With the retail aspect of video games now more or less a thing of the past, there really is no better time to mock some of the worst box art in existence… by using one of them as inspiration for a new game! That is what The Bad Box Art Challenge is about, after all, tasking participants with turning something awful into something worthwhile.
Now, before you hit up Google Images for source material, I’d recommend perusing The Gallery of Trash. The jam organizers have compiled a rather extensive list of disturbingly bad covers to choose from for a reason, so why not put their efforts to use, saving time and energy? Exactly.
As far as the actual game creation goes – it has to be done from scratch. Entirely. No reusing existing assets or some such. Brainstorming ahead of time, and pre-made libraries/engines, are however allowed. Just no actual development. On top of that, the final product must be hosted on Game Jolt (with the tag #badboxart in the description), including the box art of choice, and other things.
The point of a game jam is to practice your skills in prioritization, time-management, and impromptu creative design.
Form a team or go at it alone, make a 4D platformer, a third-person shooter, a 2D platformer or a one-dimensional… so long as you stick to the March 25-27 timeframe. Oh, and just in case, the official forum thread.