IGDA Game Writing SIG partners with Arcweave for a 72h narrative game jam

Get ready for a fun weekend of creativity, collaboration, and interactive storytelling!

Are you ready to flex those storytelling muscles, collaborate with other creatives, and publish a playable portfolio piece, all in one weekend? Then mark your calendars, because the Game Writing SIG Arcjam is coming!

Cohosted by the IGDA Game Writing SIG and Arcweave, this 72-hour online jam invites writers, narrative designers, and interactive storytellers to create compelling, story-driven games using Arcweave.

This is your chance to level up your technical and creative skills, while building something unforgettable!

🎮 What is the Game Writing SIG Arcjam?

The Game Writing SIG Arcjam is a 3-day, online game jam dedicated to the craft of  interactive writing and  narrative design. From Friday to Sunday, participants around the world will collaborate (or go solo) to create a playable story experience entirely within the Arcweave environment.

The jam is designed to empower writers and narrative designers to create new, original portfolio pieces and strengthen the game writing community. It's an inclusive, skill-building, creativity-fueled, and 100% community-driven event, where experimentation and collaboration take center stage.

🎯 Why you should participate

If you've ever dreamed of creating your own interactive story, this is your moment. By participating in the Arcjam, you'll:

• Grow your technical and creative skills in interactive narrative design.
• Collaborate with writers, designers, and developers from around the world.
• Finish and publish a polished, portfolio-ready project in just 72 hours.
• Get feedback and visibility from peers, organizers, and guest judges.
• Compete for prizes and recognition, including professional coaching, free tools, and exclusive discounts.
• Connect within other passionate creative individuals across the globe!

💰 How much?

Participation in the jam is, of course, completely free! Moreover, a paid Arcweave subscription is not needed.

On the contrary, participation comes with perks:

• All those who join the jam will get a 1-month trial code for a free Arcweave Pro workspace. This is where you'll create your jam game and explore Arcweave's powerful Pro features.
• All those who submit a completed game will also receive a 50% discount on an Arcweave Pro or Team workspace. This is so you keep your creative flow and continue building your next epic project long after the jam ends!

🛠️ What you'll need

Getting started is easy. To join, you'll just need:

1. Join the IGDA Game Writing SIG community:
   Join the Discord server of the IGDA Game Writing SIG to become a community member. That's where you'll find:
   • Jam announcements
   • Jam chat channels
   • Your trial code for your free Arcweave Pro workspace (where you'll develop your jam game).
2. Your free Arcweave account: It takes less than a minute to create one.
3. An itch.io account: The jam is hosted by itch.io and you need an itch account to submit your entry.
4. Your creative team (or creative... solo self): Arcweave supports real-time collaboration, so you can co-create seamlessly with teammates anywhere in the world. But you can participate solo, too!

All games must be written in English, and all narrative and visual content must be created by the participants—no generative AI tools allowed.

🧭 Theme

When the jam kicks off, a secret theme will be announced which you'll use as inspiration for your story.

You're encouraged to integrate the jam's theme into your project as organically as possible; its creative use will be one of the factors in community voting.

🗳️ Judging, prizes & recognition

Once the jam ends, the community and a panel of celebrity guest judges will evaluate submissions based on storytelling, gameplay, theme interpretation, and innovative use of Arcweave.

The top 10 games will be shortlisted for personalized feedback from professional judges, helping you understand how your piece works as a portfolio sample for the industry.

Winners will be announced on December 8th and showcased across IGDA and Arcweave platformsgiving your work global visibility among game writing professionals.

🫂 Why this jam is important

The Game Writing SIG Arcjam isn't only about making games; it's about building community and morale in a challenging creative landscape. At a time when the industry faces uncertainty, events like this celebrate what keeps us creative: collaboration, curiosity, and the love of stories.

🚀 Join now!

To participate:

1. Head to the Game Writing SIG Arcjam page on itch.io.
2. Click "Join Jam" and follow the setup instructions.
3. Join the IGDA Game Writing SIG Discord to access your free Arcweave Pro workspace and connect with other jammers.
4. Start brainstorming ideas and get ready to create something amazing!

The Game Writing SIG Arcjam is a celebration of interactive storytelling and the community that keeps it alive. So grab your keyboard, team up with fellow creatives, and tell a story that means something to you.

Let's make something unforgettable together!