TOJammers owe a debt of gratitude to the sponsors that make all this possible. Without them, we would be all be a funky bunch with no Marky Mark. We'd also have to start charging lots of cold hard cash. While none of the sponsors asked for you to visit the freshly created sponsorship page, it would be a very nice gesture. I say many heartfelt things, and your cold heart will be moved. Too busy building games to read? Here's the summary:

Gold
if you see it, they sponsored it
Blackberry

Silver
if you're eating something substantial, thank them
George Brown College
Get Set Games

Bronze
if you're having breakfast, or snacking, direct applause here
DrinkBox Studios
Kiip
Uken Games

Friends
they filled the holes you never fell into
Metanet Software
Vinyl Games Studio
Chop Shop Goods

We will pay them back with love and games and more love 'cuz some games will be awful.

Indie dev, journalist, and TOJammer Rokashi Edwards is doing an excellent job liveblogging TOJam8. Stop reading this and follow him.

Em & I just returned home with #stealthbaby aka. Our TOJam OverLord. The new team impressed her, and she deemed jammers worthy.

While exact counts are a tricky thing, there are at least 460 people physically jamming this year.

I did NOT expect to see a PS Vita Game!

As you can see, Team "All You Can Eat Sushi" had an awesome day.

Veteran team Rocket 5 is creating "Joust in Hell". Judging by the custom controller they're building, they've got the right idea. Also, I am in love.

I'm already in love with Shroombert. That's not a screenshot - it's playable. Cale is seeking 3D glasses, and I have some. Duh Duh Duuuuh.

The good? #tojam was trending on twitter yesterday!
The bad? Turns out that generates a massive amount of spam posts.

This picture taken by TOJam veteran and Bento Miso leader Henri Faber explains TOJam best.

Seeing the speeches from the other end blows my mind.

At least 3 married couples (2 freshly), 2 father & son teams,
and 1 monster king.

Barry's surprise pop-up vegetarian burger operation consumed 6 volunteers for 4 hours hurting them badly. The line-ups, compliments, and full stomachs made it all worthwhile... maybe :) Remember, you're half the man/woman Barry is.

"TOJam: Haters gonna eight" started with a bang! The new team has put together the most organized TOJam EVER, and I am extremely jealous. Did you see those last 2 posts? That's the NEW TEAM. #tojam features all sorts of delicious nonsense, I highly recommend you follow it. Rumours abound that we are trending. Barry's mystery food item this year is a vegetarian burger - featuring LEEKS!

Allow me to introduce this year's Gold Sponsor

Our friends from just down the road have joined us in full force this year. The new Blackberry Z10 & Q10 (keyboard!) are amazing, and the games look stunning. Develop using C++/native, HTML5, AIR, Unity!!!, Marmalade, Shiva3D, and Ogre3D. If you're at TOJam, BlackBerry gaming experts Sean Paul Taylor and Pratik Sappra are on hand to answer any questions you have. BlackBerry is constantly looking for interesting games and developers to work with to show off why gaming is more fun on BlackBerry!

In less than 48 hours the doors will open for TOJam: Haters gonna eight but before you leave please take a moment to review the following reminders...

IMPORTANT CHANGES TO NOTE
* We accept paperless confirmations this year so save a tree and bring the confirmation on your smartphone instead.
* Unfortunately this year we have NO KITCHEN ACCESS so please meal plan accordingly. We do still have access to the microwaves.
* We will be enforcing a strict NO ALCOHOL policy at the jam, but you're a classy bunch of people so we expect no problems.

NO VISITORS DURING THE JAM
No friends or family visiting during TOJam please.

YOU CAN HELP US!
As always we need additional resources so if you have any of the following items email tessa@tojam.ca to let us know, bring them to the jam, and don't forget to label them.
* Power bars - preferably 6+ sockets (3 pronged)
* Routers - Wireless or wired
* Ethernet cables

TEAM PHOTOS
Saturday between 1 - 5.

ROOM TEMPERATURE AND ENVIRONMENT
Be prepared for fluctuations in room temperatures.
Our recommendation is LAYERS!
In the words of the illustrious Jim McGinley, "Be prepared to switch from a t-shirt to a long sleeve and vice versa... just don't switch that beautiful smile."

INTERNET 3-DAY FORECAST - WEAK WITH A CHANCE OF SPOTTY
We're asking all 450+ of you to minimize Internet use where possible.

Have your files ready and a physical storage device with you. Excessive downloading could shut down our internet access.

In the early days of TOJam, likely in the wee hours of the night, Jim wrote this great checklist of things you should consider, so please consider it

POSSIBLE ROUTE CLOSURES
For those travelling to TOJam over the weekend please check these route closures that may cause you complications:

Maps of the marathon route:
http://www.torontomarathon.com/races/race-maps.html

Road closures: They call out specific parts of King st being closed, but it doesn't mention the section of King st east where GBC is. Still, it's a safe bet the bulk of King st east will be shut down Sunday 8am - 11:30am. http://www.torontomarathon.com/pdf/event_notice.pdf

QUESTIONS
If you have any questions email alex@tojam.ca

We're Back!

Chop Shop Goods will be open Friday @12PM - Sunday 8PM

Come make your custom team tees.
Promote a TOJam design on front and your "Team Name" on the back.

*On Site Printing*

$20/TEE: Includes 2 Colour Front Print
Vector based art please!
Videogame AND comic related merchandise and accessories.
Accepting Cash, Debit and Credit Card.

We finally finished confirming all the registrations we were able to physically fit (450 + remote teammates). We just sent an e-mail to everyone that we had to turn away. If you are unsure about your status, please e-mail immediately.

Some very talented people are not able to attend TOJam this year and that sucks. The only consolation we can offer is giving them the highest priority next year. It's the least we can do.

2 related notes:
1. You cannot give your confirmed spot to someone else.
2. If you're confirmed, and fail to show without explanation,
    I'll find you.

Registrations are closed.

We've already started confirming registrations, and hope to confirm yours soon. Despite our best efforts, we were only able to increase capacity to 450 spots this year. That means we won't be able to confirm everyone (we received 553 non-remote registrations).

Confirmation is not strictly first come first served. We take into account whether you were turned away previously, if you're a veteran jammer, and whether you're a professional, hobbyist, or student (perfect mix = healthy jam). We expect to have confirmations completed this Wednesday.

Need to change/delete your registration, please e-mail

ummm... WOW
While we expected TOJam 8 to fill up quickly,
we did not expect to be full after one day!!!

While that's absolutely amazing,
and we appreciate everyone's support...
we've received 434 registrations,
and only have room for ~400.

Registrations were meant to stay open until April 24.
That's no longer the case.
If members of your team have not registered, light a fire.
If you're still intending to register, there's no time like the present.

We're currently figuring out to accomodate everyone.
Thanks in advance for your understanding.

Good god... we've received 220 registrations since going live this morning. You brought this on yourself.

Registrations are LIVE!
Check your registrations here.

We have room for 400+ people. Based on previous years, that means we'll likely be full by the end of this week. Do not wait to register, unless you're not coming.

It's extremely important that teams check registrations to ensure the entire team registers. We will not be able to support last minute team additions.

Did I forget to mention the theme?
You could say I'm being &&&&


Fun Stuff

Rob, Em & I are handing the reigns to our battle hardened sevening team. Despite constant beatings, they've decided to hold the best TOJam ever. We will still be involved, but in a more god-like capacity.

Please direct most awe towards the alphabetical following:
Alex Bethke
Andy Smith
Arthur Marris
Jonathan Burton
Max Brown
Randy Orenstein
Tessa Visperas
Tim Nguyen
... plus our amazing volunteers (many you've seen before)

At some point, a proper page will acknowledge everyone's work.

Friday May 3 10:00am - Sunday May 5 11:00pm.

Free. Open the entire time (but we strongly recommend you sleep at home). George Brown is once again our gracious host. Registrations will go live Monday April 15th. Follow us on twitter

Pro Tip: Stay Sunday evening until 11pm - that's the best part
Questions? E-mail

We've long encouraged TOJammers to make new types of games.
David Gallant did just that - and was fired.
What game will you get fired for making?