March 1st - 3rd 2024

WHAT IS SHANTY JAM?

Shanty Jam is an annual 48-hour game jam hosted by Charger Studios, a club from The University of Alabama in Huntsville focused on animation and game development. Any game format is welcome!

Wait, game "jam"? What's that?

A game jam is an event where game developers (and aspiring/soon to be developers) get together and make games. The term jam comes from the musical tradition where musicians would just improvise whatever they felt like. Jamming on games is basically playing around with ideas - having fun with friends trying to come up with something interesting and seeing if & how things work. All in the little pressure cooker of not nearly enough time. But that just adds to the fun!

Shanty Jam is open to everyone 14 years old and up. You don't need to be a master of everything, or really anything, to participate and enjoy a game jam. If you are interested in game design and development, this is a great way to get some experience, try new things, and meet like minded folks. We will try to balance groups so each game team has some experience. Jammers range from students to professors to local game developers to members of the Huntsville community that are interested in game design and development.

When? March first, five pm to March third, six pm, 2024. Games will be completed by five pm March third to be showed off and voted on.

Where? This year, Shanty Jam wil be held at Lowe Mill Arts and Entertainment in Studio 1047 Northside. Virtual participants can join the Shanty Jam Discord where all games and announcements will be streamed.

Shanty Jam Lvl 7 Discord! https://discord.gg/GzeJjJcc

How Much?

Nada! Free! Gratis!

What do I need?

Laptop/desktop/mobile computer if you want to make a computer game
Any team members you want to work with
A good attitude!

How's this going to work?

Hop onto the Shanty Jam Discord before 5pm on Friday, March 1st 2023 - setup and settle in.
5pm secret theme will be voted on - all games need to have something to do with the winning theme!
Brainstorming and team solidification.
Work on your game with your team until March 3rd.
5:00pm on March 3rd - show off your game and play other games!
6pm March 3rd - winner voting and prizes!

Join the Discord!

Note to parents of participants under 18: Shanty Jam is an open public event where participants are unsupervised and come and go as they please. While there will be Charger Studios club officers (UAH students) in the Discord and in the event space keeping track of the event, they cannot control the actions of others. Think of it like bringing your child to an on-campus sporting event. No one will be in charge of or supervising your child during this event. Please ensure your child follows the rules of Lowe Mill and is responsible enough to conduct themselves before attending this event.

For more information or questions please contact Charger Studios at charger.studios@uah.edu