Frequently Asked Questions

What is a game jam?

A “game jam” is an event where games are made, similar to a hackathon or demo compo. The term comes from the Indie Game Jam.

Game jam events are often short. Most last a few days or a week. Some last hours, or up to a month.

Historically, “game jam” was used to describe casual game creation events, like to a jam session for musicians. Ludum Dare originally referred to itself as a game compo to highlight that it was a competitive event.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_jam

What is a competitive game jam?

A “competitive game jam” is a game jam with a competitive component. Competitive game jams have winners.

A “game compo” is less common name for a competitive game jam.

Ludum Dare

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

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

Jam Format

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