Welcome to The ADS's Pivot Game Jam!
Hosted by Nakul A. (an 18-year-old solo-dev at ADS trying to grow with you)
This jam is all about the art of the twist, the thrill of the unexpected, and mechanics that completely turn the tables on the player. Whether you are a solo dev or a team, a veteran or a newcomer, your challenge over these 7 days is to build an experience that hinges on a central Pivot. You already know the main theme, so start brainstorming your plots and characters now!
[ ~ ] The Theme: The Pivot
Your game needs a significant "Pivot." This could be:
- A Narrative Pivot: An unexpected plot twist, a table-turning revelation, or a shocking aftermath that changes the context of the whole story.
- A Mechanical Pivot: An innovative puzzle or a strategic gameplay loop that flips the rules upside down just when the player gets comfortable.
Note: A limitation to keep submissions fair will be revealed here, on Discord, and the Jam Community on the Jam Beginning day.
/// The Rules
- Team Size: You can work alone, or in a team of up to 4 members maximum.
- Playtime: The game must take between 7 minutes (minimum) and 120 minutes (maximum) to beat.
- Engine Freedom: Use whatever game engine you want.
- NO AI Allowed: No Artificial Intelligence tools should be used for ideas, art, designs, code, or assets. This jam is about human creativity and effort.
- Assets: Creating assets from scratch during the jam window is highly appreciated! However, pre-made assets are allowed as long as you have the rights to use them. If you use pre-made assets, you must specify them with proper credits and links in your game's description.
- Content Warnings: Gore, violence, and profanity are completely fine as long as they serve the narrative or thriller elements. Exaggerated sexual themes, sex simulations, and clear nudity are strictly banned and will result in disqualification.
- Submission Format: Your game has to be free to play during the voting phase. Web builds are highly recommended. Windows builds are okay too. NO other operating system builds will be accepted (they will be disqualified).
* Voting & Prizes *
We are an indie community running on passion. The jam starts with a community voting phase to filter down to the Top 10 Finalists. After that, I will personally play, review, and rank those 10 games to choose the ultimate winners.
Here is what's up for grabs:
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1st and 2nd Place: A Steam key for my solo-dev 3D narrative-driven game when it launches next year! An exclusive @Jam Winner role in our server permanently, and a custom digital certificate.
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Top 10 Finalists: Detailed, personalized feedback on your game's narrative and design from the host, plus a @Top 10 Finalist Discord role and a custom digital certificate.
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Everyone who enters: The @Jammer role and a place in our growing dev community with more opportunities and game jams!
> Good to Know
- Ownership: You retain 100% of the rights to your game and IP. We just ask for the right to feature your game in jam-related content or videos.
- Publishing Collaboration: If a submitted game shows exceptional potential, the host may reach out to offer a collaboration to scale the project up into a full commercial Steam release. However, the final decision to collaborate remains entirely in the hands of the game's original creators.
- Late Submissions: Uploads fail. It happens. If you miss the deadline by a few minutes, reach out to an admin in the Discord immediately with a link to your build, and we will generate a late submission link for you.
+ Join the Community +
For more guidelines, Q&A, and to find a team, everything happens in our Discord! Join the server, grab the Jammer role, and hang out with us in the dedicated Jam category.
Join our Discord Server
