This year’s Global Game Jam, a project of the International Game Developers Assocation (IGDA), is officially underway and will continue through the weekend. Participants have 48 hours to conceptualize, plan, execute and finish a fully-functioning video or board game, which will then be available for free public download afterward.
As if having only two days to make a game wasn’t enough, the organizers have added optional “achievements” that can be tackled by participants looking for some extra challenge. With the growing scope of the event and over 1000 games expected from this year’s teams alone, achievements will also help categorize games and make them more easily searchable.
There are no rewards to speak of, but the creative potential that these voluntary goals may spark is immense. Just looking through the list, I got excited by the originality of the ideas and couldn’t help but brainstorm all over again. Due to this being my first year participating, though, I’m only going to worry about the original constraints of the event. 
Here is the full list of the GGJ 2011 achievements: (taken from www.globalgamejam.org)
Current List and description of the achievements for 2011
1. Aggregation
The game uses or combines existing web services and online data (e.g. Google Maps, Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, airline services, news, stocks, etc.) as part of the gameplay.
2. Automated Development
All game assets (art, sound, levels, etc.) are procedurally generated.
3. Back to School, OLD School
The game must have a screen resolution of exactly 160×144, is restricted to a color palette of four shades of the same color, and the game must be 1 Megabyte or less on disk (incl. executable, all assets and external libraries, unzipped)
4. Based on a True Story
The game must be biographical or documentary.
5. Bits and Pieces
The game has both physical and digital elements.
6. Both Hands Tied Behind My Back
The game is meant to be played without the use of a player’s hands.
7. Breaking the 4th Wall
The game acknowledges itself as a game.
8. Couples Game
The game only makes sense if played together with you and your romantic partner.
9. Do and Undo
The game features a phase of creation and assemblage, followed by a phase of removal of all traces of expended effort.
10. Game for a Cause
The game is about a social or political issue that can be solved solely through increased awareness.
11. One Hit Wonder
The game can only be played once (e.g. per computer, per IP address, etc.).
12. Playing the Music
The game’s duration is matched to that of a song. When the song ends, the game ends. No loops allowed!
13. Mandelbrot
The game features some pattern or aspect that fractally repeats itself at different scales.
14. More Ways Than One
The game can be played both turn-based and realtime simultaneously by different players (sharing the same game state).
15. Picasso Lives
The art of the game is rendered in a Cubist style.
16. Sim Something
The game has no explicit goals (other than any goals the players invent for themselves).
Good luck to all participants! I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with. 
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