The Freeplay Independent Games Festival is Australia's longest-running and largest independent games festival, first established in 2004.[1] The Festival celebrates fringe artists and game makers, and highlights grassroots developers and art games. It gathers artists, designers, programmers, writers, gamers, creators, games critics, games academics and students to celebrate the art form of independent games and the culture around them.
The current director of Freeplay is Chad Toprak (2017–).[3] Previous directors have included Dan Golding (2014–2017),[4] Katie Williams and Harry Lee Shang Lun (2013–2014),[5] Paul Callaghan and Eve Penford-Dennis (2008–2012).[6] The founding directors of Freeplay were Katherine Neil and Marcus Westbury.[7]
History
The Freeplay Independent Games Festival began in 2004 as Next Wave Festival's three-day-long Melbourne-based indie games conference 'Free Play', to celebrate independent game development and games culture. Since then, it has run in a variety of formats and venues across Melbourne.
In 2009, Freeplay hosted its first festival away from Next Wave, and rebranded itself from 'Free Play: The Next Wave Independent Game Developers Conference' into 'Freeplay Independent Games Festival'. Since 2009, Freeplay events have generally run annually.
In 2014, inspired by Venus Patrol's alternative E3 press conference Horizon, Freeplay introduced Parallels, a one-night event that serves as a counterpart to the main Freeplay festival. It takes place as part of Melbourne International Games Week, and highlights "unique, experimental, personal, and culturally significant games" made in the region. Parallels "is notable for providing the public first looks at games that would go on to be global gaming phenomena,"[8] including Untitled Goose Game, Necrobarista, Florence, Paperbark, Heavenly Bodies, the Frog Detective series, Unpacking, and Cult of the Lamb.
In 2015, Freeplay held, for the first time, both a multi-day Freeplay festival (10–19 April 2015) and a Parallels event (24 October 2015).
2020 and 2021 saw a virtual festival take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the online Parallels showcases, Freeplay created an online pixel art version of the event's in-person venue, The Capitol, called The Zone, described by Kotaku as "a pixel-art version of an art gallery, except its for video games and you're doing the whole thing through your browser."[9]
In 2022, Parallels took place at RMIT, marking Freeplay's return to in-person events.
Best Australian Game:Jolly Rover Best Design in a Game: Up Down Ready Best On-Paper Design: iCrazy Man Best Art in a Game: Captain Forever (Series) Best Concept Art: Exodus Best Technical Innovation: Colourbind Best Game Writing: Transumer Best Audio: Train Conductor Best International Game: Last Hope
2011
Best Australian Game:Antichamber Best International Game:The Swapper Best Design:Antichamber Best On-Paper Design: Dead Eye Best Art:Warco Best Concept Art: Firo Best Technical Innovation: Kingspray Best Game Writing: MacGuffin's Curse Best Audio:Solar 2
2012
Best Australian Game:Stickets Best Design in a Game: They Love You Best International Game:Splice Best Art in a Game: Toybox Best Concept Art: Peleda Best Audio in a Game: Lunar Flight Best Technical Innovation: Automation Best Writing in a Game: Flatland: Fallen Angle
2013
Best Game:Framed Design:Framed Visual Art: The Paper Fox Audio Design: Particulars Narrative: Particulars Technical Innovation: Turnover Non-Digital: Outside These City Walls People's Choice: Turnover
2015
The Freeplay Award:Push Me Pull You Best Design:Push Me Pull You Best Visual Art: Movement Study 1 Best Audio: Submerged Best Narrative:Project Ven Best Tech: Space Dust Racers Best Non-Digital: Rise to Power
2018
The Freeplay Award:The Catacombs of Solaris Excellence in Design: Dissembler Excellence in Visual Art:Paperbark Excellence in Audio:Florence Excellence in Narrative: Bound By Blood Non-Digital Game Award: {<>} Micro-Game Award: Rise Experimental Game Award: Thomas Bowker's Draw Student Game Award: Lacuna Across The Ditch Award: Echo Grotto
2019
The Freeplay Award: New Ice York Excellence in Design: JUMPGRID Excellence in Visual Art:Necrobarista Excellence in Audio: Skyward Journey Excellence in Narrative:The Haunted Island, a Frog Detective Game Non-Digital Game Award: Edible Games Cookbook Micro-Game Award: Novena Experimental Game Award: The Common Campfire Student Game Award: Pigeon Game Across The Ditch Award: Toripon 鳥ポン
2020
The Freeplay Award: A Hand with Many Fingers Excellence in Design: Colestia Excellence in Visual Art: Endless Scroll Excellence in Audio: Unfamiliar Excellence in Narrative: Life Tastes Like Cardboard Non-Digital Game Award: The Outer Whorls Micro-Game Award: Something Looks Weird Experimental Game Award: If We Were Allowed to Visit Student Game Award: Ascent of Grob's Domain Across The Ditch Award: Leap of Leaf
2021
The Freeplay Award:Umurangi Generation Excellence in Design:Webbed Excellence in Visual Art: Completely Stretchy and Uncomfortably Sticky Excellence in Audio: Mealmates Excellence in Narrative: A Long Goodbye Non-Digital Game Award: The Lighthouse at the Edge of the Universe Micro-Game Award: Under a Star Called Sun Experimental Game Award: Neon Cyborg Cat Club Student Game Award: The Snowgardens Across The Ditch Award: Before We Leave
