Details for the April Game Game at Webster U

Thanks for signing up for the Spring 2014 St. Louis Game Jam at
Webster!  To help everything go smoothly, here are some last-minute instructions and reminders. PLEASE READ ALL OF THIS:

  • This year, our jam will again be on Webster campus, starting in the Sverdrup building main lobby. We will have access to this building for the entire 48 hours.
  • For directions to the building, see the stlgamejam.com website. We will have multiple rooms for jammers, auditorium space, a room for food, and a few different places to sleep.
  • We’ll be starting just a bit later this year, to allow for those with busy work schedules. Doors will officially open at 5 pm, and please try to be on-site no later than 6 pm since we are expecting lines and need time to get everyone registered. The theme will be announced at 7 pm on Friday, and the games must be FINISHED and being uploaded by 5 pm on Sunday. I know some of you would rather go later, but after the games are finished, we’ll still need a few hours just to see what everyone has made!
  • Thanks to our wonderful sponsors, we again have free t-shirts! We are certain to run out of these though because of all the last-minute signups, so T-shirts are FIRST COME FIRST SERVE among REGISTERED jammers. Again, IN ORDER TO GET A SHIRT, YOU MUST BE REGISTERED FOR THE EVENT AT THE stlgamejam.com SITE. So please double-check that you are registered online.
  • Computer equipment will NOT be provided, so if you want to use a computer, you must bring your own. However, we probably won’t be doing full setup until 8 pm or later, after the keynote, theme announcement, and brainstorming sessions, since we won’t know for sure who’s on which team. So if you’ve got a ton of stuff, you may want to bring just your laptop at first to ensure that you can connect to wi-fi, and then bring more equipment later.
  • DON’T FORGET:
    • A computer, that is wi-fi enabled and has its OS properly virus-checked and patched
    • A power cable for that computer
    • Are you bringing an extra monitor? Don’t forget a power cable for it! And a cable to connect it to the computer!
    • How about a mouse? Mousepad?
    • A VGA adapter if you want to connect your computer to a projector
    • Are you going to be video-streaming? Don’t forget your webcam! And a microphone! And cables!
  • What else might you need? Graph paper, pens, pencils, D&D dice, post-its…
  • And we can never have too many power strips!
  • And did I mention cables???
  •  Wired internet access will NOT be provided, but there will be plenty of wi-fi!
  • HOWEVER, the university may require that computers undergo a (prettybasic) virus scan before letting them connect to the wireless. So before you arrive, please make sure that your system is clean, that your operating system is up-to-date, etc., so you don’t have to waste time fixing things at the jam itself, before you can get online.
  • Please try to have any software tools that you need already installed and updated before the jam. If you’re not sure what to get, we recommend that you download GameMaker or GameSalad and work through its first tutorial. It’s free, versatile, fast, a very easy way to make games, and lots of other jammers will already be familiar with it. You can get a free version of GameMaker from yoyogames.com (click on GameMaker in the top menu). You can also try GameSalad or Stencyl or anything, really. Just remember to download and try out these tools BEFORE the event, so you don’t miss any development time!
  • If you don’t have a computer, it’s okay, we’re open to all kinds of games this weekend, including boardgames and card games! So just bring pencil and paper, and you’re set!
  • Webster is allowing us to be on site for the full 48 hours this year! If you do decide to go home and sleep/shower, please take any of your expensive stuff home. We are not responsible for any items left unattended!
  • Please be sure to read the FAQ:

Other Reminders:

  • There is no charge for attending (pretty cool, huh?)
  • Campus security has assured us that they’re not going to be ticketing this weekend, as long as you are parking in the garage.
  • Hours:
    • Friday: Doors open at 5pm, opening speech and theme announcement at 6pm. Dinner at 7 pm.
    • Saturday: Jam!
    • Sunday: Games must be turned in by 5 pm
  • If you can’t be there on Friday afternoon, it’s okay to come by later, but you may miss brainstorming, team-forming, and dinner! We’ll do our best to incorporate you into a team as we can (but the t-shirts may be gone by that point).
  • You don’t *have* to be at the jam for every minute… As long as your game is finished by Sunday at 5, you can work for as few or as many hours as you like.
  • Starting on Friday, food and drink will be provided by our gracious sponsors, so you don’t have to bring anything of your own. If you do have your own food though, you’re welcome to bring it along. We will pizza for Friday night, sandwiches for Saturday as well as snacks. Or in short, we will keep you fed, but if you have special dietary requirements, please bring what you need.
  • Non-jammers are welcome as observers. The best times for non-participants to come by will be around 6-8 pm on Friday, to hear the announcements and maybe participate in the brainstorming, and then around 5 pm on Sunday, to see the finished games! There will be plenty to do for everyone though — we need photographers, bloggers, gofers, testers, writers, people to make funny noises into microphones… There’ll be lots to do!

We would still love to have a few more volunteers to help out with setup and errands, like picking up sodas and supplies at local stores and bringing them to the jam site. If you’d like to help, please let us know in email, or just come by the site a little early (like around 2
or 3 pm on Friday).

If you have any other questions, check http://stlgamejam.com, or drop us an email.

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