Resource Pack
Everything you need to start your quest. Free tools, assets, and tutorials to help you build something awesome.
Game Engines
Choose your weapon. All of these are free and beginner-friendly.
Beginner Friendly
Ren'Py
Perfect for story-driven games. Write your narrative, add images, and you're done. Great for first-timers.
Twine
Create interactive fiction with zero coding. Just write your story and connect the branches.
Bitsy
Make small, charming games in a simple tile-based editor. Perfect for atmospheric experiences.
GDevelop
Visual game builder with drag-and-drop events. Great for platformers and action games without coding.
Intermediate
Godot
Open source, lightweight, and powerful. Great documentation, active community. Our top pick for 2D games.
GameMaker
Industry-proven for 2D games. Free tier available. Made Undertale, Hyper Light Drifter, and more.
LÖVE
Lightweight framework for 2D games in Lua. Simple, fast, and great for retro-style games.
Advanced
Starter Templates
Hit the ground running. Fork these templates to skip the boring setup.
Godot Game Template
Full-featured Godot 4 template with scene management, save system, settings, and more. MIT licensed.
Phaser 3 TypeScript
Modern Phaser 3 setup with TypeScript, Webpack, and hot reloading. Ready for web deployment.
Procedural Gen Demos
Godot procedural generation examples. Dungeons, mazes, terrain. Great starting points for roguelikes.
Twine Monorepo
Organized Twine project structure with custom macros and styling. Perfect for narrative games.
Programming Frameworks
For coders who prefer writing code over visual editors. Libraries and frameworks for various languages.
Cross-Platform
MonoGame
Open source C# framework. Spiritual successor to XNA. Made Celeste, Stardew Valley, and more.
libGDX
Cross-platform Java game framework. Deploy to desktop, Android, iOS, and web from one codebase.
raylib
Simple and easy-to-use library for game programming. Great for learning. Bindings for 50+ languages.
Rust
Web & Scripting
Phaser
Fast 2D HTML5 game framework. Huge community, tons of examples. Perfect for web games.
Pygame
Classic Python game library. Easy to learn, great for prototypes. Huge learning community.
Kaboom.js
Fun and fast JavaScript game library. Simple API, great docs. Perfect for quick prototypes.
Art & Graphics
Free assets and tools for creating visuals.
Free Assets
Pixabay
Millions of free images, illustrations, and vectors. No attribution required.
OpenGameArt
Sprites, tilesets, and art specifically made for games. Various licenses, check each asset.
Kenney Assets
High-quality game assets, all public domain. Sprites, 3D models, UI elements, and more.
itch.io Assets
Huge collection of free game assets from indie creators. Sprites, music, sound effects.
Creation Tools
Piskel
Free online pixel art editor with animation support. Perfect for retro-style sprites.
Aseprite
Industry-standard pixel art tool. Paid, but worth it. Or compile from source for free.
Krita
Professional-grade digital painting. Free and open source. Great for concept art and illustrations.
Blender
Full 3D creation suite. Modeling, animation, rendering. Free and incredibly powerful.
Audio & Music
Sounds to bring your game to life.
Free Audio
Freesound
Massive library of sound effects. Various licenses, most are free to use with attribution.
Incompetech
Kevin MacLeod's royalty-free music. Tons of genres. Attribution required but free.
ZapSplat
Free sound effects and music. Great quality, easy to search and download.
Creation Tools
jsfxr
Generate 8-bit style sound effects instantly. Perfect for retro games. Click and tweak.
BeepBox
Create chiptune music in your browser. Easy to learn, surprisingly powerful.
LMMS
Free digital audio workstation. Full music production capabilities, cross-platform.
Audacity
Edit and process audio files. Record voiceovers, trim sounds, add effects. Essential tool.
Catholic Resources
Inspiration and assets for faith-filled games.
Wikimedia Catholic Art
Thousands of religious paintings, icons, and artwork. Most are public domain.
Sistine Chapel VR
Virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel. Great reference for religious art and architecture.
Gregorian Chant
Resources for Gregorian chant. Perfect for atmospheric, sacred game soundtracks.
Catholic Encyclopedia
Research saints, theology, and Church history for authentic storytelling.
Saints & Stories
Catholic Games Gallery
Existing Catholic games for inspiration. See how others have integrated faith into gameplay.
The You Testament
Open-world game set in biblical times. Follow or change the story of Jesus through your choices.
Guardians: Legend of the Rose
Catholic fantasy RPG with turn-based combat. Rich narrative exploring virtues and spiritual warfare.
Pentiment
Obsidian's narrative mystery set in 16th century Bavaria. Deep exploration of medieval Catholic life.
itch.io Catholic Games
Browse indie Catholic games on itch.io. Many are jam entries—great for seeing what's possible in a week.
AI & Vibe Coding
AI tools to accelerate your game jam. Code faster, generate assets, and prototype rapidly.
Licensing note: AI-generated images are generally not copyrightable and already public domain. Release them under CC0 for consistency. Check each tool's terms of service for any usage restrictions.
AI Coding Assistants
These tools understand your code and help you build faster. "Vibe coding" means describing what you want in natural language and letting AI help implement it.
Claude Code
Anthropic's AI coding agent. Runs in your terminal, understands your entire codebase, and can make multi-file changes. Excellent for game development.
GitHub Copilot
AI pair programmer that integrates with VS Code, JetBrains, and more. Great autocomplete and chat features. Free for students.
Cursor
VS Code fork with AI deeply integrated. Cmd+K to edit code, chat understands your project. Popular for rapid prototyping.
Windsurf
AI-powered IDE by Codeium with generous free tier. Cascade feature handles multi-file tasks. Good Cursor alternative.
AI Art Generation
Generate sprites, textures, and concept art. Always verify licensing terms allow MIT-compatible commercial use.
Recraft
Generate vector illustrations, icons, and pixel art. Style control lets you match your game's aesthetic. Commercial use allowed.
PixelLab
AI-powered pixel art generation. Create characters with multiple directions and animations. Perfect for retro-style games.
Midjourney
Industry-leading image generation. Great for concept art and reference images. Check license terms for game assets.
Remove.bg
AI-powered background removal. Essential for turning AI-generated images into usable game sprites.
AI Audio
Generate music and sound effects. Check each tool's terms for commercial/MIT compatibility.
Suno
AI music generation from text prompts. Create original soundtracks in any style. Pro plan grants commercial rights.
Udio
Another excellent AI music generator. Great for chiptune, orchestral, and ambient tracks.
ElevenLabs
AI voice generation and text-to-speech. Perfect for NPC dialogue and narration. Check commercial terms.
Stable Audio
Generate sound effects and ambient audio. From Stability AI. Good for game audio prototyping.
Pro Tips for AI Game Dev
Use AI to generate base assets quickly, then polish in traditional tools for consistency.
Generate placeholder art and music to test gameplay. Replace with final assets later if needed.
Document the prompts you used so others can reproduce or iterate on your AI-generated assets.
Screenshot or save the terms of service that grant you MIT-compatible rights to AI outputs.
Workflow Tools
Tools to publish, collaborate, and ship your game.
Publishing & Deployment
Get your game in front of players. These platforms make distribution easy.
itch.io
The premier platform for indie games. Easy uploads, web builds, and pay-what-you-want. This is where you'll submit your jam entry.
GitHub Pages
Free hosting for web games. Push to GitHub, it deploys automatically. Great for HTML5/JavaScript games.
Netlify
Drag-and-drop deployment for web games. Generous free tier with instant deploys.
Newgrounds
Classic indie game platform with active community. Great for Flash-style web games.
Collaboration
Working with a team? These tools help coordinate your jam.
Discord
Voice chat, screen sharing, and text channels. Create a private server for your team. Join ours for jam support!
GitHub
Essential for team projects. Track changes, resolve conflicts, and never lose work. Free for public repos.
Trello
Visual task boards. Track what needs doing, what's in progress, and what's done. Great for jam scope management.
Figma
Collaborative design tool. Mockup UI, create sprites, plan layouts. Free tier is generous.
Level Up Your Skills
Tutorials and guides to help you learn.
Brackeys
Excellent Unity tutorials. Clear explanations, great projects. Start here for Unity.
GDQuest
High-quality Godot tutorials. From beginner to advanced. Free and paid courses.
Game Designing
Articles on game design principles, career advice, and industry insights.
Game Jam Tips
Essential tips for game jam success. Scope management, time planning, and finishing games.
Pro Tips for the Jam
Your first game jam isn't about making a masterpiece—it's about finishing something. A tiny complete game beats an ambitious incomplete one.
A jam isn't the time to learn a new engine from scratch. Stick with tools you're comfortable with.
Have something you can play within the first few hours. Then iterate and polish from there.
Seriously. A tired brain makes bad games and worse decisions. Take breaks, stay healthy.
Finish an hour before the deadline. Something always goes wrong at the last minute. Always.
Accessibility Resources
Make your game playable by everyone. Good design is inclusive design.
Game Accessibility Guidelines
Comprehensive checklist of accessibility features. Sorted by effort level—start with the basics.
Accessible Games Database
Reviews of games by accessibility features. Good research for what works and what doesn't.
Color Blindness Simulator
Test your game's colors for color blindness. Upload screenshots to see what 8% of players see.
Contrast Checker
Check if your text is readable. Paste your colors to ensure sufficient contrast.
Game Ideas
Stuck for inspiration? Here are some free ideas organized by genre. Take one, remix it, or let it spark something completely new!
Platformer
Stations of the Cross
Guide Jesus through 14 levels, each representing a Station. Collect graces, avoid temptations, and carry the cross through increasingly difficult terrain.
Angel Wings
Play as a guardian angel helping a child navigate a dangerous world. You can't touch the child directly—only influence the environment to keep them safe.
Pilgrim's Progress
A pilgrimage platformer where you travel to holy sites. Each location grants new abilities based on the saint associated with it.
Puzzle
Liturgical Colors
A color-matching puzzle where you arrange liturgical seasons correctly. Green for Ordinary Time, purple for Advent/Lent, white for solemnities...
Rosary Riddles
Each mystery unlocks a puzzle. Solve them in order while meditating on the events. Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, Glorious.
Monastery Builder
Tetris-style placement of monastery rooms. Balance prayer spaces, work areas, and community rooms according to the Rule of St. Benedict.
RPG / Adventure
Saints & Sinners
An RPG where your "class" is based on a saint's charism. Franciscan = nature magic, Dominican = wisdom/truth powers, Jesuit = adaptability skills.
The Last Exorcist
A supernatural mystery RPG. Investigate demonic activity, gather evidence, build your case, and perform the ritual. Prayer and discernment over combat.
Desert Fathers
Survive in the Egyptian desert as an early Christian hermit. Manage resources, resist temptations, and grow in holiness. Roguelike elements.
Visual Novel / Story
Confessional
Play as a priest hearing confessions. Each penitent has a story. Give counsel, assign penance, and watch how your words affect their lives.
Convent Drama
A slice-of-life visual novel about nuns. Navigate community life, personal struggles, and the call to holiness. Cozy but deep.
The Convert
Follow someone's journey into the Church. Answer their questions, introduce them to the faith, and accompany them through RCIA.
Simulation / Management
Parish Simulator
Manage a parish. Schedule Masses, organize ministries, balance the budget, and keep the flock happy. Random events keep you on your toes.
Scriptorium
Run a medieval monastery scriptorium. Assign monks to copy manuscripts, manage supplies, and preserve knowledge through the Dark Ages.
Catholic School Tycoon
Build and manage a Catholic school. Hire teachers, design curriculum, and form students in faith and academics.
Action / Arcade
Spiritual Warfare
A shoot-em-up where you're an angel battling demons. Weapons are virtues (Faith Shield, Hope Arrows, Charity Beam). Boss fights against deadly sins.
Eucharistic Miracle
Defend the Blessed Sacrament from desecration. Tower defense with saints as your units, each with unique holy powers.
Martyr's Run
Endless runner as an early Christian escaping persecution. Collect ichthys symbols, avoid Roman soldiers, find safe houses.
Educational / Trivia
Catechism Quest
A trivia game that teaches the faith. Answer questions from the Catechism to progress. Great for confirmation prep or RCIA.
Saint Match
Memory matching game with saints and their attributes. Match St. Peter with keys, St. Lawrence with a gridiron, etc.
Mass Explained
Interactive walkthrough of the Mass. Click on each part to learn its meaning, history, and scriptural basis.
Cozy / Casual
Garden of the Soul
A peaceful gardening game where each plant represents a virtue. Tend your garden as a form of prayer and reflection.
Icon Painter
Learn to paint Byzantine icons step by step. Relaxing art game with educational content about iconography traditions.
Breviary Buddy
A gentle reminder app gamified. Complete the Liturgy of the Hours, earn streaks, unlock prayers and devotions.
Remember: These are just starting points! The best games come from your own passion and creativity. What aspect of the faith moves you? Start there.
Ready to Begin?
Pick your tools, gather your party, and prepare for the quest.
Register for the Jam ▶