Let's make Mystery Games!

The Creative Theme is "I Can Explain"

Join us in our Opening Event on August 9th and Closing Showcase in person & on stream.

• Confound it! Make a game shrouded in mystery... whether that asks the player to investigate, solve, interview, or otherwise come to an understanding of events that don't initially line up. Tell a story, try to incorporate a twist, use characters, use circumstances, and do your best to give the player an "aha" moment by the end of your game. There's no telling what you might come up with...
• The Day After (the Apocalypse), The House on [REDACTED] Street, Arkenopsiologist, EYE: A Murder Mystery Generator, and Lake Calamity are great examples of past PIGSquad jam games that involve mysteries.

Jam Schedule:

We will be hosting events & activities to support jammers in meeting and sharing. This list will update over time. All times listed in Pacific time zone.

• August 4th, 7pm: Speed Meet & Team Forming
• August 9th, 5:30pm: Jam Kickoff, Team Forming, and Theme Reveal
• August 20th, 7pm: Art/Code Night + Coworking
• August 28th, 7pm: Feedback Night - Bring your game out in-person for people to give you feedback!
  
• August 31st, End of Day: Submissions Due
• September 9th, 7pm:Art/Code Night + Coworking
• September 13th, 6pm: Summer Game Jam Celebration - Bring your game out to share it in-person in Portland!
• September 14th, 7pm - We will stream gameplay from all entries on twitch.tv/PIGSquad

General Jam Rules & More Details:

• Non-Portlanders are welcome to participate remotely. Join the PIGSquad Discord and chat with folks in the #gamejam channel!
• Follow PIGSquad on social media channels for consistent updates on team forming, events, workshops, and other opportunities. Tag us on Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, Twitter, etc for a share!
• If you'd like to contribute to the jam theme, suggesting & voting is exclusive to our Patreon members - learn more here!
• All participants, in person or remote, must follow PIGSquad's Code of Conduct. As a general rule, please keep entries "PG-13" or younger. No nsfw content.
• Games made with or featuring Generative AI (large language models, stable diffusion, AI image/art generators) will not be accepted. The purpose of these jams are to encourage collaboration with other real people that share common interests and/or push yourself to learn new skills.
• Do not police submissions or make fun of / talk down on jam submissions or jammers' ideas in PIGSquad channels or otherwise. Our goal as a community is to uplift creative collaboration and learning.
• We encourage you to jam with new people or on a team, but it is not required. We will be providing resources for team forming at the jam kickoff and throughout the jam timeline for those who want to jam based on the theme.
• This jam is not a competition and is not judged.
• Please don't crunch! We host game jams over extended periods of time and like having open conversations with jammers about scoping projects to encourage a healthy outlook on creative production schedules. If you need help scoping, please reach out.
• Jammers retain full ownership of the games they make during PIGSquad jams.
• Late submissions or submission updates can be accepted, just get in touch with an organizer. Please note that games must be updated on your itch page multiple days before the online stream of all games if you'd like the updated version of your game shown then - we do not take requests for downloading game updates within 48 hours of the online showcase. You are welcome to update your game at any point after your jam submission regardless of when the showcase is.
• Sticking to the theme is encouraged, but not mandatory - if you have an idea you'd like to pursue that branches from the theme, we encourage you to make that game!
• We will be removing spam submissions from the entries that are clearly submission bombing to multiple jams or otherwise.
• Thanks to Marlowe for creating our header art! Check out her work here.

Follow our "How To Jam" guide if you'd like some great recommendations for how to spend your time and make the most out of the event :)

Summer Slow Jams:

Each summer, game makers get together to make a game project with friends and community members in a few weeks! Summer Slow Jams is a collection of game jam events happening once a month this summer, providing structure and networking opportunities for creatives in Portland and remote participants. Participate in a jam to finish a creative project, learn new things, meet new people, and share your work!

Creative themes are delivered during each kick off event then shared online, and developers are able to showcase their game jam projects at each closing event in Portland, OR (or online). In between the dates of the kick off and closing showcase, you are encouraged to meet up with others using online channels to complete a game over whatever in-jam time period you see fit: take it slow if you need!

For more information about how to participate in Summer Slow Jams, visit pigsquad.com/summerslowjams. Summer Slow Jams this year include Luck Games in June, Inventory Games in July, and Mystery Games in August.

Share with the hashtag #summerslowjams and PIGSquad will reshare screenshots, video uploads, and blog posts of jam games while you're working on your games!

The Portland Indie Game Squad is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to supporting the health and continued expansion of game developer and enthusiast communities in Portland, the Pacific Northwest, and online. We provide events, resources, and networking activities for art and technology creatives. Learn more at PIGSquad.com.

To play more games made at Portland Indie Game Squad jams, visit our itch collections!