To celebrate the opening of the groundbreaking exhibition Code Breakers, join us for a discussion with some of the top female critics, developers, designers and artists.

Hosted by actor, director and author, Stephanie ‘Hex’ Bendixsen, Breaking the Code featured makers Nicole Stark and Brooke Maggs and leading games expert Dr Helen Stuckey as they dived into their artistic and technical processes and insider advice for breaking into the games industry.

Featuring live gameplay from works featured in the exhibition including The Gardens Between and Ninja Pizza Girl, the panel delved into the creative inspiration behind these boundary pushing games and characters, from a kick-ass ninja pizza delivery girl to time-travelling adventurers.

Stephanie Bendixsen (known by her gamer tag ‘Hex’) is an Australian video game critic and television presenter, well known for her presenting role for ABCTV’s Good Game and its companion show for younger gamers, Good Game: Spawn Point.

Nicole Stark entered the games industry during the formative years of Krome Studios working on their first PS2 title, Sunny Garcia Surfing. She worked as the entire character department on Barbie Ice Skating. In 2011 she formed Disparity Games with her husband Jason Stark, developing the multi award-winning Ninja Pizza Girl.

Brooke Maggs is a writer, researcher, and a narrative and game designer. Her area of research is in the importance of games and play in creative writing practice and the intersections between traditional and digital storytelling. Brooke's current projects include The Gardens Between and Earthlight.

Dr Helen Stuckey is a media arts curator and researcher with extensive experience in exhibition research and development. She is Program Manager of Games at RMIT, Melbourne. Helen was a member of the Curatorial Advisory Committee that assisted ACMI in the development of Code Breakers.

Event Notes

1:39 The assumptions women game makers faceNicole Stark “I will never be one of the guys”Brooke Maggs “Its assumed women play a certain type of games”Stephanie Bendixsen “Women don’t want to play games they don’t see themselves represented well in. It’s great to see a more confident shift with women working in games to change that.”Helen Stuckey “Games that women enjoy don’t sell. It’s a myth”4:40 What the industry used to look like?6:52 What games got you hooked and when did you realise you could make a career out of it?10:03 What have been the most significant changes in the industry?23:00 How the games and game makers were selected for the exhibition Code Breakers?25:11 What does an exhibition like Code Breakers mean for the industry?31:47 The inspiration for The Garden’s Between38:50 The themes in Ninja Pizza Girl42:20 What do you love about making indie games?44:11 What are the big developments that have come out of the Australian indie industry?46:35 What they’re working on now?48:50 How have developments in technology impacted how you make games?49:50 Where would you like the industry to go in the future?51:40 What games are you playing now?52:50 What have been your fxxx yeah this is why I persevere moments?54:30 What is the best way for young people to get into the industry?56:30 How do you navigate difficulties in the workplace?58:00 Do you see new tropes on women arising?1:04:30 How important is accessibility in getting indie games out to a wider audience?1:08:50 Degree vs portfolio – what is more useful to get a job?