Spooktober 6th Annual Visual Novel Jam (2024)

Table of Contents
Event News Thank you, Chizu!

Event News

The results are in!

CategoryNomineesWinner
Best Log LineNecromance - "A brave hero and a bound lich rescue a legendary warrior from a forgotten tomb and put the romance back in necromancy."Necromance - "A brave hero and a bound lich rescue a legendary warrior from a forgotten tomb and put the romance back in necromancy."
Nine to Five (AM) - "You know what’s worse than death? Working minimum wage."
Let's Watch Steamboat Willie - "A VN that lasts the seven minutes and forty-seven seconds it takes to watch one classic cartoon."
Underholo - "The VTuber industry is rigged. Let's win it anyway."
Best ThumbnailBathsPippa and Your Phantasmal Problem
MAMA
Late Night Surfing
Pippa and Your Phantasmal Problem
Never Play Again
Best MonsterMAMAEpimutation
Epimutation
Marchen Line
Intensive Scare Unit
Best Voice Actorcobaltkobold as The Narrator in Tell it Slantcobaltkobold as The Narrator in Tell it Slant
Ren Alberg as Cat in Zodiac Paradigm
itsnotmika as the narrator in demons of the venta quemada
Ryan X. Messcher as Jack "The Voice" Reynolds in Song for the Damned
Best CinematographyMAMAMAMA
HavE
Home Haunting
Best OSTMarchen Line,Marchen Line
Pippa and your Phantasmal Problem
Best Character DesignInfected InfestationHome Haunting
Home Haunting
Shut In Vampire
Spirit Driver
Epimutation
Not My Part
Best Interactive GUI: $100 USD

Pippa and your Phantasmal ProblemZodiac Paradigm
Tell it Slant
BABELOMANIA
Zodiac Paradigm
Best Visual Effects: $100 USD

UnderholoUnderholo
HavE
MAMA
Best BL, Sponsored by JAST USAOur Lamb Amidst Mortals
Best Light VN SubmissionAwayuki TasogarePLAY OF WIRE
My landlord is an alien
PLAY OF WIRE
Third PlaceMAMA
Second PlaceMarchen Line
First PlaceSpirit Driver

All nominees, winners, and honorable mentions!

A Song for the Damned, A Witch is Getting Married, A Zombie Head Went Missing at the Party Full of CUTE MONSTER GIRLS!?, Puppeteer's Lament, All Hallow's Eve, Awayuki Tasogare, BABELOMANIA, BAD MANORS, Beyond the Veil, CANIDAE, Casey Noir and Carved Pumpkin's Latte, Catfish In Disguise, Comme Tu Veux Demo,Corpse Flower, Death Love Repeat, Demons of the Venta Quemada, Dream of Rosy Pastries, Drown the Bride, Elfin National Park, Epimutation, GIVE EVIL A FACE, HavE, Help! I Took My Little Brother to a Halloween Party and the Popular Kids Want to Sacrifice Him to a Demon!, Home Haunting, Infected Infestation, Intensive (S)care Unit, Killer Chat!, Knock-Knock, Let's Watch Steamboat Willie!, Lydia's Labyrinth, MÃrchen Line, MAD LAB PARTY, MAMA, Memory Recoil,Mothers, My landlord is an alien, Necromance, Never Play Again, Not My Body!Not My Part, Oto-hime, Our Lamb Amidst Mortals Parasocial! Paranoia! Paradise!,Pippa and Your Phantasmal Problem, PLAY OF WIRE, Red Caps Order, Rot in Paradise, rotten angel, Sayounara, My Moon, Shut-in Vampire, Skin Deep, Spirit Driver, Still On Patrol, Sunk, Tell It Slant, The Death Night Show, The Hermetic Tower, The Stars Under Lockehurst, THE UNDERGLOW: Knowledge,Tricks, Treats and Mirrors - An EoG Side Story, Undergrowth, UnderHolo, Zodiac Paradigm

Thank you, Chizu!

Spooktober 6th Annual Visual Novel Jam (1)

Congratulations to everyone who made it!

If you've enjoyed the Spooktober VisualNovel Jam this year, consider checking out some of the ways to support the community responsible for it! The community has a Patreonand Discord subscriptions, and any donations made to the MakeVisual Novels! packs go back to the community in the form of paying for website hosting for the very helpful wiki, funding prizes for big competitions like this one, and paying speakers, educators and creatives in our community for their hard work!

Spooktober 6th Annual Visual Novel Jam (2)

Now back to our regularly scheduled jam page!

Welcome to our 6th annualSpooktober VisualNovel Jam! We are running a competition with prizes based around thebestholiday of the year!

Halloween!

Here's how it works. During the monthSeptember,participants will create submissions based around Halloween related themes. Then, through the month of October, we'll invite itch users, streamers and visual novel loversto join in tocelebrateand vote on their favorites! Prizes will be awarded to teams selected by our judge panel!

Spooktober 6th Annual Visual Novel Jam (3)

We are DevTalk! We represent a vibrant and diverse community of visual novel creative professionals and hobbyists. Our objective is to provide a safe learning space for people to develop professional skills related to visual novels, provide networking opportunities focused around actionable problem solving. Our community, between jams we host or support, ourbots, andour helpfulDiscord Server, helps over 500 visual novels get created annually, many of which are available here on on Itch.io!

The Spooktober Visual Novel Jam is our biggest event of the year, and is our only sponsor backed event.We hope that Spooktober Visual NovelJam being the competitive event that it is will encourage game developers to try their hand at visual novels using any and all of their skills, andinspire existing visual novel developers to shoot for the sky with their submissions.

Spooktober 6th Annual Visual Novel Jam (4)

In this GameJam, you are tasked for completing aspookyor Halloween themed visual novel.This could mean...

  • A Horror Genre Visual Novel
  • AVisual Novel that takes place on the holiday
  • Individualized themes related to Halloween. Examples:Monsters, Ghosts, Costumes, Candy, etc.
  • ACreepypastaversion of an existing work you created.

Offshoots, spin offs, and 'fan-disc' style submissions are allowed and encouraged! Please seethis from our community if you intend on making a spin off entry.

We will be offering awards for the following categories! Awards do not have prizes unless otherwise noted.

Submission based criteria:

  • Judge Favorite: Receive the most votes from the judges! Judge selects receive a portion of the prize pot!
  • Itch.IO Favorite:Receive the most votes from the public!
  • Best Logline: Judged to have the best log line (1-3 sentences with what your visual novel is about.)
  • Best Thumbnail: Judged to have the best thumbnail in your submission!
  • Best Monster/Costume

Creator based criteria:

  • Best Voice Actor
  • Best Cinematography
  • Best Original Music

Jam ends October 1stand judging ends October 28th!Extensions may be requested, but itdisqualifiesyour team from prizes!

Spooktober 6th Annual Visual Novel Jam (5)

Submissions must be made in their entirety between the jam's running period of September 1st and October 1st.

You are permitted to create concept art, written outlines and log lines prior to the start date. With the exception of the log line, these prior creations cannot be used as-is in your final submissions.

Tag your submissions with content warnings appropriately.

Please be mindful of commonly reported content descriptors!

The ESRB's content descriptors are a good guideline of what we want to be mindful of!

No sexually explicit content.

Our judges do not wish to review and rank sexually explicit content, and many of our participants and audience are minors in their location.

We won't complain if you change it after the jam.

No glorification, endorsement, or instruction of self-harm or suicide.

Our judges do not wish to review content where upon suicide or self-harm is promoted, glorified, or instructed. In the past, participants have submitted pranks raising alarm about their own state, and the stress associated with having to handle these situations are not something we expect our judges to need to deal with.

Text, whether in-game or in the non-executable files of the submission, containing instructions, encouragement of, or statement of intent of suicide or self-harm are similarly disqualified and reported to Itch.IO staff where applicable.

If you do not feel safe or have ideations of self-harm or suicide, please visit the find a helpline site to find a crisis helpline in your country!

Pre-existing third party resources are permitted as long as they are also available for usage/purchase by all other participants at the time the jam starts.

Jams can be tough, and it can be hard to create a complete experience on your own in such a limited time frame. We encourage utilizing pre-existing, pre-packaged assets to help supplement your development to ease the burdens of skill and time.

Note: Third party means it was not created by you, or on your behalf.

No generative AI usage in any aspect of your project.

Humans must illustrate, write, program, etc every part of your submission!

Be mindful if you are using third party assets as per the previous rule, as this extends to 3rd party assets.

Your jam submissions must be made freely available during the month of October.

In order to judge your entries, we need to be able to download them, and afford to download them. You're welcome to charge for your submissions after the judging period.

Spooktober 6th Annual Visual Novel Jam (6)

Why is this jam called Spooktober when itstarts in September?

Running our competition in September means your visual novels will be ready by October. While Halloween is only one day of the year, people will consume Halloween and horror content leading up to the holiday, after which it sharply declines.Timely releases make your visual novels more likely to be seen, and we want visual novels to be seen!

Can I update my jam submission after I submit it/after October 1st?

Yes! In fact, we encourage it!

We download ALL of the submissions at the point where the jam closes and we judge that copy of the submissions. Those copies cannot be updated, but you can update and fix your submissions for your players.

Who is eligible for prizes and awards?

In order to be eligible for prizes, you must be able to enable payment through Itch.IO and accept funds from Itch.IO. Special category winners may optionally accept prize distributions through PayPal or agreed upon distribution. Those not eligible for prizes due to pay out limitations are still eligible for awards that do not carry a prize.

In addition to the above, sponsors of the Spooktober Visual Novel Jam or those acting on their behalf are not eligible for prizes OR awards. The Spooktober Visual Novel Jam staff, judges, administrators, as well as their families, employers or those employed by, with, or under aforementioned competition officials are similarly ineligible for prizes but may still otherwise participate in the event.

Prizes and awards that would otherwise be given to an ineligible participant will be given instead to the next eligible runner up.

How is the prize money distributed amongst team members?

The Spooktober Visual Novel Jam staff do not distribute funds directly to individual team members. Prizes are distributed directly to the owner of the account that submits a prize winning entry, and the owner of that account is responsible for managing the prize distribution amongst team members.

We encourage teams to plan for success! Be sure to have an agreement amongst your team members about how prizes your team wins will be distributed.

Can I submit my (OtherGameJam)Jam submission too?

As long as it fits the above criteria and was created within the same time span as this jam, then yes!

Are you looking for judges?

Yes!Inquire on our Discord Server or at Nai@SpooktoberVNJam.com

Can we put our company/brand logo inside of our submissions?

Yes! Please do. Logos, graphical attribution (e.g, PFPs for team members, plugin/engine graphics, etc) and similar assets representing makers of the game that would ordinarily be included on a splash screen, on the title screen, or in a credits section, are fine to be included.

Can we use the Spooktober VN Jam logo in our submissions?

Yes! Actually we appreciate it if you do. Using the logo in your submission helps us quickly identify that the game was made for Spooktober VN Jam and it helps readers find your fellow jam participants through the name of the jam!

You are welcome to remix the logo to fit your game's aesthetic, keeping the same general shape and the words 'Spooktober Visual Novel Jam' in their arrangement. You may not, however, include an exclamation mark on the right end of the logo. You can find a copy of the logo at the bottom of this page!

Can I charge for my submission?

We expect that people be allowed to stream and consume the content during the month of October freely. If you'd like to add a price after October 31st, we won't object.

Who owns my game jam submission?

We claim no ownership of any jam game submitted. By submitting to the Spooktober VisualNovel Jam, you do agree to allow the hosts of Spooktober Visual Novel Jam and its sponsors to use all or part of your submissions for jam promotion and sponsorship news purposes. (It's usually just a screen shot or short video clip)

Where can I ask for feedback on x, y, z?

If you have any concerns about your jam submission, whether it be a rule based on or you'd just like some feedback on improving it before submitting, check out our Discord server.

Will judging scores be public after judging?

The community votes are publicly visible on Itch.IO.

The Judge rankings that are publicly visible are only the three main prize winning submissions and the special category winners and nominees. A combined list of short listed and honorable mentions will be added to this page in addition to that for all submissions that make it to final judgement or are of special interest to one or more of the judges.

Do all judges read all entries?

Short answer: No. All of the judges do not read all of the entries. At least two judges will evaluate each submission.

For the first pass of judgement, two judges are assigned to each submission to determine whether or not it is likely a submission will be able to compete in the top 10 entries for the competition. Those that are confirmed as potential contenders for ranking are added to the 'Short List.'

Entries that make it past the first pass of judgement are then read by all of the judges, and then ranked accordingly.

Do the judges write reviews of our submissions?

Yes and no.

Judges are permitted to write reviews if the team lead of the project specifically asks for a written review from the judges. This does not mean a request will be fulfilled, as the judges can elect not to give feedback.

What can we do to improve our odds of making the short list?
  • Test your game before submitting! Most entries that do not make it into the short list crash, have typos or other visual bugs that could have been avoided.
  • Show your Spooktober pride! Include the Spooktober Visual Novel Jam 2024 logo as a splash screen if you can. It helps the judges know that the submission was specifically made for the jam and not a random submission.
  • Winners credit their help! Credit your team members on your submission page. If you are the only member, credit yourself as a sole developer.
  • Be mindful of your loudness! Consider having someone master your audio prior to submission. Especially your on-launch sounds and title music!
  • Be mindful of standard features! Save/Load functionality, skip previously read and automatic progressing of text are usually a good idea to include and come pre-built into many visual novel engines and tool kits!
What can we do to improve our odds of winning?
  • Pay attention to the year's special categories. Every year we emphasize certain key aspects of visual novels that we want to celebrate, emphasize, or encourage. Many top ranking submissions are also category winners, nominees, or runner ups.
  • Make complete, self-contained experiences. The best of all submissions can be consumed and adored in their entirety, even if they're small.
  • Work on your opening segments, log line, and other promo material. While the judges do not score these, first impressions are extremely important, and no one, not even the judges, are immune to a good pitch and eye-catching visuals.
  • Join the Discord and get advice for your specific scenario. Getting advice in DevTalk won't convince the judges to give your project better scores, but DevTalk is home to many, many skilled writers, programmers, artists, composers, voice actors, many of which have been successful in their visual novel careers.

Spooktober 6th Annual Visual Novel Jam (7)

Spooktober 6th Annual Visual Novel Jam (8)

We'd like to thank all of our sponsors for making this year possible! Without their help, we couldn't keep Spooktober VN Jam the competitive event that it is!

Since 1996 JASTUSAhas been publishing Japanese video games and visual novels and had joined our sponsors again this year!They'll be judging their own special category, Best Boys Love submission!

Light.VN is a new sponsor to the competition this year. Light.VN is a visual novel engine originating in Japan that's made its way over into the English speaking word. You can get their visual novel engine right here on itch.io!

Light.VN is a recently translated visual novel engine from Japan and they've come to the Spooktober Visual Novel Jam to support creators world wide! We're greatly impressed with its simple scripting and ability to support many of the advanced features our community has been asking for.As a thanks to their efforts, we'll also be offering a $250 prize from the community for the best Light.VN submission this year!

You can check out the engine here on itch.io

We're also joined this year by

Our sponsors typically run various specials around the time of the competition that you can take advantage of, so be sure to check out their sites for more information.

Specifically for Vograce, you can use coupon codeSpooktoberVNJ-8for a flat 8 dollars off of your purchase from their store. Vograce is a trusted supplier of character themed merch that our community uses, and we're happy to be able to offer this promotion as part of our competition!If you get merch made of your submissions, be sure to share pictures!

Our sponsorship drive for 2024 is officially closed! If you're interested in reaching out to us for 2025 or future years, please e-mail us at Nai@SpooktoberVNJam.com

Spooktober 6th Annual Visual Novel Jam (9)

Grand Prizes, awarded to submissions as judged by our judging panel.

  • First Place: $1800 USD
  • Second Place: $1080 USD
  • Third Place: $720 USD

Special categories, awarded to the individual team member responsible.

  • Best Voice Actor: $100 USD
  • Best Cinematography: $100 USD
  • Best Soundtrack: $100 USD

And thanks to supporters like YOU, we're able to afford 3 more special categories this year!

  • Best Visual Effects: $100 USD
  • Best Interactive GUI: $100 USD
  • Best Character Design: $100 USD

Sponsor Categories, awarded to the submitter of the selected submissions.

  • Best Light.VN Submission: $250 USD.
  • Best Boys Love (BL) Submission: $100 JASTUSA Credits, as judged by our guest judge from visual novel publisher JASTUSA!

This year, we will be joined by Chizu Koyote-chan in celebrating in October! You can catch her streams covering YOUR submissions every Friday in October, and she will be co-hosting our awards show at the end of October!

Spooktober 6th Annual Visual Novel Jam (10)

Spooktober 6th Annual Visual Novel Jam (11)

Spooktober 6th Annual Visual Novel Jam (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Jamar Nader

Last Updated:

Views: 6040

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (55 voted)

Reviews: 94% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Jamar Nader

Birthday: 1995-02-28

Address: Apt. 536 6162 Reichel Greens, Port Zackaryside, CT 22682-9804

Phone: +9958384818317

Job: IT Representative

Hobby: Scrapbooking, Hiking, Hunting, Kite flying, Blacksmithing, Video gaming, Foraging

Introduction: My name is Jamar Nader, I am a fine, shiny, colorful, bright, nice, perfect, curious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.