js13kGames (also referenced as JS13K) is a

game jam A game jam is an event where participants try to make a video game from scratch. Depending on the format, participants might work independently, or in teams. The event duration usually ranges from 24 to 72 hours. Participants are generally program ...

competition, focused on creating

browser games A browser game or a "flash game" is a video game that is played via the internet using a web browser. They are mostly free-to-play and can be single-player or multiplayer. Some browser games are also available as mobile apps, PC games, or on co ...

that are no larger than 13

kilobytes The kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. The International System of Units (SI) defines the prefix '' kilo'' as 1000 (103); per this definition, one kilobyte is 1000 bytes.International Standard IEC 80000-13 Quantit ...

when compressed using

ZIP Zip, Zips or ZIP may refer to: Common uses * ZIP Code, USPS postal code * Zipper or zip, clothing fastener Science and technology Computing * ZIP (file format), a compressed archive file format ** zip, a command-line program from Info-ZIP * Zi ...

. Participants are not permitted to use external services or libraries, and all assets must also fit within the size limit. Games are programmed in

JavaScript JavaScript (), often abbreviated as JS, is a programming language that is one of the core technologies of the World Wide Web, alongside HTML and CSS. As of 2022, 98% of Website, websites use JavaScript on the Client (computing), client side ...

and

HTML5 HTML5 is a markup language used for structuring and presenting content on the World Wide Web. It is the fifth and final major HTML version that is a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommendation. The current specification is known as the HT ...

. The competition has a different theme each year and participants have the freedom to interpret it however they like. Winners receive prizes consisting of money, digital rewards, T-shirts, and promotional items.

History

JS13K was founded in 2012 and is run by Andrzej Mazur. It is held from 13 August to 13 September annually. Since 2017 there are categories that allow for certain

frameworks A framework is a generic term commonly referring to an essential supporting structure which other things are built on top of. Framework may refer to: Computing * Application framework, used to implement the structure of an application for an op ...

to not count towards the size limit. JS13k introduced a web monetization category in 2019 in partnership with Coil, which continued through 2020 funded partially by Grant for the Web. Several well known game designers have participated in JS13K including Markus "Notch" Persson (creator of ''

Minecraft ''Minecraft'' is a sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios. The game was created by Markus "Notch" Persson in the Java programming language. Following several early private testing versions, it was first made public in May 2009 before bein ...

'') and Ricardo "Mrdoob" Cabello (creator of

Three.js Three.js is a cross-browser JavaScript library and application programming interface (API) used to create and display animated 3D computer graphics in a web browser using WebGL. The source code is hosted in a repository on GitHub. Overview T ...

). Some games created for the competition have later been released commercially on

Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporizat ...

including 2016 winner ''Evil Glitch''. Others have been mentioned across the internet in various articles around the event itself. In 2015, JS13K started to expand, including a panel of judges for each of their events. There are a few judges that have been featured in every single event, including Dann Sullivan of Pocket Gamer, Game Developerbr>Christer Kaitilla
and Games Journalistbr>Jupiter Hadley

Results

References

External links

* {{official, https://js13kgames.com Game jams Programming contests Video game development competitions Recurring events established in 2012