Hello everyone!

I wanted to participate in this game jam, but I was immediately disqualified. When I joined the Discord server to ask why, I was told that participating in multiple jams at once is not allowed—something that is completely false because nowhere in the rules does it say this.

Then, things got even worse. Instead of a fair discussion, I was met with unjustified criticism. They claimed that my game did not fit the theme, even though I had specifically designed it to align with multiple jam themes.

When they told me my game wasn’t relevant, I simply asked them to at least play it first before making that judgment. Instead of a reasonable response, they banned me from the server without any real explanation. Just like that. After three days of work, planning everything carefully to make sure my game respected the theme, they threw me out without a second thought.

My game clearly follows the theme—there is a gambling mechanic, where you have to guess which beams on the bridge are stable and which are broken. This fits perfectly within the jam's concept, yet they refused to even consider it.

This isn’t just disappointing—it’s a complete disgrace. It destroys the entire spirit of game jams, which should be about creativity, innovation, and fairness. Instead, what I experienced was bias, unfair treatment, and a refusal to even listen.

I poured my heart into this game, only to be kicked out for no real reason. This is not how game jams should be run.

We understand that you're frustrated about being disqualified, so we wanted to clarify why this decision was made.

    Multiple Jam Submissions – While our jam rules may not explicitly state a restriction on submitting to multiple jams, it is common practice to disclose when a game is entered in multiple jams. Transparency ensures fairness for all participants, as different jams have different expectations.

    Use of Premade Assets – GamePop encourages creativity and original work. Using some premade assets is allowed, but failing to disclose that your game is primarily made from them is misleading. Transparency about asset use is expected from all participants.

    Theme Relevance – Our moderation team reviews all submissions to ensure they align with the jam’s theme. Your game did not clearly meet the theme, and after reviewing your explanations, we determined it was not a fit. The decision was made by the team and is final.

    Malware Concerns – Security is a priority. Based on your behaviour in our Discord and a Malwarebytes flag, we had to take precautions. We take reports of potential malware seriously, and as a result, your submission was removed.

    Repeated Resubmissions – After your game was taken down, you repeatedly resubmitted it despite being informed of the decision.

    Event Location – This is a Canadian event, and your digital presence implies that you are from Ireland.

Additionally, your approach in Discord was not constructive. We welcome discussion, but accusations and hostility are not tolerated.

Our decision stands, and further resubmissions or evasion of moderation actions may result in a ban from future events.

Best,
The GamePop Team