Freeplay is an independent games festival that focuses on the creative and artistic side of making games.

It exists to provide opportunities for Victorian and interstate independent developers, educators, and industry practitioners to interact with each other and their audience in an environment designed to stimulate debate, share new ideas, explore theories, and take part in discussions on the creative direction of the medium.

Freeplay is about interesting people doing interesting things. We want to bring together interesting people doing interesting projects, give them an audience, and provide a supportive environment for sharing their experiences.

Freeplay is about creativity. We want to give a wide range of people the chance to explore the creative process of making games.  We also want to pull back the curtain a little bit and give games players a chance to see what goes on behind the scenes – whether as part of established companies or as independents.

Freeplay is about diversity of ideas. We want to bring together people working outside of traditional games development, including film-makers, visual artists, musicians, journalists, academics, and have them take part in interesting, stimulating discussions.

Freeplay is about being independent.  We want to look at options in choosing your own path, in understand the opportunities and challenges of that path.  We want to bring in people who are willing to experiment creatively, who are committed to pushing boundaries and exploring the edges of the medium, even within commercial or cultural constraints.  We want to explore what it means to be an artist, and we want to find the things that remain compelling after years in development hell and that little kernel of brilliance that draws people to games in the first place.

Freeplay is looking at 2009 and beyond. We want to use Freeplay as a community, as a way of connecting people, and as a way of celebrating, developing, and evangelising, the possibilities of the independent sector.

Freeplay was run succesfully in 2004, 2005, and 2007 by Next Wave.  To keep up to date on 2009:

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