Forget safe ideas. Try something unusual.
Experimental Jam is a game jam about testing strange concepts, unusual mechanics, unexpected controls, unique visual styles, and ideas that might not fit anywhere else.
Your game does not need to reinvent the entire medium. One interesting experiment is enough.
The goal is not perfection.
The goal is experimentation.
Create a game containing at least one unusual or experimental element. It can be a completely new idea or an unexpected twist on something familiar.
Your experiment could involve:
If someone plays your game and thinks “I haven't seen something quite like this before,” you are probably on the right track.
How unusual, bold, or inventive is the central experiment?
How creatively does the game explore its concept?
How well does the experiment work as an actual experience?
How effectively do the visuals and audio support the idea?
An experiment does not need to be perfectly polished to receive a good rating. Judge what it attempts, how interesting the idea is, and how well the experiment works.
No. You can use a familiar genre or structure. Just add an unusual idea, mechanic, interaction, or presentation style.
There is no strict measurement. One meaningful experiment is enough. A normal platformer with one genuinely unusual mechanic can qualify.
Absolutely. A failed but interesting experiment fits the jam better than a safe project that never attempts anything new.
Yes, provided you have permission to use them and credit the creators when the licence requires it.
AI assistance is allowed for coding help, debugging, brainstorming, writing, or similar support. It should not make the entire project for you.
No. Web builds are recommended because they are easier to play and rate, but downloadable builds are also welcome.
You may fix bugs, improve performance, polish existing elements, and make small quality-of-life changes. Avoid major new content.
Share your progress, screenshots, experiments, and strange discoveries with the community.
Feedback is encouraged, but please keep it constructive. A strange idea may not work perfectly — that is part of experimenting.
Try the mechanic you thought was too strange.
Combine ideas that should not work together.
Make something nobody expects.
#CreateSomethingUnusual
Good luck, and have fun experimenting!
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