I see so many theme suggestions that are, again, more akin to a rule, situation or game idea than an actual theme!

Keep it simple!

The more complicated, the more restrictive; a theme needs to be a seed, don't rob participants of the "creative genius" part of the jam, that's what makes ideation so fun! A common argument is that restriction breeds creativity, however it does not help giving you a direction to get rid of that blank page syndrome, and also fails to realize that the jam itself, with all these rules in place and its tight deadline forcing you to think small, already plays that role!

Don't be verbose, avoid using things like "You are..." that force a context, and qualifiers make things too specific.

Think about potential and abuse the many homonyms and ambiguities the English language is so rich with! For example, "Right": it can mean a direction, the concept of justice, an upright position, someone's moral or legal entitlement to something. On the surface it looks like a boring theme but when you give it some thought... It is really rich with interpretations that can send you in a completely unique and interesting direction!

Over years of jams, I found simple concepts (things that do things) to make for the most efficient themes.

Following these guidelines, here are some examples I came up with:

As for the jam itself, don't forget that preparation is everything! In a way, we could say the jam has already started :muscle:

Take care :heart: