HTML5 and JavaScript Game Development Competition in just 13 kB

What is js13kGames?

Js13kGames is a JavaScript coding competition for HTML5 game developers. The fun part of the compo is the file size limit set to 13 kilobytes. The main theme for 2012 is number 13, though it's not mandatory. Competition started at 13:00 CEST, 13th August 2012
and ended at 13:00 CEST, 13th September 2012.

The competition is organized by Andrzej Mazur from Enclave Games. See the Rules section for detailed info about the official rules of the competition.

Good luck to you all and have fun!

Winners

At Sea

8th place At Sea by Scott Heckel

Hum

9th place Hum by Nandastone

Blobrising

Facebook Special Blobrising by Blob Team - 76 likes

PocketRocket

Google+ Special PocketRocket by Z.Szalay & P.Schmíz - 57 1+'s

Judges

Prizes

onGameStart tickets

onGameStart tickets for half the price

Every game dev can get onGameStart conference tickets for 50% less when using 'js13kgames' promo code. Get them while they last!

Bocoup training

Bocoup training

One ticket for any of the Open Web technology trainings led by Bocoup experts.

Foundation HTML5 Canvas

2 × Foundation HTML5 Canvas for Games and Entertainment

Three books by Rob Hawkes published by Apress.

The Node Firm training

Node.js training

One ticket to The Node Firm public node.js training of your choice.

Nodejitsu account

1 × Nodejitsu Regular account for 6 months

Host your application at Nodejitsu for free while you bootstrap your project.

Blossom.io

1 × Blossom.io organization account for 6 months

One license for Blossom.io, lean product management tool.

WebStorm

3 × JetBrains WebStorm JavaScript IDE

Three licenses for WebStorm, one of the best JavaScript IDEs by JetBrains.

Kendo UI Complete

3 × Kendo UI Complete

Three licenses for Kendo UI Complete, with 1 year of upgrades and commercial support.

Pusher

3 × Pusher plans

Three different Pusher plans: 6 months Startup for 1st place, 6 months Bootstrap for 2nd and 3 months Bootstrap for 3rd.

Construct 2

3 × Construct 2 HTML5 Game Engine

Three Personal Edition licenses for the Construct 2 game engine by Scirra.

HTML5 Games Most Wanted

3 × HTML5 Games Most Wanted: Build the Best HTML5 Games

Three books published by Apress.

Introducing HTML5 Game Development

5 × Introducing HTML5 Game Development: Developing Games with Impact

Five books by Jesse Freeman.

MarketJS

Advertisement on MarketJS

One month advertising of the winner's game on the MarketJS website.

Clay.io

Advertisement on Clay.io

One month advertising of the winner's game on the Clay.io website.

Cloud9 IDE

5 × Cloud9 IDE premium subscriptions

Five different Cloud9 subscriptions: 1 year for 1st place, 6 months for 2nd and 3rd, 3 months for 4th and 5th.

HTML5 Games

Advertisement on HTML5Games.com

Three weeks advertising of the winner's game on the HTML5Games.com website.

Places

1st place

  • Advertisement of the game on MarketJS, Clay.io and HTML5Games.com
  • Trainings: Bocoup or Node.js training (of choice)
  • Software licenses:
    • Impact game engine
    • Construct 2 game engine
    • JetBrains WebStorm JavaScript IDE
  • Books:
    • Making Isometric Social Real-Time Games with HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript
    • Foundation HTML5 Canvas for Games and Entertainment
    • HTML5 Games: Creating Fun with HTML5, CSS3 and WebGL
    • HTML5 Games Most Wanted: Build the Best HTML5 Games
    • Introducing HTML5 Game Development: Developing Games with Impact
    • Learning HTML5 Game Programming: A Hands-on Guide to Building Online Games Using Canvas, SVG, and WebGL
  • Accounts licenses:
    • Nodejitsu Regular account for 6 months
    • Blossom.io organization account for 6 months
    • Kendo UI Complete for 1 year
    • Pusher Startup plan for 6 months
    • Cloud9 IDE premium subscription for 1 year

2nd place

  • Trainings: Bocoup or Node.js training (the one left)
  • Software licenses:
    • Impact game engine
    • Construct 2 game engine
    • JetBrains WebStorm JavaScript IDE
  • Books:
    • Making Isometric Social Real-Time Games with HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript
    • Foundation HTML5 Canvas for Games and Entertainment
    • HTML5 Games: Creating Fun with HTML5, CSS3 and WebGL
    • HTML5 Games Most Wanted: Build the Best HTML5 Games
    • Introducing HTML5 Game Development: Developing Games with Impact
    • Learning HTML5 Game Programming: A Hands-on Guide to Building Online Games Using Canvas, SVG, and WebGL
  • Accounts licenses:
    • Kendo UI Complete for 1 year
    • Pusher Bootstrap plan for 6 months
    • Cloud9 IDE premium subscription for 6 months

3rd place

  • Software licenses:
    • Impact game engine
  • Books:
    • HTML5 Games: Creating Fun with HTML5, CSS3 and WebGL
    • HTML5 Games Most Wanted: Build the Best HTML5 Games
    • Introducing HTML5 Game Development: Developing Games with Impact
    • Learning HTML5 Game Programming: A Hands-on Guide to Building Online Games Using Canvas, SVG, and WebGL
  • Accounts licenses:
    • Pusher Bootstrap plan for 3 months
    • Cloud9 IDE premium subscription for 6 months

4th place

  • Books:
    • Introducing HTML5 Game Development: Developing Games with Impact
    • Learning HTML5 Game Programming: A Hands-on Guide to Building Online Games Using Canvas, SVG, and WebGL
  • Accounts licenses:
    • Cloud9 IDE premium subscription for 3 months

5th place

  • Books:
    • Introducing HTML5 Game Development: Developing Games with Impact
    • Learning HTML5 Game Programming: A Hands-on Guide to Building Online Games Using Canvas, SVG, and WebGL
  • Accounts licenses:
    • Cloud9 IDE premium subscription for 3 months

Twitter Special (for the highest number of tweets)

  • Construct 2 game engine

Facebook Special (for the highest number of likes)

  • Kendo UI Complete for 1 year

Google+ Special (for the highest number of +1's)

  • JetBrains WebStorm JavaScript IDE

Media partners


Share the love for HTML5 games with us, spread the word about the js13kGames competition! See the Contact section for more details on how to get in touch.

Rules

Package size below 13 kB

All your code and game assets should be smaller than or equal to 13 kilobytes (that's exactly 13,312 bytes, because of 13 x 1024) when zipped. Your package should contain index.html file and when unzipped should work in the browser.

Two sources - readable and compressed

The competition is focusing on the package size, but learning from others is also very important. Please provide two sources of your game - first one should be minified and zipped to fit in the 13 kB limit (sent via the form) and the second one should be in a readable form with descriptive variable names and comments (hosted on GitHub).

No external libraries or services

You can't use any libraries, images or data files hosted on server or services that provide any type of data. Your game should work offline and all the game assets should fit in the package size limit. If you manage to shrink your favorite library below 13 kilobytes including the code itself, then you can use whatever you want, just remember about the 13 kB limit.

Main theme - number 13

The main theme of the competition is the number 13, but it's not mandatory, so your game could be about anything you want and will still have the chance to win.

Use Prefix-Free... for free

A little something to all of you who would code your game for one browser only (to save on the size), which is bad. You can include Prefix-Free in your game and it won't be counted in the file size limit.

Deadline - 13th September 2012

The competition starts at 13:00 CEST, 13th August 2012 and ends at 13:00 CEST, 13th September 2012. No submissions will be accepted after the end of the competition.

Licensing

You have to have the rights for every asset used in your game. Remember that the submitted games will be published and made available for everybody to see.

New content only

Do not submit any old games or demos - you have a whole month to work on something new and fresh, this should be more than enough.

Errors and browser support

Your game must work in at least one browser. The more supported browsers, the better - you can get more points for that. There should be no errors - you can lose some points if your game is showing any errors in the console. If we cannot play your game, it won't be accepted. You'll get extra points if your game supports any mobile devices.

Teams

It doesn't matter if you're working alone or with your friends, just remember that the number of prizes is fixed, so you'll have to share your trophies with your teammates.

Sending submissions

Use this form to submit your game. Please remember that you have to provide two sources (see the Rule #2 for details) - a link to a public repository on Github and a zipped package. If you have a Node.js game you can deploy it on Nodejitsu - read the walkthrough in this blog post.

Accepting submissions

Submissions will be checked manually and published after positive verification. This may take up to a couple of days, so be patient if your game is not yet online. I claim the right to reject any submission without giving a reason, although I hope I don't have to. I also have the right to update the rules of the competition at any time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why exactly 13 kB?
Well... why not? :)
What's in it for you? Are you getting paid or sponsored?
Nope, it's just my own idea and it's made for pure fun.
What does the "zipped" term exactly mean?
Sent package should be zipped with your usual system archiver, the only allowed extension is .zip. Let's keep it simple - it's a competition for coders and this should be your main focus, the code itself. Thanks to the zipped archive you will easily send your game and we will easily check the file size.
Can I use Node.js?
Yes, as long as your code size is lower than or equal to the 13 kB limit. No libraries like Socket.io or Express are allowed though.
Can I use Flash?
No, you can code your game using only the open web technologies like JavaScript, HTML and CSS.
Can I use CoffeeScript?
Yes, you can use it, but you can't submit it. Only pure JavaScript code will be accepted, so remember to have your compiled code within the 13 kB limit.
Can I use compression through the self-extracting PNGs?
No, this technique is strictly prohibited. Only pure JavaScript minifying is allowed.
More questions?
Send them in, check out the Contact section or visit #bbg channel on Freenode IRC.

Contact

If You have any questions or propositions please feel free to contact us via e-mail: contact at js13kgames dot com. The other options include visiting our profiles on Twitter or Facebook and sending us the private message.