Event art by Sid Allison.

LUDUM DARE 53 IS UPON US

Join the community on discord!

Ludum Dare is a twice-a-year online game jam, and the Winnipeg Game Collective is taking the opportunity to gather the community together to participate! Join us for speakers, game-making, community networking and support from Friday April 28th - Sunday April 30th.

Look forward to:

• Collaboration | work with others in your community

• Guest Speakers | A speaker evening featuring presenters on a variety of game-dev topics

• Players around the Globe | Get your game on the screens of folks around the world

Explore the process of game development, be it programming, iterative design, narrative or artistic expression. We encourage people with all kinds of backgrounds to participate and contribute. Attendees are invited to explore new tools, try on new roles in game development and test their skills to do something that requires them to design, develop, create, test to make a new game. Come together, be creative, share experiences and express yourself in a multitude of ways using video games. Game jams are often the starting point for game developers who have turned joining their first game jam into a successful and sustainable career in game development. Our community is committed to empowerment and inclusivity, helping us build a safe and welcoming event for everyone. Through Ludum Dare, the Winnipeg Game Collective helps to foster new friendships, increase confidence in aspiring game developers and creates opportunities within the community.

Schedule

Friday:

• 7:00 pm: Speaker Evening

• 8:00 pm: Theme Announcement

Saturday:

• ALL DAY: Jamming

Sunday:

• Until 7:00 pm: Jamming

• 7:00 pm: Games Showcase

FAQ

What is a game jam?

"Jam" is a reference to musical jam sessions. Similarly, the goal with a "game jam" is to come together and make a video game, or a non-digital (analog) game like a board game or card game. The brief time span is meant to help encourage creative thinking which results in small but innovative and experimental games.

What is Ludum Dare?

Ludum Dare is an online “game jam” event held 2-3 times a year in which participants try to make a video game from scratch. First held in 2002, the event has evolved over the years to become bigger and more accessible. These days Ludum Dare routinely gets 8000+ teams and individuals participating in each jam.

Who can participate in Ludum Dare?

Designers, developers, artists, musicians, knitters, gardeners, architects, everyone and anyone is welcome to try their hand at making a game during Ludum Dare! You could even work on a non-digital game, and then there's no need for code! Experience is not necessary but a game jam does require self directed participation. We encourage all attendees to come in with a basic understanding of what they’d like to accomplish during the event. Also keep in mind that physical games may be more difficult for others to play and rate.

How do I sign up?

You can sign up online ahead of the event by joining the Winnipeg Game Jam Discord server and snagging the LD53 role! Additionally, you can make an account and join on ldjam.com.

Is this event in-person or online?

Just online this time! You can still get the full community experience by joining the Winnipeg Game Jam Discord and sharing your progress throughout the weekend.

Do I need to have a team? Can I work solo?

You can work either as a team or solo. If you are looking for a team or have a team and are looking for additional members, we will do our best to help match you up at the jam!

How is Ludum Dare different from other jams? What are the rules of Ludum Dare?

You can find the rules for Ludum Dare at https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/rules. The main thing to know is that there are three submission categories: Compo, Jam and Extra. Submitting to the Compo is the most strict and requires you work solo and create everything during the 48 hours of the jam. Jam allows you to work solo or with a team, use assets you didn’t create or that were created ahead of time, and gives you an extra day for a total of 72 hours to submit your game. Extra is like Jam, but extra chill! You have about a month to submit your game, letting you work on it on your own schedule instead of all in one weekend.