Vivid Sydney will shine a spotlight on local game developers

This year's Vivid festival will include a number of showcases for Sydney's local game development scene.
vivid sydney

Vivid Sydney 2022 is set to shine a light on Australia’s games industry, with a fresh program that places the spotlight directly on local developers and career paths for upcoming students. With a host of workshops, talks, live podcasts and panels, the Video Games Industry Open Day should be an eye-opening event for anyone interested in gaming.

Hosted at the Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE) and organised by IGEA, this Open Day, taking place 11 June 2022 will see visitors learning more about games made in Sydney, how games can be used to foster good in the world, and how careers can be forged in Australia.

Read: The biggest Australian-made games coming in 2022-23

Several panelists will feature throughout the day, including prominent developers and media personalities. Confirmed to appear so far are:

  • Kayla Panozzo – Software Engineering Manager, Wargaming Sydney
  • Ben Lee – Co-Founder and Managing Director, Blowfish Studios
  • Nico King – Co-Founder and Executive Director, Chaos Theory Games
  • Leigh Harris – Team Head and Senior Game Designer, Wargaming Sydney
  • Ashley Ringrose – Founder, SMG Studio
  • Alex Carlyle – Creative Lead, Wargaming Sydney
  • Vicky Lord – Director of People & Operations, Riot Oceania
  • Patrick Gilfillan – Software Engineer and Team Head, Wargaming Sydney
  • Clarisse Tamayao – Marketing Coordinator, Chaos Theory Games
  • Inge Berman – Artist, Game Developer, Twitch Streamer
  • Adam Single – Field Engineer, Unity Technologies
  • Steve Wang – General Manager, Wargaming Sydney
  • Kate Maconachie – Communications Lead, Bethesda Softworks ANZ

Each will provide a unique perspective on the world of video games in Australia.

Visitors will also be able to learn more about Wargaming, the team behind global smash hits World of Tanks and World of Warships. As one of the largest studios in Australia, the company has a wealth of experience worth sharing and learning from.

Throughout the day, there’ll also be Unity worships and opportunities to dive deeper with Aussie-made games.

The showcase will take place across multiple ticketed sessions:

  • Games Industry Open Day: Made In Sydney (Morning Session) – 9 am AEDT
  • Games Industry Open Day: Made In Sydney (Afternoon Session) – 2 pm AEDT
  • Games Industry Open Day: Make Your Own Game (Morning Session) – 10 am AEDT
  • Games Industry Open Day: Make Your Own Game (Afternoon Session) – 2 pm AEDT
  • Games Industry Open Day: The History and Future of Sydney-based Game Making – 8 pm AEDT

You can find out more about the Vivid Sydney event, and how to purchase tickets, via the website hub.

Leah J. Williams is a gaming and entertainment journalist who's spent years writing about the games industry, her love for The Sims 2 on Nintendo DS and every piece of weird history she knows. You can find her tweeting @legenette most days.