One of the most exciting parts of any game jam is seeing how far creativity can stretch in a short burst of focused time. While the theme is the main challenge, many jammers also look for extra ways to push themselves. That is where Diversifiers come in.

Diversifiers are optional creative challenges you can take on while making your game. They are not required, but they can guide your design, add fun constraints, and make your project stand out in surprising ways. You can use as many or as few as you like.

Gameplay & Replayability

🕹️ Cabinet Ready

Build your game for the SSU arcade cabinets with joystick and button inputs.

Eg: Games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were designed for groups crowded around a cabinet, with simple controls and big, satisfying feedback that made them perfect for public play.

🎆 Crowd Pleaser

Design big, flashy feedback that excites not just the player, but onlookers too.

Eg: Pinball tables explode with lights and sound to draw in a crowd.

🏆 High Score Hunt

Include a persistent high score or leaderboard system.

Eg: Racing games and ranked ladders thrive on competition, driving players to return and improve their standing.

Accessibility & Inclusivity

🔘 One Button Wonder

The entire game is playable with as few buttons as possible, ideally just one.

Eg: Flappy Bird keeps players hooked with a single tap mechanic that controls everything.

🎧 Audio First Design

The game is fully playable without visuals. Audio-first or audio-only design.

Eg: Killer Instinct used distinct sound design so players could follow the action without relying on visuals.

🌈 Color Me This

No critical information is conveyed by color alone.

Eg: Games like Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown include robust colorblind options and ensure enemies, objectives, or UI elements are identifiable through more than just color.

🤐 Story Without Words

Tell a narrative without any written text or spoken dialogue.

Eg: Journey communicates its story purely through visuals and music.

Systems & Tech

👓 Double Vision

The game uses two simultaneous perspectives or viewpoints.

Eg: Split Fiction uses dual viewports to challenge players to think across parallel perspectives.

🌌 Procedural Playground

Some part of the game world or gameplay is procedurally generated.

Eg: Spelunky generates new levels each time you play.

⚖️ Physics Please

Use physics as a core mechanic in gameplay.

Eg: Angry Birds builds gameplay entirely around physics rules.

🪲 Not a Bug, It's a Feature

Use a bug-like behavior as a gameplay mechanic.

Eg: In Rocket League, flip resets started as a quirk of the physics system but became a core part of competitive play.

📺 Immersive Interface

All UI type information must exist inside the game world.

Eg: In Afro Samurai, all information is shown within the scene itself, creating the feel of an anime without relying on a HUD.

🛠️ New Tools, New Rules

Build your game using a game engine you’ve never worked with before.

Eg: A Unity developer tries Godot for the first time, or an Unreal creator experiments with GameMaker.

Creative Expression

🎭 Masked Mechanics

Core rules or parts of the game are hidden at first and must be discovered by playing.

Eg: In The Unfinished Swan, the world begins as a blank white space that only becomes visible as players splatter paint to uncover it.

🖼️ Screen Saver

When idle, the game “performs” in an attract mode.

Eg: Many arcade games run animated demos to pull in players passing by. This is also great for advertising at conventions.

🐣 Developer’s Touch

Hide a signature, Easter egg, or personal mark from your team in the game.

Eg: The “Totaka’s Song” Easter egg hidden across Nintendo games is a developer’s calling card.

📦 Physical Edition

Create a real-world object that complements your game, such as a manual, prop, case, cartridge, token, or 3D print.

Eg: Retro RPGs often shipped with maps or extras that made the world feel more alive.

SSU Games Fall 2025 Game Jam
Date: October 10-12, 2025
Kick-Off: Friday, 5:00 PM, ATC 104
Showcase: Sunday, 6:00 PM, ATC 104 & 250-258
Official Jam Page: https://itch.io/jam/ssugames-fall-2025-game-jam
Join the Event Discord: gamejam.ssugames.org