Steve Aoki’s Game Jam

Published in

The Sandbox

5 min readMay 8, 2023

⚠️UPDATE⚠️
Game Jam’s results are out: https://medium.com/sandbox-game/steve-aoki-game-jam-results-118ab03f63e7

Get ready to dive into the mind of Steve Aoki and create a game that explores the madness inside his head! Introducing the Steve Aoki Game Jam, a two weeks Game Maker competition where participants are encouraged to create games that reflect Steve Aoki’s world of inspiration.

Explore the subconscious of this legendary artist and DJ, and create a game experience that showcases how his unique perspective and creativity are reflected in his music and art. Whether it’s a puzzle game that incorporates his signature sound, a side-scrolling adventure that takes place in his wildest dreams, or a platformer that explores the depths of his psyche, the possibilities are endless.

Gather your team and get ready to create a game that will blow Steve Aoki’s mind! With a prize pool of 50,000 SAND, you won’t want to miss out on this opportunity to showcase your creativity and innovation.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up for the Steve Aoki Game Jam today and take a journey into the mind of one of the most iconic artists of our time!

Rewards

50,000 SAND will be split amongst the top entries the following ways:

1st place: 10,000 SAND + potential to be onboarded to the Game Maker Fund.*
2nd place: 6,000 SAND.
3rd place: 3,500 SAND.
4th to 10th place: 1,500 SAND each.
Best Idea (Top 5 participants with the best “Overall Idea” grade): 1,000 SAND.**
Best Design (Top 5 participants with the best average between “Game Design” & “Level Design” grade): 1,000 SAND.**
Participations Award (Limited to the first 100 participants that didn’t place in Top 10 and that respect the entry guidelines and completed the submissions steps correctly): 100 SAND.

*By submitting your entry, you accept to be contacted by a Game Maker Fund representative.

**You can rank in the Top 10 and rank in the Best Idea / Best Design categories at the same time.

Important Dates

The Game Jam begins on May 8th, 2023.
The deadline to complete and submit your entry is the May 21st, at 3pm UTC.
Submissions gathering and voting will take place from May 22nd till June 11th, 2023
The results will be announced on June 17th, 2023.

Important Entry Guidelines

You cannot create any Steve Aoki avatar or NPC.
Your entry must be designed in the Game Maker software.
Your entry must be made on the GM 0.8.2 version.
Your entry can include assets you’ve created yourself.
Your entry must have some playability (quests, missions you name it).
Your entry must be unique and not a direct copy of any existing experiences (similarities are fine, exact copies are not!).
Spamming the gallery with a number of low quality experiences just to try and fit into the 4th-10th places may result in all your entries being disqualified.
You must upload an uncut and unedited video of a full playthrough of your game to the submission form. The video must be showing at least 5 minutes of gameplay.
Once submitted, it is not permitted to update your entry before the final results are out.
Do NOT use copyrighted characters, names, people, logos and other copyrighted material in your Game Jam entries.
You may take inspiration from an IP’s brand, work, and values.
Not completing the submission steps correctly (see below) may result in your entry being ineligible.
The judging will be done by The Sandbox’s staff.

What makes an entry valid?

Game length should be at least 5 minutes (excluding timed, collection quests).
Use at least 25 different assets.
Follow the storyline/theme.
Experience must be created after the start date (any experiences built for previous game jams cannot be used).
The Sandbox staff members have the right to remove any entry as they see fit.

Submitting Your Entry

We will be using the Game Maker “Gallery” feature as a form for submissions.

You MUST also submit your game to the following form link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfAYKacIwIUqz84qIpFK5R4hBA9qIFoYpgFC8A6G76R1LvvPA/viewform

WARNING! If you submit your entry to the Game Jam gallery but do not submit it to the form linked above (or vice versa), your entry will not be eligible!
Slow down — check everything! Take the time to read the submission form and the requirements before submitting your entry. Feel free to check the Game Maker and the VoxEdit Academies to make the best out of both tools.
The goal is to submit a qualitative experience, rather than rushing and submitting a half-finished one.😉

Game Jam FAQ

Who can join the Game Jam?

Anyone who is eligible to create an account at The Sandbox can enter the Game Jam.

Can I use other people’s assets?

No, you cannot use assets that you haven’t created or purchased. Using assets created by another user without permission will result in your experience being disqualified. Default assets created by “TSB-Account-1” and “SandboxGame” are free to use.

Are teams or studios allowed?

Yes! You are welcome to work independently or as a team/studio of no more than 4 members per team.

Where can I get the Game Maker and/or VoxEdit from?

Here are the official links:

Where can I find guides for the Game Maker and VoxEdit software?

Check out the tutorials page on The Sandbox’s official knowledge base here. It’s super effective, if you are a beginner!

You can also join our Discord community, where creators often share tips with each other and post their own tutorials. You can also share your entry with the community for feedback, if you wish.

Judging Criteria

The entries are judged on a 20 points scale divided into the following categories:

Overall Creative Idea — (5 Points)
→ Is the idea unique and engaging?
Level Design — (5 Points)
→ Is it easy to find its way inside the game?
→ Is the terraforming visually appealing / coherent with the game?
→ Is the progression curve challenging?
Game Design — (5 Points)
→ Does the game have interesting mechanics?
→ Is the logic well-designed so it’s fun to play?
Playability — (5 Points)
→ Does the game work properly from start to end?
→ Does the player experience bugs?
Bonus Points: Wow Factor — (Up to 2 Points Extra)
→ Outstanding assets and artistic direction.
→ Unique features.
→ Outstanding atmosphere / immersion.