Touhou Project. Now there’s a video game series with a history. One dating all the way back to 1997’s Highly Responsive to Prayers, and it’s still going strong with the upcoming Unfinished Dream of All Living Ghost. Undeniably groovy stuff. Oh, speaking of Touhou: how about making or helping someone make an LGBT-themed fan game? Touhou Pride Game Jam 5 is right around the corner!
So, for the uninitiated, Touhou Project is essentially a series of bullet hell from Japan with an all-female cast “who are just loosely defined enough to let our headcanons go wild”. Sounds like a solid foundation for all kinds of fangames, across every genre imaginable – long as the game is connected to the Touhou universe/characters and explores LGBT themes. Well, all kinds that don’t use assets from official Touhou games, promote bigotry or intolerance, among other things. Actually, just in case, be sure to read the rules at least twice.
No game is too small, so take your time and do your best if you wish to participate.
Engine? Maker’s choice, and should you be interested in chatting with other people with an interest in Touhou fangames, the Touhou Game Dev Hub Discord is open for business with a whole slew of channels – including some for the jam – to keep the conversational flow organized. Last but not least, how about following @TouhouFanJam for updates?
Actually, wait. There’s something else: dates! Given the LGBT-centric nature of Touhou Pride Game Jam 5, that it’ll run from June 1 2023 to June 15, 2023, is unlikely to surprise many (Pride Month!), but still – there you go: first two weeks of June, meaning you have less than a week to brainstorm for ideas, so start those engines!
(Screenshot is from Touhou Pride Game Jam 4 submission Touhou Tiny Trouble.)
