Asymptotes is running in 2 weeks, on July 18th at Balam Balam Place, Brunswick. Showcasing: 🟢 7 abandoned games 🟠 A talk diving deep into an abandoned game 🟣 3 panels discussing noncommercial game-making More details to come. 👉 asymptotes.au

Hi all, we are looking for three peer reviewers for an article on Chinese indie games. Please see the attached image for the abstract. Please note that all reviewers for Press Start must be current students or within one year of graduation. Contact info in the replies👇

Announcing... Asymptotes. Asymptotes is a games event in Naarm, Australia, celebrating imperfection. On Saturday July 18th, we're running a showcase of abandoned games, with talks and panels on non-commercial and difficult to commercialise game-making. 👉 asymptotes.au

Reviewed new NZ game Rose and Locket after being previously enamoured with it at PAX. Launch seems to have flown under the radar, which is a shame given how striking and assured the game itself is; big recommend. checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2026...

New Article about E3 and other “Gamer Christmas” Events. Very proud to finally write about this topic so please give it a read! And give @cassiebara29.bsky.social some love for her invaluable co-author work

New article out! (My second this week hah). Co-authored with @stantium.bsky.social, its called 'Publisher Presentations as Promotional Paratexts' and the accepted version is available here: dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...

New article out! Its called "Leisure or Labour: An Aesthetic Reading of Playing Stardew Valley" in the latest special issue of Well Played titled 'Well Read Games'. playstorypress.org/well-played-...

Deeply disrespectful to the entire Australian cultural sector that the Office of the Arts can't be bothered actually reading all the submissions people are working very hard on for the National Cultural Policy, and instead will be asking genAI for a summary. www.arts.gov.au/have-your-sa...

Reviewed the new Star Wars movie, which was an exercise in such 'its fine' mediocrity that waking up this morning most of the plot has already left my brain.

✦ PARALLELS 2026 — THE CALL-OUT IS HERE ✦ Making a game, and wanna yap about it at Parallels 2026? Now is the time to let us know! Speaker submissions close on the 5th of June. That’s THREE WEEKS. Don't overthink it. Just apply here: forms.gle/j8NkrdqMnwoH...

Reviewed the new Lego Batman. Looks like I enjoyed it a lot less than most others - was sorely disappointed with how flat and unambitious its main campaign and open world missions were - but is still an interesting game with a few bright spots. checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2026...

This really is tremendous leadership from Freeplay, and the kind of thing that has been glaringly missing from the games sector. This stuff is really important, so games people, do not let this moment go to waste.

We're thrilled to announce Frosty Games Fest will be streaming LIVE on Sunday June 7 at 8am AEST / 10am NZST as part of Summer Game Fest 💙 Tune in for a chocka-block showcase, featuring announcements from 50+ games made in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand 🎮

🧑‍🎓CALL FOR EDITORS📷 The editorial board of Press Start is currently seeking to recruit new editors to join our team! 🌟 Please see the next post in the thread for more details. Applicants must be current graduate/postgraduate students or have graduated within the past year.

How prophetic given the article @antipollution.bsky.social and I wrote earlier this year exactly on the microgenre of interface games! You can read it here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

REVIEW: Titanium Court "...a hilarious and richly designed roguelike that also gleefully points the finger back at us through the screen, daring us to prove that we don’t enjoy running around in circles for its own (and our) amusement." @fellowtraveller.games checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2026...

Reviewed Titanium Court, a game with the spirit of a Shakespearian fool and the wit and introspection to match. Adored it, will now be promptly recommending it to everyone. checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2026...

Reviewed Titanium Court, a game with the spirit of a Shakespearian fool and the wit and introspection to match. Adored it, will now be promptly recommending it to everyone. checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2026...

Reviewed Tides of Tomorrow. Has a compelling and eerie 'story-link' mechanic that plays with the social elements of choice-based games in fun ways, but is also bogged down in aggressively average storytelling. checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2026...

Chinese DiGRA 2026 Call for Papers: Chinese Game Studies: Publishing, Platforms, and Player Cultures: 19–20 September, Wuhan; 15 May deadline A wide range of game studies topics relating to China are welcome! chinesedigra.org/call-for-pap...

Hi everyone😀 we are looking for one reviewer for an article concerning intersectional representation in the Sims franchise. If you’re interested, please email Ambrin directly at [email protected]. See the attached image for the abstract.

Review dropped while I was away, but Aether & Iron has just come out and unfortunately doesn't seem to have garned much attention so far. I found it a very entertaining 'decopunk' noir narrative/tactics with affection for its genre tropes that's near infectious. checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2026...

Last night I attended the Lizzies alongside my @checkpointau.bsky.social crew, and I was surprised and honoured to receive a highly commended award for Best Game Reviewer. Was also just amazing to be in the room and meet all these incredible people I had previously only admired from afar.

Something a little different from me today - I haven't been able to stop thinking about Esoteric Ebb after my review, and wanted to spend some time unpacking its politics and TTRPG tropes, and why it feels like an RPG of the moment. @chrisbodegard.bsky.social has made something pretty special here.

Very weird and cool to say I've been nominated for two Lizzies (IT Journalism Awards) for Best Game Reviewer and Best New Journalist this year. Kind of wild to just be on the same list as writers who I've previously admired from afar.

CONTINUE, a new Australian print gaming magazine, has been announced and is currently available to be supported on Kickstarter. @serrels.bsky.social checkpointgaming.net/news/2026/03...

Oh, uh! Hello! This is CONTINUE. We're a defiant, new videogames magazine. We have assembled an incredible roster of talented creatives, writers, artists and illustrators to build Issue 01 of our new magazine. We launched our Kickstarter today! www.kickstarter.com/projects/con...

My Arms are Jack(ed) Now

Reviewed Esoteric Ebb, the new Disco-like that I have real affection for, even while struggling with how close it hews to its inspirations. Also has a beautifully introspective TTRPG narrative that I'm still thinking about days later. @esotericebb.bsky.social checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2026...

Applications close in 3 days! 👀 👉 www.screenaustralia.gov.au/funding-and-...

We are looking for 2 reviewers for an article on vision and horror games. Please contact Hyerin at [email protected] if you are interested!🥰 Please note that all reviewers for Press Start must be current students or within 1 year of graduation.

The first Steam Next Fest for 2026 is here! Looking for the ANZ-made games? We've got a jam packed list of Frosty Finds on our blog, to help you find all the coolest demos made in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. www.frostygamesfest.com/blog/feb-202...

Key Fairy is officially released! Buy it, lest ye be slain! store.steampowered.com/app/2878580/...

Have also been playing Key Fairy and been having a grand time - hell of a unique and fantastical bullet hell. Amazing to see from a local studio.

📣 Hey Australian gamemakers! Screen Australia's Games grants close in 2 weeks! A reminder to get your applications in! 🫶 🛠 Games Production Fund - up to $100,000 🎨 Emerging Gamemakers Fund - up to $30,000 📆 Applications close Thu 5 Mar, 5pm (AEDT) 👉 www.screenaustralia.gov.au/funding-and-...

We are still looking for peer reviewers!

I've been at DiGRA Australia at the University of the Sunshine Coast this week and it's been really wonderful. Just such a friendly research community and absolutely killer world-leading research projects.

Did we miss a game? Leave a comment! We're eager to continue adding to the list where we can. Notice a broken link or outdated piece of info? Email [email protected] so that we can look to fix it!

The thriving Australian video game scene has over 150 projects in active development. So we compiled them all into one handy resource. Join us in celebrating amazing Aussie projects and take a look at the 150+ Aussie games of 2026 and Beyond! Read Here: checkpointgaming.net/features/202...

Freeplay rules! Fund art!!!!!

An update: Unfortunately Freeplay didn’t secure multi-year funding and is potentially looking at its last year of operation. We’re exploring what comes next & want your input. Read our full statement here: www.freeplay.net.au/survey2026 Help us decide our next step here: forms.gle/W4ZSns1bGCX1...

Reviewed the new 28 Years, didn't like it as much as its predecessor but still a very good and interesting film with one scene in particular that will live rent free in my head for the rest of the year (complimentary).

Extremely happy with this new co-authored paper where Finn and I explore the 'interface game' as an emerging microgenre - gives us the opportunity to discuss some fascinating games and talk about the prominence of user interfaces in our daily lives.

We are once again putting together the ultimate list of upcoming Australian-developed video games. Tell us about your game: forms.office.com/r/d4E0jdPQGw Share or tag any Aussie game dev you know so they can be involved in the coverage! @igea.bsky.social checkpointgaming.net/features/202...

I'm helping put together the list this year so feel free to reach out with questions or circulate the form around!

DiGRAA is always a delight and a really accommodating conference - for anyone interested even just zooming in to see the breadth of cool games research happening in Aus is worth it.

Saw Sentimental Value, absolutely loved it. Will almost certainly end up being my favourite film of the year amidst some stiff competition. Well worth seeing when it comes out on Christmas (though maybe don't take your family if things are, well, complex).

New article up! Its called 'A Minor History of Interactive Movies: Brilliant Digital Entertainment and the Dot-Com Bubble' and is part of Convergence's new special issue on 1990s Hollywood and Games edited by Helen Stuckey and Angela Ndalianis (open access): journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Thank you to all the incredible ANZ-based developers who took part in our first Frosty Mini showcase today, and shared such wonderful announcements! What a beautiful line-up 👏🏼