games outlined in the third category, it is my hope that this jam will bring attention to them. Third category games are the ones we are most likely to see become a reality in our lifetime, if we manage to publicize them enough and give them the funding and resources they need to run. So please promote any games you see that are made as a result of this jam, whether that be through social media or through word of mouth!

Jam Rules

1. Submit a Hypothesis Game!
2. No NSFW content.
3. No matter what type of game you design for this jam, be sure to include proper trigger warnings.
4. No hateful or bigoted games of any kind.
5. You can submit old games and new games alike, and feel free to submit however many games you want!
6. Don’t submit video or web games to this jam. However, if your hypothetical game involves video games in some way (such as a game set in a VR world for example), that’s perfectly fine, but make sure to only submit whatever rules or settings you have designed for it.

The Future of Hypothesis Games

           Hypothesis Games are from what I can tell an entirely unexplored genre and it would be a shame if more designers didn’t know about it! I hope to run this jam again next year if enough people are interested, but that involves you, the designers, to spread the word! Use social media, share with friends, and have fun jamming! Let’s be creative together!