May 19- 21, 2023

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Join the Jam on Itch!

Learn about our theme and mentors

Become a Jam Sponsor

Jam Partners and Sponsors:

Sponsor Climate Jam

We Believe

this generation of creators cares deeply about the environment and has the power to inspire action through games

Join Us

We’re inviting game creators from around the world to make games that explore solutions to address a rapidly changing planet. Together we can make a difference!

Join on Itch

Virgina Wright Frierson Turbine Painting

PRONGHORN IN BRYCE cANYON – VIRGINIA WRIGHT-FRIERSON

The theme of this jam is:

Wildlife Trafficking

Dive into the theme

New to building games on climate change? Check out IDGA’s Environmental Game Design Playbook!

Together we’re creating Games for Our Future

Explore this year’s theme

Combatting Wildlife Trafficking is a global effort. Through public institutions, enforcement, non-profits, education, and individual action, we can all bring an end to the illegal animal trade. Explore some global efforts below:

The many dimensions of Wildlife Trafficking
The many sub themes of this jam

Tourism and Travel

Whether you are traveling locally or traveling abroad, your tourism choices connect to wildlife conservation.

Some resources:

Association for Zoos and Aquarium Tips for Travelers
Social Media

What you click, like, and view can promote the exotic animal trade. Think for you click.

Some Resources:

Wired – exotic petstagram

NPR – The Newsest TikTok Stars are Exotic Pets…

ABC – From From tigers to chimpanzees, how cute social media videos could be driving the exotic pet trade
Consumer Choices

Your dollars make a difference. How you choose to spend you money impacts global trade and could prevent wildlife trafficking.

Some resources:

Association of Zoos and Aquariums – Tips for Consumers
Misinformation

Get the facts from trusted sources.

Grist – A multimillion disinformation campaign is trying to convince you that trophy hunting is ‘sustainable’
Climate Change Impacts and Wildlife Trafficking

Climate Jam is all about novel and new ways to engage in coversation and games around climate change. Climate and Wildlife are inextricably linked.

Learn more:

UN Publication – ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE AND CLIMATE CHANGE Joining the dots
Local Solutions

From a global to a local issue, the solution to wildlife conservation works when led by local and indigenous communities.

Forbes – Indigenous Women Leading Charge in Wildlife Conservation

Hear from the Experts

Sara Walker is the Association of Zoo and Aquarium’s Senior Advisor on Wildlife Trafficking.

Learn more and hear from Sara during the Kickoff event

Friday, May 19th 12pm PT / 3pm ET

Download some AZA resources here

Kerston Swartz is the Director of Government Affairs and Advocacy at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington. Hear from her about impacts of Wildlife Trafficking and potential audiences for your game.

Learn more and chat with Kerston on discord

Friday, May 19th 5pm-7pm PT / 8pm-10pm ET

Kerston championed the installation of an anti-Wildlife Trafficking installation at SeaTac Airport.

Explore the Display

What you need to know

Jam Essentials

Climate Jam is a virtual jam hosted on itch.io just follow the link and hit “Join Now.”

Join us on Discord!

We ask that you follow our Code of Conduct in all of your IndieCade interactions, virtual or otherwise.

Mentors

Not a climate expert? No problem! We will have some great mentors available to provide inspiration and knowledge about climate topics and game design.

Want to be a game design or climate mentor? Join here!

First-time jammer?

Never jammed before? No Problem! This is a great opportunity to make a great game in a fun community!

Check out these resources to get started!

Global Event

This jam is open to everyone world-wide! Speak another language and want to help us reach more people or translate content? Let us know.

Greenlight Jam

Join our month-long Greenlight Jam, starting June 16th, and work step-by-step towards a polished, releasable project. Includes diversifiers from jams like this one and accepts both entirely new projects and expansions of past works. Learn more and join.