Conveying the Seasonality of Naarm (Melbourne) in Game Design
Panel talk for Melbourne Design Week
What makes an Australian video game?
The games industry has long been criticised for Northern Hemisphere bias when representing seasons, flora and fauna. Traditionally, the four seasons, animals and plants of North America and Europe dominate game environments, while in games set in places with different seasonal patterns, like Australia, flora and fauna are reduced to stereotypes.
In this thought-provoking discussion, join local game designers and experts from Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria as we delve into the possibilities of conveying Naarm / Melbourne seasons, embedding the knowledge of First Peoples and elevating Australian plants in game design. Hear why accurately representing Australian seasonality matters, and how we can join the hyperlocal game movement - all while providing the joy of cozy game play to gamers.
Presented by Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and Weird Flex Studio as part of Melbourne Design Week, an initiative of the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.
Image Credit: Testing Bee Major game prototypes at Greening the Screen, Melbourne International Games Week, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne 2024.
Speakers:
Kay-Lynn Cavanagh (She/They), Creative Director, Weird Flex Studio
Digital artist and illustrator, community manager and creative producer of hybrid and engaging community art events and shows based on the lands of the Kulin Nation. Kay-Lynn’s illustrative work evokes delight, humour and provocative storytelling. They are passionate about fostering connections with other creators and developing works and activating spaces in ways that are engaging, accessible and inclusive to a diverse audience. Kay-Lynn draws inspiration from her community, cultural background, and nostalgia and memories of her upbringing in Australia with her migrant parents from Singapore and Malaysia.
Jakobi (He/Him), Aboriginal Learning Officer, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria
A Djap Wurrung and Dhauwurd Wurrung man, Aboriginal Learning Officer at the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and studying BSc Plant Science. Jakobi is interested in connecting with people, plants, and Country. He is passionate about his work in cultural education, using storytelling and cultural knowledge systems to promote Country and custodianship to students.
Nayuka Gorrie (They/Them), Narrative Director, Weird Flex Studio
Nayuka Gorrie is a Gunai/Kurnai, Gunditjmara, Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta freelance and comedy television writer. Their writing centres on black, feminist and queer politics. They co-wrote and performed in the third and fourth seasons of Black Comedy and provided additional writing on the second season of Get Krack!n. More recently, Nayuka was a writer for the sbs/Matchbox series, The Heights (season 2) the NITV children’s series, Thalu, the award winning VR series, Lustration for New Canvas and the ABC documentary series, Queerstralia for Gueswork. Nayuka’s essays can be found in The Guardian, Saturday Paper, Vice, Junkee, Archer Magazine, The Lifted Brow and NITV among others. Nayuka contributed to the anthologies Growing Up Queer in Australia and Animals Make Us Human. They were a recipient of The Wheeler Centre’s Next Chapter initiative to support their writing and are currently a recipient of a Creative Victoria Creators Fund research grant for a non-fiction book.
Jennifer Lade (She/Her), Senior Lecturer and Game Designer, RMIT
Senior Lecturer Games Design RMIT University since its inception in 2005. Jennifer is a strong advocate for diversity within the games industry and the importance of women being involved in all areas of games design. She is particularly interested in the visual potential of art as developed for games and play as a creative process.
