Something I have planned for a few years already finally got launched. Because of the global Covid-19 situation, I got the final motivational push to actually do it this year, but interestingly enough, it also made the start date delayed by a month or two.

Today is the day when the first edition of the online Gamedev.js Jam starts. If you’re seeing lots of competitions lately, but missing something dedicated to HTML5 games, then look no more - your new favourite jam is here.

Given the quarantine all over the world, many meetups and conferences are going online. The number of game jams held online also increased, which is normal - people are staying home and having too much time on their hands. Interestingly enough, Gamedev.js Jam was originally planned for February/March (to be exactly in the middle between the js13kGames editions), but the pandemic hit Europe just then.

The idea of the Jam was sitting on my TODO list for a few years, like most of the things I try to launch recently. With way too many projects and limited time, you can’t do everything and need to focus. I wanted it to be perfect, and so it was delayed year after year, because I was too busy with other things.

This year though I decided to start small and see how it goes. That’s why the first edition is hosted on Itch.io, don’t have dedicated judges, no extra categories (like js13k, WebXR, or Web Monetization) and the prizes are limited (compared to js13kGames).

Are people going to participate? Will there be next editions in the future? Let’s see! I hope you’ll join the jam - good luck and have fun!