Ragebait Jam

Hosted by Sanokei · #ragebaitjam

Entries

Ratings

Overview Submissions

Community8

Screenshots Submission feed

Submissions open from 2026-01-25 05:00:00 to 2026-02-02 21:00:00

Voting ends in

years

months

days

hours

minutes

seconds

Submission is closed and voting is now in progress

Welcome to the first Ragebait Jam!

The Ragebait Jam is an event where participants design a game specifically engineered to push people's buttons. This game can be made in any interactive digital media medium; including game engines, interactive FMVs, never-ending scrolling web page, and more!

We are exploring the "hurt me plenty" genre of game design. We want experiences that are engineered to test the limits of player patience, not through bad design, but through brutal, unforgiving challenges, and any other torment you would like to inflict. The goal isn't to discourage the player, but to demand they elevate their skills to overcome seemingly impossible obstacles.

The Ragebait Jam hopes to explore the psychology of frustration and prove that sometimes, being a little "toxic" is a legitimate design choice.

This is a ranked jam, because what is ragebait without a leaderboard to fight over? Submissions will be judged on how effectively they provoke their audience.

Game jams are an excellent opportunity to test the limits of player patience, and "anti-fun" mechanics deserve more recognition.

Have questions?
Looking for teammates?

Join our Discord!

The Theme: OVERCOMPENSATE

Verb
to take extreme measures to fix a small problem, weakness, or mistake.

Put simply, it is using a sledgehammer to kill a fly.

Interpretation
Physics: Controls that are way too sensitive. Think about driving on ice, where you slide a little to the left, panic, and yank the wheel all the way to the right.

Stats: A character with a massive weakness, but a ridiculous strength to make up for it. For example, having only 1 health point but 999 defense.

Story: A tiny, terrified character who projects power by piloting a massive, screen-sized mech suit.

Game Ideas
The Heavy Sword: You play as a tiny knight with a huge weapon. It kills enemies in one hit, but the sheer weight of swinging it flings your character across the room.

Drastic Measures: A city builder where you only have extreme solutions. To put out a small house fire, your only option is to release a tsunami.

Hyper Drive: A simple parking game where the car has a million horsepower. A gentle tap of the gas sends you straight through a brick wall.

This is open for interpretation.

Simply:

The Playable Factor: The game must be playable in-browser or via executable. Do not make it crash on purpose.
The Goal: The game must be designed to elicit a strong emotional reaction (frustration, disbelief, or "clout-chasing" rage).
No Actual Harm: Keep the rage in the game. No malware, no actual hate speech, and no breaking itch.io’s TOS.

More on the Playable Factor; Please ensure that your "Foddian" challenge remains a test of skill, not a barrier to entry. Video games are for everyone, and great design means ensuring that no player is excluded from the experience due to a disability. Just as the web relies on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to keep the internet usable, game developers should strive to meet similar standards to welcome the widest possible audience. High color contrast between text and backgrounds so those with low vision can read your UI, and avoiding reliance on color alone for mechanics to support colorblind players. Crucially, developers must be mindful of photosensitivity; avoiding flashing lights or rapid patterns (specifically anything flashing more than three times per second) prevents seizures and protects players with epilepsy. By adhering to these standards and creating accessible settings, such as remappable controls or epilepsy warnings we ensure we have fun, while being mindful of others.