Freeplay was founded in 2004. It started with the vision that games are more than commercial endeavours, they’re weird, personal, expressive: games are art.

What started as a collective of gamemakers with borrowed projectors hanging out in warehouses, has grown to an organiser of world-class, community-driven events that continue to champion experimental gamemaking.

Community organisations like Freeplay typically survive off the blood, sweat and tears of volunteers, supported by piecemeal funding opportunities. The work of running Freeplay events has always been a labour of love often without adequate compensation, leaving burn out and exhaustion in its wake. This is unsustainable and antithetical to Freeplay’s values. But the mission was important, so the work continued and our community grew.

In 2023, things changed. Freeplay received two-year organisational funding from Creative Victoria. This crucial support funded the day-to-day costs of running the organisation and allowed us to hire two phenomenal co-directors - Mads Mackenzie and Louie Roots - part-time. Our hope was that Freeplay was entering a new phase where staff were compensated fairly for their expertise and time. This support was integral to this vision of a more ethical Freeplay.

Last year, Freeplay applied to Creative Victoria’s Creative Enterprises fund. Unfortunately, our application was unsuccessful. This means we do not currently have ongoing funding to support our organisation, and there are no relevant and available opportunities for Freeplay on the horizon. As such, we are unable to continue paying our co-directors a salary to run Freeplay events, and there is no guarantee we can operate beyond 2026. We are currently operating with our volunteer board steering the ship whilst we arrange plans for our slated events this year.

Based on the resources we currently have, Freeplay is likely looking at its last year of operation for the foreseeable future.

We’re disappointed in the outcome and what it implies about how games are currently being prioritised by the Victorian Government. Of the 81 arts organisations supported by Creative Enterprises in the 2026-2029 funding round, none are games/interactive arts organisations.

But this serves as a clear reminder: Freeplay’s original purpose - championing the value of games as an artistic medium - remains relevant. Games are vital to the creative and cultural fabric of Australia and Freeplay has been an unwavering champion of the freakier side of games for 20 years - a home for the experimental, the weird, the heartfelt. We would love to continue for 20 more. Unfortunately, this is feeling increasingly impossible without the support of governments who believe in the art of gamemaking.

We are at a crossroads, considering what this means for Freeplay’s future. Freeplay has been a cornerstone of the Australian games community for over 20 years, and if its time is up, we refuse to let it disappear without a bang.

So, we are considering what this means for Freeplay’s future. Freeplay has been a cornerstone of the Australian games community for over 20 years, and we’re too big to borrow projectors and huddle in the corner of a warehouse with 50 people. Or maybe we’re not…?

To help us decide the best path forward, we would love input from the community. We want to ensure we’re using our remaining resources to deliver events and programs that contribute meaningfully to Australia’s artistic and experimental gamemaking community - as they always have. If you’d like to have a say, you can do so anonymously at the link below.

Also if you know anyone with a heap of money who would like to literally give us that money so we can keep championing Australian experimental gamemaking, that would be incredibly helpful. Love you xx