TOJam or Toronto Game Jam is an annual game development event held at George Brown College in Toronto, Canada each spring, usually the first weekend in May. The event is named for the common abbreviation for Toronto ("T.O."), and the term for an impromptu performance ("jam"), borrowed from jazz. The name of the event is knowingly evocative of "toe jam." The first TOJam event was held in May 2006. Among the organizers/co-founders were Emilie McGinley, Jim McGinley, Rob Segal and Nelson Yu.
Event Structure
TOJam is a live event that takes place over the course of a single weekend from Friday to Sunday, although some events have offered developers earlier access starting Thursday. The Grid - Weekend Warriors Participants are called "jammers" and come from a variety of backgrounds, including hobbyists, students, and professionals. They often participate at the event with their own equipment and supplies.Torontoist - Ankle Deep in TOJam Most attendees are adults, although some exceptions have been made for teenagers. Jammers enlist either solo or in teams. Some enlist as graphics or sound "floaters," lending their skills to a number of different teams, who sign up for their services on a waiting list. While the majority of participants attend the event in person, recent jams have accommodated virtual jammers, due to space limitations and geographical distance. Attendees are not limited to those from Toronto and have included Americans and Finnish participants.
Unlike other development events, TOJam is not a competition, but rather a period where game developers can focus their attention on a single project, with the goal of producing a finished, playable game by the end of the weekend. From the official kick-off Friday evening, jammers have 48 hours to complete their games before displaying them in an informal Sunday night showcase at the event's close.
The TOJam Arcade
A follow-up event, the TOJam Arcade, is scheduled a month or more after the main TOJam event.RGB Filter - 2010 TOJam Arcade Unlike the Sunday night showcase that is mainly intended for the jammers themselves, this event is open to the public. Scheduling allows jammers to fine-tune their games before presenting them to consumers, rather than creators, and it's usually held at a bar or pub in downtown Toronto.BlogTO - TOJam #4: Not In Your Mom's Basement (NIYMB))
At each Arcade event, attendees vote for their favorite games, which are awarded Gold, Silver, and Puce standards. These "winning" games receive priority placement on the TOJam website, even though the goal of the event is to facilitate completed games and to encourage unity across the Toronto game development community.
Required elements
Each year, TOJammers are strongly encouraged to include a number of elements into their games. These elements have included: a splash screen indicating that the game was made at TOJam a recording of the TTC subway doors closing a picture of a goat on a pole, which may be rendered in a style of the developer's choosing
History
When the Toronto Game Jam began, Toronto was not a recognized city for game development, as it was overshadowed by Vancouver and Montreal, where major studios like Electronic Arts and Ubisoft had settled. The event was first suggested by Nelson Yu, a developer-turned-writer, in the IGDA community boards as a way to get more local game development, in an attempt to retain talent. The first TOJam occurred in 2006.
Event Date Theme Attendance Playable Games TOJam #1 May 5–7, 2006 N/A 35 10 TOJam #2 May 4–6, 2007 N/A 62 26 TOJam #3 May 9–11, 2008 Cheese 125 34 TOJam #4 May 1–3, 2009 Scale 87 37 TOJam #5 April 23, 2010 Missing 196 57 TOJam Sixy Times (#6) May 13–15, 2011 What just happened? 260+ 57 TOJam: The Sevening (#7) May 11–13, 2012 The world's NOT ending 400+ Unknown TOJam: Haters Gonna Eight' (#8) May 3–5, 2013 Uncooperative 450+ Unknown Party like it's 19TOJam9 (#9) April 25–27, 2014 After YOU! 450+ 105 TOJam: Tentacular (#10) May 1–3, 2015 It's All Come to This 450+ 100 TOJam: Don't Stop Beleven (#11) May 6–8, 2016 There Will Be Consequences 450+ 89 TOJam: What Twelves Below (#12) May 5–7, 2017 Prepare for Disappointment 450+ 102 TOJam: Flirteen with Danger (#13) May 4–8, 2018 Winning is for Losers 625+139TOJam: Fourteen Favours the Bold (#14)Planned for 2019, never occurred.N/AN/AN/A TOJam: Hindsight is 2020 May 8–10, 2020 Together But Apart 470 94 TOJam 2021: Feels Like a Re-runMay 14–16, 2021Once more, With feeling!43293TOJam 2022: All Twogether NowMay 13–15, 2022That shouldn't be here29865TOJam 2023: We Lost CountMay 26–May 28, 2023You must leave it behind32162TOJam 2024: Talk About FourshadowingMay 10–May 12, 2024It's supposed to do that79TOJam 2025: We're All Gettin' Out Alive!May 9–May 11, 2025The more you have, the worse it gets98TOJam 2026: Twenty Years, One WeekendMay 8–May 10, 2026 (Upcoming)Mash-up any 2 previous themesPendingPending
Awards In the second, third, and fourth TOJam, a vote was held after the arcade section to decide the winners of the People's Choice awards. This was discontinued after the fourth TOJam. +EventPeople's Choice GoldPeople's Choice SilverPeople's Choice PuceTOJam #2XiqBenny Hinn's Bible Blast for CashQuiverTOJam #3a game about bouncingdebuggerSeas of CheeseTOJam #4Category 5Flock UCheese-ohol 2 Rosham Blaster
References
External links Official site