Frequently Asked Questions

What is a compo?

“Compo” is a Demoscene term used to describe a competitive event or format.

What is a game compo?

A “game compo” is a competitive event or format for games. See “competitive game jam”.

Ludum Dare

Championed by Mike Kasprzak, Ludum Dare used to call itself a “game compo” to differentiate its competitive format from the casual format of the Indie Game Jam.

In the years that followed, the term “game jam” grew to include both casual and competitive formats, and “game compo” fell out of favour.

Today, Ludum Dare calls itself a “game jam”.

Prior to the introduction of Ludum Dare’s Extra format, it would have called itself a “competitive game jam”.

Compo format

Within Ludum Dare, “The Compo” is the name often used to describe Ludum Dare’s original solo competitive format, in contrast to “The Jam”.