Theme: Mask
What is a game jam, you might ask? It's just a hackathon dedicated to games specifically, and they're loads of fun! You don't need any experience at all-- even just following a few tutorials, with your own twists, is okay! Winter MelonJam 2025 will take place December 26th 9:00 AM PST (December 26th 5 PM UTC), and the game jam will end on December 29th 8:59 AM PST (December 29th 4:59 PM UTC).
Our core mission is to transform game development from a niche topic into something everything can learn to appreciate. As such, we HIGHLY encourage high schoolers and other novices to join this game jam! We will be offering dedicated prizes for these contestants as well as hosting workshops for beginners to create a welcoming environment.
Important -- PLEASE READ!
Our game jam is being hosted on Itch, and we will not accept submissions from Devpost.
Benefits
Everyone who submits a project will be given access to benefits worth thousands of dollars. We also provide many different prizes to the winners of this game jam, so be sure to sign up!
Questions
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask on our Discord server! Otherwise, we cannot wait to see all of the exciting ideas you have to offer! Good luck!
Requirements
Winter MelonJam 2025 Rules
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Submit during the alloted time slot (December 26th 5 PM UTC - December 29th 4:59 PM UTC) to Itch
- To be eligible for a prize, you must provide an adequate explanation for how your game fits the theme when submitting your game. You must also fulfill the requirements for your division OR lower. No smurfing.
- Any digital project that is not malware may be submitted. Keep in mind, however, that the judging criteria may limit your success if you do not submit a game that fits the theme announced at the beginning of the jam.
- All submissions must be developed during the allotted time slot. However, you are free to use any assets (music, 3d models, etc.) and tools (game engines, graphic design programs, etc.) that you made yourself or are given permission to use by the creators, such as through a creative commons license, an open-source license, or a purchase. If you choose to do so, you must mention this in your submission. Judges may take points off or award points based on pre-made assets.
- Participants may work alone, or form teams of up to 4 members in order to work on their submission. Participants can unofficially be in multiple teams, but cannot win prizes more than once per jam-- participants must choose one team to sign on with.
- The Cupertino Game Development Club reserves the right to not consider any uploaded games for prizes if the content does not follow the theme or is offensive or unsuitable. This includes but is not limited to: games with harmful or prejudicial themes related to gender, sexual orientation, age, ability, appearance, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship, or religion.
- You may use any engines or tools at your disposal except for generative AI. No AI art, code, music, or any other assets is allowed.
- Participants who do not adhere to the rules above may have their submission canceled, or even banned from all future game jams hosted by the Cupertino Game Development Club.
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Prizes
All prizes totaled
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
Matthew Xu
Alex Li
Lindsey Li
Grace Lin
Qinzhao Li
Calvin Chang
Sharvil Phadke
Judging Criteria
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Gameplay
How well the game squeezes out value from its mechanics. Good gameplay should give the player limitations, and give the player to opportunities to explore those limitations. -
Graphics/Polish
How impressive the project looks. Objects of importance should be easily differentiable from other objects, and in general the game should be visually appealing. -
Game Feel
How appropriate and appealing the controls feel (snappy platforming, impactful heavy attacks, etc). -
Innovation
How “new” a concept in the game is (avant-garde graphics, new gameplay concepts, new interpretations or combinations of old concepts, etc.) -
Theme
How well the game interprets the theme. The more creative the interpretation that still reasonably matches the theme, the higher your game's score in this category.
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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