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// Judges
Contact to join
the panel →
Summer Beta mascot
Presented by the Blue Moon Theatre
Organized by Benjamin Weidner: Inaugural Event 2026

SUMMER BETA

A summer-long game development competition.
Build a team. Build a game. Compete for a cash prize.

Jam opens in
--Days
--Hours
--Minutes
--Seconds
Join the Jam → Support the Jam
☕ Recent supporters
Total raised: $0.00
// what is this?

Jam All Summer Long.

A game jam is a competition where participants build a playable game from scratch within a set time limit around a surprise theme. Most jams run for 48–72 hours, or even up to a month. Summer Beta runs all summer.

That extra time is intentional. We want you to build something you’re proud of, something that could become a real project, a real team, a real studio. The competition ends with a live in-person presentation event where a randomly selected audience member plays your game in front of the judges. See the Venue section for location details.

Summer Beta runs independently of any university. There are no prerequisites, no enrollment requirements, and no gatekeeping. If you want to make games, you belong here.

Not planning to be a game developer? That’s completely fine, and still a great reason to participate. As a computer science student, building a game is one of the most complete programming exercises you can put on a resume. Game engines translate directly to simulation work, interactive media, and real-time systems. The skills you build here branch into more directions than you might expect. Whatever you end up doing with your career, a shipped project is a shipped project.

About the organizer: Summer Beta is organized by Benjamin Weidner, Assistant Teaching Professor and Rowan University alumnus. At Rowan, Ben teaches game development and uses its principles in the other courses he teaches to help educate computer science students. This event grew out of a simple observation: students want to make games, and most schools aren’t giving them the space to do it.
THEME

The theme is…

Like Butter
The theme for Summer Beta 2026 is Like Butter. Build a game inspired by whatever “Like Butter” means to you.
// who can participate?

Open to three groups.

Summer Beta is open to students, alumni, and aspiring developers from the local area. Teams may mix groups. One important note: each team must include at minimum one student, and may include at most one Rowan alumnus.

Local High Schoolers
Local high school students and those planning to visit or attend Rowan University.
Rowan Students
Any currently enrolled student at Rowan University.
Rowan Alumni
Rowan graduates, max one per team. Must be part of a team with at least one active student.
// where

Venue & hosting.

The in-person judging event will be held on Sunday, October 4th, 2026 at 2:00 PM at the Blue Moon Theatre in Woodstown, New Jersey.

Blue Moon Theatre
13 West Avenue, Woodstown, NJ
Visit them on Facebook →

We are very thankful to the Blue Moon Theatre for providing the space for this event. The in-person judging event would not be possible without them. While we encourage those interested to donate to the prize fund, there will also be water and snacks sold by the theatre. Please, support the Blue Moon Theatre as well by enjoying a treat while you watch (or possibly play) student-made video games!

Check-in details will be announced here and via the jam’s communication channels closer to the event.

The final presentation event requires in-person attendance. Teams that cannot attend in person will not be eligible for prizes, as the live playtest by a random audience member is a required part of the judging process.

// schedule

How the summer unfolds.

📣
May 9th, 2026
Kickoff & Theme Reveal
The jam officially opens and the theme is announced online. Teams finalize their rosters and begin building.
🎮
All Summer 2026
Jam in Session
Teams work asynchronously or in-person at their own pace. Use your engine of choice. Collaborate remotely or locally. Build something real.
🏆
August 31st, 2026
Submissions Close
All entries must be submitted to itch.io as a web-playable build before the deadline. Web-only submissions are required; this ensures every game can be played directly in the browser during judging without downloads. Late submissions will not be accepted.
🎉
Winner Announcement / TBD
Presentation Event & Winners
Each team presents their game live at the event venue (see Venue). A random audience member is chosen to play each submission. Judges deliberate and winners are announced. Prize funding is awarded to support winners’ continued game development: education, tools, or taking the first steps toward a studio.
// rules

Keep it clean.

Teams
1–6 members per team
Solo entries welcome. Maximum one Rowan alumnus per team. Alumni must partner with at least one active high school or college student. An alumnus may not submit alone or form a team exclusively with other alumni.
Original Work
Built during the jam window
Prior projects are not eligible. Start fresh.
Playability
Your game must run
If it doesn’t run, it can’t be judged. Prioritize playability over polish.
Submission
Web builds only (HTML5/WebGL)
Must run in the browser via itch.io. No downloads. Export as HTML5 or WebGL.
Assets
Use what you have the rights to
Free and commercially licensed assets are fine. Know your licensing limits.
AI Content
No AI-generated art or music
Submitted as your own creative work.
Content
Keep it appropriate
This event includes high school students. Considering what content belongs in your game is an important creative discussion. A good rule of thumb, especially in a classroom setting: don’t traumatize your classmates. 😊
Community
Be excellent to each other
This is a community event. Treat everyone with respect.
Presentation
20 min presentation + 5 min Q&A
A random audience member (not a team member or competitor) will be selected to play your game live.
Attendance
In-person required for prizes
Teams must attend the presentation event in person to be eligible for prize funding. All members must bring a valid student ID (high school or college) to confirm eligibility at the door. Rowan alumni should be prepared to verify their graduation year and degree.
Why a random audience member? We want to see how your game communicates itself to a brand new player. Great games teach themselves. This is your chance to prove it.
// meet the panel

The Judges.

Judged by experts in their field
Meet all Judges →
Interested in joining the panel? Get in touch →
// prize donors

Local Supporters.

Local businesses across South Jersey have backed Summer Beta with gift cards and in-kind goods. Some go into the live drawing at the presentation event, and the rest are awarded directly to the winning teams alongside the cash prize fund. Our three largest supporters are below — see the full breakdown for who gave what, and which pool it lands in.

$0
In donated goods
See all Supporters →
Want to donate a prize? Get in touch →
// how winners are chosen

Judging criteria.

Judges include faculty, sponsor representatives, notable students, and guest judges. Games are evaluated across six categories. Judges have creative discretion.

Theme
How well does your game interpret and execute the announced theme? Clever implementations beat literal ones.
Gameplay
Is the game fun? Are the systems coherent and satisfying? Does playing it feel good?
Audio
Sound effects, music, ambiance: does the audio serve and elevate the experience?
Visual
Artistic direction and visual cohesion. Style over polish. A consistent hand-drawn game beats an inconsistent AAA attempt.
Locomotion
Does the game naturally teach the player how to play and progress? Good games guide without hand-holding.
Innovation
Did you introduce a mechanic, story device, or idea that feels genuinely new? Surprise us.
// prizes

Win the money. Build what’s next.

The prize pool is funded entirely by sponsors and open donations. 100% of donated funds go directly to winners. The full prize amount will be announced as sponsors are confirmed.

3rd Place
🥉 5%
of the prize pool
3
1st Place
🥇 75%
of the prize pool
1
2nd Place
🥈 20%
of the prize pool
2
Prize funding is intended to support winners’ game development journey: education, tools, software licenses, or the first steps toward building a studio. Every dollar donated goes directly toward that goal.

Donations stay open until judging is tallied. You can contribute right up until winners are announced; every dollar added before that moment goes into the prize pool.

Full transparency: A public record of all donations received will be made available so contributors can verify that the total amount distributed to winners matches what was collected. Your money will not be mishandled.
// support the mission

Support Summer Beta.

We welcome donations of any amount; every dollar goes directly to the student prize pool and keeps this event free and independent.

Any donation of $50 or more earns you the right to submit one theme suggestion for consideration. Final theme selection remains at the organizer’s discretion.

For sponsorship inquiries, whether you’re a business, studio, or organization interested in supporting Summer Beta, reach out directly at [email].

Local businesses can amplify the prize pool by donating gift cards or in-kind goods — added directly to the prize experience at the live event. Meanwhile, every $3 donated earns participants one entry into a separate drawing for those donated goods. The more the community raises, the bigger the reward for everyone who shows up.

Summer Beta is not affiliated with or funded by any university; every dollar comes from people who believe this should exist.

// Participation & Consent

Open to all.

🎮

You do not have to have made a game, know someone participating, or even know what a game jam is. All are welcome to attend the judging event. Play-testers will be picked from the audience at random to play the student games. Come have a good time and watch some locally developed games!

Participation in Summer Beta is open to all eligible students and alumni. For the in-person presentation event, participants under 18 must have a parent or guardian present, with a signed consent form. Please reach out to [email protected] if you wish to submit the parental consent form early.

Participants under the age of 18 wishing to attend the in-person event will be expected to be accompanied by a parent or guardian who can sign the parental consent form prior to entry. Winners of the competition will only be awarded the prize fund if they attend the in-person event.

Teams who do not follow the rules and requirements of the competition (as described on this website) are still able to submit games and attend the event, but may not be eligible for placement in the rankings by the judges if the team is not compliant with the rules of the event.

// questions?

Get in touch.

Sponsorship inquiries, participation questions, or anything else, reach out directly.

[email]