Remember how, a couple of years back, game developers were asked to spread affection through the creation of games, during The Love Jam? Well, this one’s of a similar theme, yet not quite, in that games crafted during Yuri Game Jam 2 must focus on relationships between women. That’s right: it’s time to not only feature women in a video game but also… focus on one or more all-female relationships throughout the experience. A nice little challenge, really.
That said, no one’s forcing you to create a title in an ‘obvious’ genre like, say, a visual novel or dating sim. No one at all. In fact, I’d recommend thinking outside the box, even if the ‘relationship between women’ aspect can be hard to portray in something like a racing game. Or? All it takes is the slightest hint of a story, and voilá, the potential for yuri has been made. Do keep in mind, however, that the keyword here is ‘focus’, meaning you probably shouldn’t make it an afterthought. Just saying.
Now, as far as Yuri Game Jam 2 – or Yuri Game Jam 2016, I suppose – goes… there is a single rule which all participants must follow: “Your story must focus on queer relationships between women OR the queer female experience.” You know, in case I hadn’t already made that part clear. Oh, and submitting unfinished works/demos – totally fine! Twitter fan? Don’t forget to use the hashtag #yurijam then. I’m sure that one doesn’t require further explanation.
Last but not least, some pretty important info: dates. The jam spans the month of October, ending on the 31st, hopefully with a ton of interesting new games. Time will tell. Yes, time will indeed tell. As it’s been known to do.