This weekend Sydney’s indie game scene is set to come alive with an all-new games festival. Powerhouse is joining forces with Screen Australia, Screen NSW and the City of Parramatta to bring ALT Games to life. The two-day event is aimed at nurturing the growth of the local development scene with an emphasis on accessibility for everyone, from game developers to gamers and everyone in between. On April 12-13, ALT Games will see a whole program of events, including talks, workshops, and game exhibitions on offer in Sydney.
ALT: Games fits right in amongst the likes of Freeplay, SAGE, Queensland Games Festival, Level Up Tasmania, Freak and, of course – MIGW and SXSW on Australia’s games events calendar. It’s a big win for the growing indie game community in Sydney. Across the weekend, Paramatta will host the festival featuring digital showcases, sessions with industry leaders and a large-scale interactive game installation.
For those keen to play new and upcoming indie games, ALT: PLAY is being held on each day of the festival from 10am to 3pm at PHIVE. 19 Australian games will be showcased, including Blaktasia, Doggy Don’t Care, Key Fairy, My Arms Are Longer Now, and Mystiques Haunted Antiques.
NSW game collective Serenade is also involved in the festival, curating ALT: Ex – a showcase dedicated to experimental game experiences. From 10am to 3pm, visitors can learn more about the following experimental games: Body Traces Archive, Cow Carries, Duckscape, Isolationist Nightclub Simulator, Life Runs Through., Matchbox Memories Volume I, Notice, and Tea Please. There’s even a game jam happening on the Circular Quay to Parramatta Ferry!
Other highlights of the festival include some big-name speakers, too. On Saturday, Daniel Mullins, creator of Inscryption, will be running informal pitching sessions with a live audience. The creator of Magic: The Gathering, Richard Garfield, is also attending – he’s running a talk on game balance and design. In the evening, Ally McLean-Hennessy will be doing a keynote address for ALT: FEATURES before Mullins and Garfield join her for an in-conversation talk about deck building and design. On the Sunday, Steph Panecasio from GamesHub will be doing a deep dive into the many intricacies of games journalism.
To learn more about how ALT: Games came to be, we had the opportunity to talk to Chloe Appleby, Games Curator at Powerhouse Museum. During the Australian Game Developer Awards in 2024, Appleby received one of the Rising Star awards – thanks in no small part to her extensive efforts as a games curator and advocacy for indie game communities across Australia. In her acceptance speech, she promised to always keep events accessible to everyone. With that in mind, ALT: Games looks set to be a community-first games festival dedicated to inclusivity.
Interview with Chloe Appleby of Powerhouse
How did ALT: GAMES come about – was there a spark that got the festival rolling?
C: ALT: GAMES was born through conversations with the games community about what they want from events and how they can be improved. It was recognising the need for; accessibility, wider audience participation/promotion and opportunities to learn from experts, especially for emerging practitioners. The New South Wales games scene is slowly growing however to thrive it needs the support of local government and cultural organisations. Supporting industry is at the forefront of what we do at Powerhouse, and creating innovative programming and a major festival for games was a natural fit.
What makes ALT: Games unique from other events in the Australian games calendar?
C: ALT: GAMES is unique as we are seeking to showcase games to audiences who don’t typically engage with the medium, which directly benefits game makers by getting invaluable feedback that may not have been considered initially. It seeks to champion the local Australian games industry alongside key international talent like Richard Garfield, Daniel Mullins, Daniel Coppen, and Tomo Kihara.
ALT: GAMES is for developers, players, and the curious. It also sets itself apart from other festivals by being extremely accessible and ensuring as many people can participate as possible.
Has being a games curator changed your relationship to games?
C: Being a games curator hasn’t changed how much I deeply admire the craft that goes into making all types of games, but it has changed how I engage with games. My first thoughts are now about the stories behind the works and what drove developers to create them. As I am playing, I’m also thinking about how audiences would engage with this game and how it would look or be interacted with in an exhibition or program. Not to worry, I don’t do this all the time and I do play games like a normal person, I still love getting lost in stories or unique game mechanics.
Why is it so important for museums to engage with games as a contemporary cultural medium?
C: Just like any other artifact museums engage with, they are an important creative and technological feat that demands to be represented. Games are the contemporary medium for storytelling that transcend media, where popular games have been adapted to film and tv, or their music played by orchestras in operatic chambers.
It is important for museums to include games in their exhibitions, collections, and wider programs as they are a conduit for engagement. Games are one of the most popular hobbies in the world, globally people are spending half a trillion hours a year gaming and players will spend $187.7 billion on games, they provide a familiar tool for audiences to actively participate or learn in museums.
If you could see the future of game festivals across Australia, what would you hope we see more of?
C: The future of game cultural celebrations is already beginning to take root where multiple festivals and cultural events are occurring nationwide. I am looking forward to seeing a holistic, cultural global games hub created and fostered in Australia that puts our stories and industry at the forefront.
It’s amazing to see so many community and industry events occurring all over Australia, like SAGE, Queensland Games Festival and Level Up Tasmania, SXSW Sydney, and Melbourne International Games Week and now ALT: GAMES to add to that lineup here in Sydney, giving the industry the to platform and support it needs to thrive.
You can find the full ALT: Games Program here.
