Digital Dissent – Microgames Showcase
Canberra Game Developers Association
7 + 8 + 14 + 15 November 2026
Location | National Film and Sound Archive, McCoy Circuit, Acton ACT 2601
Opening Hours | Saturday + Sunday | 10.30am-3.30pm
Entry | Free | No bookings required
Access | template, template, template
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
Images | Pizza and Pixels Event 2026 | Photography by Cassie Abraham