(This list is far from complete and often obsolete. please contact us to add events. Also go check AltCtrl.Infos for more resources)
Alternative controllers (and the games that use them) can be crafted anywhere. However, attending to physical game jams might help to find ideas, motivation and people to work with. You can find a great list of indie game jams here : www.indiegamejams.com (not all of them are physical).
Most game jams allow you to create alternative controller if you want, but dedicated game jams can make things easier.
ALT CTRL Game Jam (Around the World)
Sponsored by GDC, the ALT CTRL Game Jam is strictly dedicated to alternative controllers (thus its name). This jam is digital but, just like Ludum Dare, has several gatherings organised (Skopje, Copenhagen, Aarhus, Berlin, Montreal, London, Melbourne and Curitiba in 2015). All entries will automatically be in the running for Alt.Ctrl.GDC, the related game exhibition that takes place at GDC every year.
Duration : Three to ten days
When : September
Participation fees : None for the jam itself, the real world gathering might ask for a little something.
ZooMachine Festival (Lille, France)
Every year, the ZooMachine Festival (previously called Artgame weekend) host a game jam dedicated to Innovative games and experimental art, mostly through alternative controllers. All games created during the jam are exhibited during the last day of the Festival.
Duration : 48h
When : November
Participation fees : Around 40€ for the three days.
Feral Vector (Hebden Bridge, UK)
Feral Vector (formerly Bits of alright) is a festival with several alternative games workshops, but those aren’t focused on video games.Every kind of games could be made there, from folk games to alternative controllers. the last edition was especially focused on outside games.
Duration : 48h
When : May-June
Participation fees : no
BURN THE KEYBOARD (various festivals)
BURN THE KEYBOARD is a workshop concept by Jonatan Von Hove. It takes place in various festival. After an introduction and a short talk about existing projects, you’ll get to designing and building something unique with inexpensive raw materials like arcade buttons, joysticks, duct tape and cardboard. The workshop hosts will be there to help you out when things get too technical, and the installations will be exhibited for the rest of the festival.
Duration : From 3 hours to a whole day
When : Along with other events
Participation fees : No
http://joon.be/portfolio/burn-the-keyboard/
Exile (Vallekilde Højskole, Denmark)
Exile is a game jam less focus on competition and more focus on the social aspects such as playing games, having a beer, and getting to know some new nice people. It takes place in the coziest place in Denmark: Vallekilde Højskole. All kind of games have already been made there, including several alternative controllers.
Duration : 5 days
When : April-May
Participation fees : 95€-120€
Museomix (France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada and Mexico)
Museomix is an international cultural makeathon that mixes skills and insights. It gathers mediators, tinkerers, designers, developers, artists etc in museums for 3 day in order to prototype and exhibit innovative installations. This event is not dedicated to video games, but several alternative controllers games had already been made/exhibited there.
Duration : 72h
When : November
Participation fees : None. But don’t miss the call for applications.
Berlin Mini Jam (Berlin, Germany)
Berlin Mini Jam is a monthly, ~8 hours long game creation jam that brings people together to try out game ideas and create prototypes. Everybody is welcome. This is not just for programmers. These jams aren’t dedicated to alternative controllers but involve several persons who like to make them.
Duration : 8h
When : Every month!
Participation fees : None.
Gamelier (Paris, France)
The Gamelier club is for those who want to meet up to make games together. They focus on educational and scientific games, but all creative energy is welcome. Guests speakers are sometime invited before the jams. Those are not dedicated to alternative controllers, but they are more than welcome, and a lot of equipment, tools, fablab machines are generally available. Or, and there is free food!
Duration : usually 48h
When : several times a year
Participation fees : None.
Critical Hit (Montreal)
Critical Hit is an incubator that hatches experimental, avant-garde, unique, and otherwise innovative games that might not get made in a commercial ecosystem. It welcomes all aspiring makers, including students, indie developers, new media artists, and hobby developers. Each year, Critical Hit focuses on a new subset of game design, continually innovating and testing cutting-edge game development pedagogies
Duration : Two months
When : summer
Participation fees : Free, but with a call for applications