Digital Dissent | Microgames Showcase
Mark Schramm, Lachlan Herbert, Ricky Vuckovic, Kai Clark, Robert Wiggett, Solomon Inyang, Leah King | Curated by Canberra Game Developers Association
7 – 8 + 14 – 15 November 2026
Location | National Film and Sound Archive, McCoy Circuit, Acton ACT 2601
Opening Hours | 10:30am – 3:30pm
Entry | Free | Bookings required
Access | Wheelchair accessible, accessible parking, accessible bathroom, assistance animals welcome
Digital Dissent is an interactive showcase of innovative microgames from some of Canberra’s best game designers, all exploring the Festival theme of Dissent over two weekends at the National Film and Sound Archive. Come play and experience a collection of brand new games by local designers, custom-made for visitors to interactively explore various takes and perspectives on dissent. You will even be able to meet the developer and discuss their works with them.
Each microgame in Digital Dissent has been commissioned by the Canberra Game Developers Association (CanDev), co-curated with the support of the National Film and Sound Archive’s Digital Games Curator and crafted in consultation with some of Canberra’s most experience games industry mentors.
Blind Eye submitted by Mark Schramm | As the human-in-the-loop of an AI surveillance system where an eye-tracker records your every glance, protecting your fellow citizens means learning to turn a blind eye.
Drained submitted by Lachlan Herbert | A satirical puzzle game where you help a town regain their independence from a sinister intelligence that has drained both their ability to problem solve, and their water supply.
Go There submitted by Ricky Vuckovic | A game about getting from Point A to Point B, but designed for players who do the opposite.
The Party submitted by Kai Clark | Manage dissenters within the party to win the election.
Rock 'n' Rule submitted by Robert Wiggett | A third person action narrative about using music to break the conformist regime of silence and giving people a voice to self expression.
Thought Crime submitted by Solomon Inyang | A cyberpunk hacking simulation game about hacking into a mind-controlling social media network and instigating an uprising by spreading dissenting thoughts.
What Do You Want? submitted by Leah King | Explore and escape a simulation to discover the truth it hides.
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Canberra may be small, but it has a thriving game development scene. CanDev supports and brings together this diverse community to share knowledge, showcase projects, playtest games, share constructive feedback, and create conversations, connections and opportunities for making better games.
CanDev launched on 16 April 2014 with Canberra's first Pizza and Pixels game developer networking and playtesting meetup and has since become the primary game development industry community group in Canberra.
Online membership has grown to over 800 members, with regular meetups drawing between 40 and 90 attendees, including students, hobbyists, industry professionals, studio heads and developers from emerging and well known studios, as well as playtesters and industry supporters.
SEE WEBSITE HERE -
Jarrod Farquhar-Nicol is a multi-award-winning contributor to the Australian game development industry, primarily known as the President of CanDev and Games Administrator at Screen Canberra. Jarrod has worked on digital titles including Ascending Inferno and ACT Fast, as well as releasing various tabletop games. For over a decade, Jarrod has supported numerous teams across Australia by providing feedback and consultancy in the areas of playtesting, narrative, game design, business, events and community management.
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Chris Arneil is the Digital Games Curator at the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, where he leads the development and preservation of the nation’s collection of digital games and related materials. His work centres on safeguarding Australia’s playable media heritage and supporting research into the country’s game-making history. Chris has presented at conferences in Australia and overseas on game preservation, curation practice, and the cultural value of interactive media, and collaborates widely with developers, scholars, and collecting institutions.
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Ruqiyah Patel is an award-winning independent narrative game designer based in Canberra. Under the studio name ub4q Ruqiyah designs, directs, programs, and writes innovative narrative games with a small group of collaborators. Her work centres on interactive fiction and branching narratives with a focus on characters and relationships. Her 2023 game Amarantus received Screen Canberra funding and was critically acclaimed, receiving multiple awards. Ruqiyah has spoken at national game development events and was nominated for the Writing + Narrative Game Dev Hero award in the UK in 2020. For the past four years she has been involved with CanDev as a co-organiser and presently serves as Vice President.
Presented by CanDev in partnership with the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia and supported by ACT Government City of Design funding
Images | Pizza and Pixels Event 2026 | Photography by Cassie Abraham