Vibe Coding

Anyone with a passion for game development and AI can participate! Whether you're a student, professional, hobbyist, or just curious and motivated, the 2025 Vibe Coding Game Jam welcomes all skill levels and backgrounds from around the world to join this virtual event. Multiplayer is not mandatory.

No, participation is completely free. We believe in making game development accessible to everyone worldwide!

That's perfect! This game jam is designed to be accessible to newcomers, especially with the AI focus. We'll provide resources, starter templates, and community support to help you create your first game. The vibe is more important than technical perfection!

Teams can have 1-4 members. You can also participate as an individual, or find teammates through social media and our community forums before the event starts.

Any tools are welcome! Since this is an AI vibecoded game jam, we encourage the use of AI assistants like Claude, ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, or any other AI tools for code generation, asset creation, and game design. The final submission must be playable in a web browser without requiring any downloads.

We recommend exploring code-generating AI models like Claude, ChatGPT, or GitHub Copilot for development. For visual assets, consider tools like Midjourney, DALL-E, or Stable Diffusion. Audio generation tools like Suno, AudioCraft, or MusicLM are great for sound effects and music. The more you experiment with combining different AI tools, the more innovative your submission can be!

To link your game to the Vibeverse ecosystem, you need to implement an exit portal that connects players to other games via a redirect system provided by @levelsio.

Creating the Exit Portal:

• Functionality: Design an interactive portal in your game (e.g., a door, gateway, or area players can enter by walking, flying, or driving).
• Labeling: Optionally, label it "Vibeverse Portal" to indicate its purpose.
• Redirection: Upon interaction, redirect the player's browser to http://portal.pieter.com.
• Query Parameters: You can send GET query parameters that get forwarded:
  • username= (username/name of player)
  • color= (color of player in hex or just red/green/yellow)
  • speed= (meters per second)
  • ref= (url of which game you come from)
• Optional Additional Parameters:
  • avatar_url= (URL to player's avatar image)
  • team= (player's team name/id)
  • speed_x=, speed_y=, speed_z= (directional speed in meters per second)
  • rotation_x=, rotation_y=, rotation_z= (player's rotation)

Detecting Portal Entries:

The portal redirector will always add ?portal=true to the destination URL. You can use this to detect if a user comes from a portal and instantly put them in your game coming out of another portal without any start screens.

IMPORTANT: When receiving a user (with ?portal=true in your URL) and ?ref=, make a portal where the user spawns out of and they can return back to the previous game if they go back into that portal. When returning them make sure to send all the query parameters again too.

Example (JavaScript):

const urlParams = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
if (urlParams.get('portal') === 'true') {
  // Player came from a portal; adjust spawn point
  const refGame = urlParams.get('ref');
  if (refGame) {
    // Set up a return portal to the game they came from
  }
}

@levelsio shared a Gist with sample code for ThreeJS portals: https://gist.github.com/levelsio/ffdbfe356b421b97a31664ded4bc961d

• URL Requirement: Your game must be hosted online and accessible via a public URL. This ensures it can be reached through the Vibeverse portal system and played in web browsers.
• Compatibility: Avoid dependencies like browser plugins or local installations. Test that the game loads and runs smoothly in standard browsers (e.g., Chrome, Firefox).
• Instant Loading: IMPORTANT - Your game must load instantly without any loading screens or heavy downloads. Players should be in the game almost immediately after visiting your URL.
• No Login Required: Games must be playable without any login or signup process. The only acceptable input screen might be asking for a username.
• Free-to-Play: All games must be completely free to play with no paywalls or monetization that impacts gameplay.
• Entrant Badge: Don't forget to add the required code snippet that shows you're an entrant:

  <a target="_blank" href="https://jam.pieter.com" style="font-family: 'system-ui', sans-serif; position: fixed; bottom: -1px; right: -1px; padding: 7px; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; background: #fff; color: #000; text-decoration: none; z-index: 10; border-top-left-radius: 12px; z-index: 10000; border: 1px solid #fff;">🕹️ Vibe Jam 2025</a>

While you can use any stack, @levelsio's preferences provide a blueprint for efficient, lightweight development:

• Backend: Core PHP without MVC frameworks for simplicity and speed.
• Frontend: Pure CSS and vanilla JavaScript (no jQuery or heavy libraries).
• Database: MySQL or SQLite for straightforward data management.
• Hosting: A VPS (e.g., Digital Ocean) for deployment flexibility.

This minimalist approach aligns with rapid prototyping and deployment, key to participating in fast-paced projects like Vibeverse.

@levelsio's coding and development style offers useful context for building compatible games:

• Iterative Building: Launch with minimal features and refine based on feedback.
• Simplicity Over Complexity: Stick to tools and techniques you're comfortable with; avoid over-engineering.
• Indie Mindset: Maintain full control over your project, avoiding unnecessary external dependencies.
• Speed to Market: Prioritize getting your game live quickly, even if it's basic at first.

• GET Query Parameters: Beyond ?portal=true, you can send custom parameters through the portal redirect (e.g., player stats, game state). Ensure your game can handle and parse these on load.
• Metaverse Webring Concept: The portal system acts like a "metaverse webring," linking games together. Consider adding both start and exit portals to fully participate in this network.
• Coding Style: @levelsio favors a "vanilla" approach—writing straightforward, framework-free code. This can reduce load times and compatibility issues in a web-based game.

• Use AI tools to generate at least 80% of your game code (this is a requirement).
• Build a simple web-based game with a URL endpoint that loads instantly (no loading screens).
• Ensure your game is free-to-play and requires no login or signup.
• Use ThreeJS (recommended) or any engine of your choice.
• Add the entrant badge code snippet to your game.
• Add an exit portal that redirects to http://portal.pieter.com with optional GET parameters.
• Test incoming URLs for ?portal=true to handle portal arrivals.
• Deploy your game on its own domain or subdomain if possible.

This overview should equip you with the essentials to code and integrate with Vibeverse. For the latest details, keep an eye on @levelsio's X posts. Happy coding!

To submit your game to the 2025 Vibe Coding Game Jam, register on our official submission platform at http://jam.pieter.com. You'll need to provide a URL to your playable game, a brief description, and information about the AI tools you used to create it.

All submissions must be received by April 1, 2025, at 11:59 PM UTC. Late entries will not be accepted, so make sure to plan your development time accordingly!