The Tasmanian government thinks it’s time you learned about the video games the Apple Isle is producing. The Level Up Tasmania Video Game Showcase is exactly what it sounds like — a three-day event that puts a spotlight on a raft of Tasmanian-made games and thrusts them onto the national stage.
The showcase’s announcement comes after a successful year for similar showcases in other states. South Australia’s SAGE held its sophomore event earlier this to great success, and Queensland Games Festival just happened at Brisbane Powerhouse this last weekend. Like those mainland shows, which relied on their state-level Screen body, Level Up Tasmania is run by Screen Tasmania.
Level Up Tasmania was announced by Tasmanian Minister for the Arts Madeleine Ogilvie at the PS5 launch of Party Poppers by local studio Giant Margarita. The showcase will be held at the popular events space Princes Wharf 1 (aka PW1), Hobart, from September 27-29.
“The Tasmanian Government’s 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future includes a $500,000 investment into the Tasmanian game development sector,” said Minister Ogilvie in the press release, “with funding from this going to the Level Up showcase. The funds will also be used to provide grants through Screen Tasmania’s Games Development Program.”
The current round of applications for the Tasmanian Games Development Program closes on July 23. If you’re a dev working in Tassie, get your application in soon. Developers interested in showcasing their game at Level Up Tasmania are encouraged to reach out to Screen Tasmania.
I feel like I’ve said ‘Tasmania’ a lot in this piece, but history has shown that you rarely get to say it at all, especially in relation to video games. Developers working in places like Tasmania and the Northern Territory are consistently overlooked in the conversation about our national games industry. They don’t get showcases. They don’t get conventions. They don’t get coverage. Tasmania, in particular, rarely gets a chance to grab hold of the mic and yell into it like this.
This is a big, big deal for developers battling away in Australia’s southernmost state. I can’t wait to see what they bring to the show. We’ll be there with bells on.
You can read the Minister’s full press release here.
Image: iStock, Kotaku Australia
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