Chipzel | Tell Me What to Feel Playtopia 2026-05-02 | Chipzel looks at the creative process and the lunacy of humane work, sharing their experience of over 13 years of the Industry (both Video Games and Music) and all the beauty and chaos that comes with it. We’ll look at the importance of real, authentic, grassroots community and the ways that it’s being manufactured against us. We’ll examine the tools that shape our delusions and how the limitations of the machine have inspired every classic title we know and love. And in this godforsaken era of AI and global instability we’ll take a breather to appreciate the synergy we’ve had with our tools, to appreciate where we are now and how we got here. It is time to pause and re-evaluate as a collective. To create is to exist within the madness of your own delusions and every finished work is the result of what we wanted vs what was possible. With every new project comes an influx of emotions; anticipation, hope, stress, excitement and with every new dream comes fear. Every new form of communication unsettles the psyche and every influx of commerce in art creates instability. We can love the machine and hate the system.Chipzel is a BAFTA nominated, award winning Producer, Sound Designer and Composer from Northern Ireland. Chipzel comes from an internet subculture of tinkerers, makers and curious creatives known as Chiptune which has roots in the first computer art movement known as the Demoscene. A recognised pioneer of the Chiptune scene, Chipzel’s prolific musical career has seen her touring the world, bringing her acclaimed sound across the globe. With multiple studio albums, over a decade of countless, beloved original Videogame Scores and iconic performances, Chipzel is best loved for her idiosyncratic original works including Super Hexagon, Spectra and quiz game inspired favourite, Dicey Dungeons.Playtopia is Africa’s first annual destination Indie Games & Immersive Arts festival and conference. It is a gathering of South African and global creators and players, where we celebrate the African scene. A place for people to come together to share ideas, connect across continents and disciplines, and to exhibit work.Recording by DPK productions: https://dpk.co.za/Find out more about Playtopia: https://www.playtopiafestival.co.zaFollow our Instagram: instagram.com/playtopia_festSign up for our newsletter: playtopiafestival.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a7519a3c437d815c73706457d&id=89538b8298Want to speak at Playtopia 2026? Submit your talk here: https://forms.gle/rZEawSQKcBR3eKXG6
Succeeding on Steam | Kacper Szymczak Playtopia 2026-09-03 | Kacper Szymczak explains how the Steam User Score is predictable and manageable. Their track record improved from an average of 75% to an average of 94% positive. By carefully focusing on aspects that affect the User Score, you can boost your chances of receiving positive reviews and avoid common negative review pitfalls. Some features impact the User Score more than others. Kacper shares the lessons they learned and help you achieve similar results.Kacper is the CEO of Artificer, a Devolver Digital Group studio. Creative Director of MINOS, Sumerian Six, Showgunners; Lead Designer of Phantom Doctrine and Hard West; a game designer with 20 years of industry experience.Playtopia is Africa’s first annual destination Indie Games & Immersive Arts festival and conference. It is a gathering of South African and global creators and players, where we celebrate the African scene. A place for people to come together to share ideas, connect across continents and disciplines, and to exhibit work.recording by DPK productions: https://dpk.co.za/Find out more about Playtopia: https://www.playtopiafestival.co.zaFollow our Instagram: instagram.com/playtopia_festSign up for our newsletter: playtopiafestival.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a7519a3c437d815c73706457d&id=89538b8298Want to speak at Playtopia 2026? Submit your talk here: https://forms.gle/rZEawSQKcBR3eKXG6
Finding A Hit Game | Richard Bolland Playtopia 2026-08-27 | Richard Bolland and his studio, as well as many other game developers in Cape Town, have been making game prototypes in the hope that one of them finds success. Over 48 games are uploaded to Steam every day. What does it take to make a hit game and what's the best strategy to finding success? Richard will present key info from prototypes that have found success and help equip game devs to up their chances at making a hit game.After studying advertising and multimedia, Richard has been involved in animation & gaming across all spectrums, from creating visual effects for some of South Africa’s top commercials, to directing, designing and animating over 15 gaming prototypes. He founded the studio in 2014 and has played a vital role in overseeing the creative output, especially the inclusion of indie game development in 2023. From a management perspective, Richard has always sought good governance, money management and focused on building a team that has fun together as much as it works well together.Playtopia is Africa’s first annual destination Indie Games & Immersive Arts festival and conference. It is a gathering of South African and global creators and players, where we celebrate the African scene. A place for people to come together to share ideas, connect across continents and disciplines, and to exhibit work.recording by DPK productions: https://dpk.co.za/Find out more about Playtopia: https://www.playtopiafestival.co.zaFollow our Instagram: instagram.com/playtopia_festSign up for our newsletter: playtopiafestival.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a7519a3c437d815c73706457d&id=89538b8298Want to speak at Playtopia 2026? Submit your talk here: https://forms.gle/rZEawSQKcBR3eKXG6
Seagull Producers are real (and bad) | Marie Vilain Playtopia 2026-08-19 | Marie Vilain asks, what are "Seagull" managers? While the term might not be familiar, many might have encountered them during their career, or even unknowingly been one. In this talk, she draws on 8 years of experience across 6 different video game companies to share stories and insights about working with “Seagulls”: those who fly in suddenly, scream at you, cause chaos, and leave the team to clean up the mess. She'll use a little "indie game studio simulation" where the audience picks among a couple cards with random scenarios happening, to analyze common situations (all real life examples). The goal is to efficiently identify this type of management and equip producers and teams with a toolkit to manage, cohabit, and ideally “tame” the seagulls. The goal is also to offer practical advice for leaders looking to avoid becoming a Seagull and to become a trusted and assertive manager.Growing up, Marie could never pick between studying tech and art, so games turned out to be a perfect intersection. After high school, she went straight into game-making education with a bachelor's in game design and programming and a master's in project management for games. She has since been a part of lots of different game projects as a Producer and taught project management to game design students for several years. Her favourite part of the job is being a facilitator and cheerleader and getting to witness all the wonderful things the team creates, while taming the chaos a little bit. She’s been told she has way too many crafts, hobbies, and interests, but somehow persists in collecting more of those, as well as colorful tattoos and fox-themed items.Playtopia is Africa’s first annual destination Indie Games & Immersive Arts festival and conference. It is a gathering of South African and global creators and players, where we celebrate the African scene. A place for people to come together to share ideas, connect across continents and disciplines, and to exhibit work.Recording by DPK productions: https://dpk.co.za/Find out more about Playtopia: https://www.playtopiafestival.co.zaFollow our Instagram: instagram.com/playtopia_festSign up for our newsletter: playtopiafestival.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a7519a3c437d815c73706457d&id=89538b8298Want to speak at Playtopia 2026? Submit your talk here: https://forms.gle/rZEawSQKcBR3eKXG6
Filling the emptiness is hard | Jon Keevy Playtopia 2026-08-13 | Jon Keevy has always been known for his peculiar imagination. Turns out it was undiagnosed mental illness, but that's not what this talk is really about. This talk is really about making sense of worlds that don't exist by discovering the wonder of the one that does. It's about using research and fantasy to fuel creativity. And it's about the enormous horrible incredible dull task of living between what is and what isn't.Jon Keevy is a writer who dabbles in a bit of everything. He’s written about a dozen plays (he’s bad at keeping track) from serious solo shows to raunchy sketch comedies, he’s done a handful of short films, and spent half-a-year writing an Africana-inspired fantasy novel about rebels and sentient plants – The Unwoven Warrior, out in 2025. Probably his most widely known achievement so far was writing the script for Free Live’s Genital Jousting… a game about a squishy penis searching for love and meaning. The story was even nominated for an international award. Weird, given the protagonist.Playtopia is Africa’s first annual destination Indie Games & Immersive Arts festival and conference. It is a gathering of South African and global creators and players, where we celebrate the African scene. A place for people to come together to share ideas, connect across continents and disciplines, and to exhibit work.recording by DPK productions: https://dpk.co.za/Find out more about Playtopia: https://www.playtopiafestival.co.zaFollow our Instagram: instagram.com/playtopia_festSign up for our newsletter: playtopiafestival.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a7519a3c437d815c73706457d&id=89538b8298Want to speak at Playtopia 2026? Submit your talk here: https://forms.gle/rZEawSQKcBR3eKXG6
So what, produce it yourself | Bridie Roman Playtopia 2026-08-06 | Bridie Roman gives tips for a smoother development cycle for small teams that don't have a full time spreadsheet and Jira nerd.Bridie is a Senior Producer at Devolver Digital working on a variety of games, some of which have even been released (The Talos Principle 2, Stick it to the Stickman). She is responsible for bringing people together to organise the release of a game, working closely with her developers to ensure that the team feels supported, and has everything they need to make a great game.This often involves a lot of time looking at Spreadsheets or Jira. Playtopia is Africa’s first annual destination Indie Games & Immersive Arts festival and conference. It is a gathering of South African and global creators and players, where we celebrate the African scene. A place for people to come together to share ideas, connect across continents and disciplines, and to exhibit work.recording by DPK productions: https://dpk.co.za/Find out more about Playtopia: https://www.playtopiafestival.co.zaFollow our Instagram: instagram.com/playtopia_festSign up for our newsletter: playtopiafestival.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a7519a3c437d815c73706457d&id=89538b8298Want to speak at Playtopia 2026? Submit your talk here: https://forms.gle/rZEawSQKcBR3eKXG6
Aaron Abt talks about vertical and horizontal slices in game development at Playtopia Festival 2025 Playtopia 2026-08-03 | ...
Building tools for Tech Art | Homolang Marule Playtopia 2026-07-29 | Homolang Marule reflects on his experience as a Technical Artist working in a still-emerging games industry, where he has frequently had to recreate similar shaders, VFX systems, editor tools, and HLSL scripts across different projects. Despite variations in workflows and genres, he has identified recurring patterns and shared starting points in these processes.In response, he has begun developing a flexible suite of tools designed to support his own practice, as well as start-ups and teams working in rapid prototyping environments. This suite aims to streamline setup time and allow for greater focus on refinement and iteration. His work brings these insights together into a consolidated resource, contributing to the broader knowledge base available to technical artists.Homolang Marule is a Technical Artist who specializes in solving cross-disciplinary challenges while developing tools that support both art direction and production workflows. His work often sits at the intersection of VFX, programming, render pipelines, and visual art, where he focuses on delivering innovative solutions that bring creative visions to life.He has a strong belief that art direction and stylization play a more significant role in a game’s visual appeal than realism. His skill set spans custom lighting, editor and design tools, water simulations, experimental pixel styles, hybrid 2D/3D shading, Niagara systems, particle effects, VFX graphs, and HLSL. Alongside his technical expertise, he places a strong emphasis on game design, using it as a foundational pillar that shapes the feel and impact of his work.Playtopia is Africa’s first annual destination Indie Games & Immersive Arts festival and conference. It is a gathering of South African and global creators and players, where we celebrate the African scene. A place for people to come together to share ideas, connect across continents and disciplines, and to exhibit work.recording by DPK productions: https://dpk.co.za/Find out more about Playtopia: https://www.playtopiafestival.co.zaFollow our Instagram: instagram.com/playtopia_festSign up for our newsletter: playtopiafestival.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a7519a3c437d815c73706457d&id=89538b8298Want to speak at Playtopia 2026? Submit your talk here: https://forms.gle/rZEawSQKcBR3eKXG6
Your prototype is ugly! Gryff David speaking at Playtopia Festival 2025 #indiedev #art Playtopia 2026-07-23 | ...
The Vertical and the Horizontal Slice of Henry Halfhead | Aaron Abt Playtopia 2026-07-22 | In this talk, Aaron Abt shares how creating a vertical and horizontal slice helped the team to prototype and validate both the moment to moment experience as well as the overarching narrative of Henry Halfhead. Henry Halfhead is a quirky sandbox adventure game about an odd little character with the ability to become any object within their reach. Players discover and experiment with all the objects' properties and use them to take Henry through their not-so-ordinary everyday life. The game’s sandboxy levels are explored along a linear story, following Henry’s life from child- to adulthood to their senior days and focusing on the topic of play and curiosity in life. Henry Halfhead was developed by the Swiss indie studio Lululu Entertainment and has just been released in September 2025 after four years of part-time development.Aaron Abt is a game designer from Zurich, Switzerland. After graduating from the Zurich Universities of the Arts in 2019, he co-founded Lululu Entertainment with two friends from the studies. As part of Lululu Entertainment, he helped to create their debut game “Bamerang” and their recently released second game “Henry Halfhead”. Besides the work at Lululu he designed and developed VR and AR experiences at the digital agency Ateo.Playtopia is Africa’s first annual destination Indie Games & Immersive Arts festival and conference. It is a gathering of South African and global creators and players, where we celebrate the African scene. A place for people to come together to share ideas, connect across continents and disciplines, and to exhibit work.recording by DPK productions: https://dpk.co.za/Find out more about Playtopia: https://www.playtopiafestival.co.zaFollow our Instagram: instagram.com/playtopia_festSign up for our newsletter: playtopiafestival.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a7519a3c437d815c73706457d&id=89538b8298Want to speak at Playtopia 2026? Submit your talk here: https://forms.gle/rZEawSQKcBR3eKXG6
Your Prototype is Ugly | Gryff David Playtopia 2026-07-15 | Gryff David discusses how to make better prototypes quicker and better looking. Chasing the intersection between achieveable and quick, but still having an aesthetic that *serves gameplay* without wasting time.Gryff David is a 33 year old game developer from South Africa. He started off making simple games in Game Maker as a kid and eventually landed his job at 24 Bit Games where he's had the opportunity to work on some great games professionally. He still make games in his own time with a particular passion for emergent gameplay and rapid prototyping.Playtopia is Africa’s first annual destination Indie Games & Immersive Arts festival and conference. It is a gathering of South African and global creators and players, where we celebrate the African scene. A place for people to come together to share ideas, connect across continents and disciplines, and to exhibit work.Recording by DPK productions: https://dpk.co.za/Find out more about Playtopia: https://www.playtopiafestival.co.zaFollow our Instagram: instagram.com/playtopia_festSign up for our newsletter: playtopiafestival.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a7519a3c437d815c73706457d&id=89538b8298Want to speak at Playtopia 2026? Submit your talk here: https://forms.gle/rZEawSQKcBR3eKXG6
Leia French speaking about resisting Techno Fascism with games at Playtopia Festival 2025 Playtopia 2026-07-14 | ...
Resisting Techno Fascism with Games | Leia French Playtopia 2026-07-08 | Leia French argues that our world today is dominated by techno-fascism – led by figures like Musk, Zuckerberg and Bezos; Trump, Putin and Netanyahu. Techno-fascists weaponize advanced technology, corporate power and surveillance to centralise authority, entrench control and silence dissent. Manipulating democratic processes, they strip away our fundamental rights and freedoms. They profit from war, resource plundering, repression, and division. Primed to immerse and persuade, games can often mirror this dominant order – and may unwittingly serve to naturalise it. They can glorify militarism, normalize surveillance and reinforce exclusionary narratives like sexism, racism and xenophobia. They can legitimize capitalist accumulation and domination through gamified colonization, looting and mining. But just as games can reflect dominant ideologies, they can also be used to subvert them. Games offer spaces for alternative storytelling, critical reflection and resistance. This talk explores the ways in which video games can re-imagine a more just and humane future, spark resistance and ignite active political participation in the real world. In this regard, it puts forward a design framework for transformative games that aims to challenge the dominant order and reclaim the possibility of a more free and just world – without sacrificing player enjoyment.Leia French is a South African Unity developer and junior writer at Spooky Doorway. She is deeply passionate about narrative games, viewing storytelling as a powerful way to reimagine the world. For her, games offer players the opportunity to step into others’ perspectives, providing insight into identity, experience, and social positioning. Leia completed her MA in Game Design with a focus on how narrative games can be designed for social change without compromising player enjoyment. Through her studies, she explored how games, as cultural artefacts, often reflect dominant ideologies—sometimes unintentionally reinforcing themes such as militarism, capitalist accumulation, colonization, and exclusionary narratives including racism, sexism, and xenophobia. At the same time, she recognizes the potential for games to challenge and subvert these structures. In her own work, she remains attentive to the values she embeds in her games, and to the audiences they serve.Playtopia is Africa’s first annual destination Indie Games & Immersive Arts festival and conference. It is a gathering of South African and global creators and players, where we celebrate the African scene. A place for people to come together to share ideas, connect across continents and disciplines, and to exhibit work.recording by DPK productions: https://dpk.co.za/Find out more about Playtopia: https://www.playtopiafestival.co.zaFollow our Instagram: instagram.com/playtopia_festSign up for our newsletter: playtopiafestival.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a7519a3c437d815c73706457d&id=89538b8298Want to speak at Playtopia 2026? Submit your talk here: https://forms.gle/rZEawSQKcBR3eKXG6
Seth Smith speaking on how to build an amazing community - at Playtopia Festival 2025 Playtopia 2026-07-06 | ...
Creating connection across Digital and IRL Spaces | Seth Smith Playtopia 2026-07-01 | Seth Smith explores the journey of crafting community-oriented spaces across digital and IRL spaces that foster a greater sense of well-being, engagement, belonging, and meaningful connection. Drawing on experiences in gaming, conventions, activations, and hybrid events, this talk will demonstrate how to build community, establish foundational value pillars, and cultivate trust across diverse platforms, regions, and cultures.By blending theory, real-world examples, and actionable insights, this session reveals how creators can harness the power of community to design inclusive, enduring, and impactful experiences that unite people across digital and physical spaces. Seth S. Smith is a Trinbagonian-American writer and game designer who champions diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging through art, entertainment, and technology. As an independent game designer, he creates immersive worlds and experiences that authentically reflect faith and celebrate the richness of cultures across the world, while designing systems that foster healthy player-to-player interactions. He is the founder, curator, and moderator of www.helloworldmixer.com, an inclusive social mixer for anyone seeking to support representation and connection in tech and entertainment. Seth is also the founder, creative director, and resident DJ of @dreambashworld, a vibrant, empowering space for eclectic fans of Afrobeats, Amapiano, Soca, Dancehall, R&B, Hip Hop, gaming, anime, cosplay, and art. As the DJ and music artist SNDSMTH, Seth blends elements from diverse art forms and experiences to craft unforgettable, immersive vibes in every medium he engages with.Through his work, Seth designs and curates experiences that bring communities together, amplify underrepresented voices, and create meaningful connections across digital and real-world spaces.Playtopia is Africa’s first annual destination Indie Games & Immersive Arts festival and conference. It is a gathering of South African and global creators and players, where we celebrate the African scene. A place for people to come together to share ideas, connect across continents and disciplines, and to exhibit work.Recording by DPK productions: https://dpk.co.za/Find out more about Playtopia: https://www.playtopiafestival.co.za Follow our Instagram: instagram.com/playtopia_festSign up for our newsletter: playtopiafestival.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a7519a3c437d815c73706457d&id=89538b8298Want to speak at Playtopia 2026? Submit your talk here: https://forms.gle/rZEawSQKcBR3eKXG6
Patrick LeMieux and Stephanie Boluk | Hands Free A History of Accessible Alt Ctrls Playtopia 2026-06-24 | Patrick LeMieux and Stephanie Boluk talk about VR headsets, dual thumbsticks, mice and keyboards, smartphone screens—standard interfaces structure the way we design games and the way we play games, from the earliest project pitches to a product’s advertising platforms. But what if instead of “universal” designs targeting generic technologies and normative players, games were made for specific people with specific bodies and specific ways of playing? This presentation begins with a brisk survey of the history of hands-free videogame interfaces—from Reg Maling’s POSSUM in 1961 to Ken Yankelevitz’s QuadStick in 1981 to Microsoft’s Adaptive Controller in 2018—before comparing and contrasting two devices that articulate two different design philosophies: Nintendo's NES Hands Free and the Octopad. Rather than thinking about accessibility as a single-player problem, these controllers engage the social, political, and environmental aspects of videogames to change the way we play.Patrick LeMieux is a media artist, game designer, and associate professor in the Cinema and Digital Media Department at the University of California, Davis. His research and teaching engage game studies, media theory, and art practice to explore the material practices and community histories of play, from speedrunning and esports to installation art and alternative control. Alongside writing, his art and games have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, from the Smithsonian Museum of American Art and MoMA PS1 to Babycastles and BarSK. He is the producer of Every Game in This City, a podcast on the Idle Thumbs Network, and is currently developing a series of small metagames like Triforce, a topological transformation of The Legend of Zelda, and the Octopad, an eight-player controller for the Nintendo Entertainment System. For more information visit http://patrick-lemieux.com.Stephanie Boluk is an associate professor who plays, makes, and writes about games in the English Department and Cinema and Digital Media Department at University of California, Davis. Her work incorporates game studies, media theory, and political economy to explore the relationship between leisure and labor in the post-2008 global economy. She is the co-author of Metagaming: Playing, Competing, Spectating, Trading, Making, and Breaking Videogames (2017) with Patrick LeMieux and co-editor of The Electronic Literature Collection, Vol. 3 (2016). She has published articles in numerous venues ranging from Digital Humanities Quarterly, ROMChip and Leonardo Electronic Almanac to Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies and Extrapolation. For more information see http://stephanieboluk.com.Playtopia is Africa’s first annual destination Indie Games & Immersive Arts festival and conference. It is a gathering of South African and global creators and players, where we celebrate the African scene. A place for people to come together to share ideas, connect across continents and disciplines, and to exhibit work.recording by DPK productions: https://dpk.co.za/Find out more about Playtopia: https://www.playtopiafestival.co.zaFollow our Instagram: instagram.com/playtopia_festSign up for our newsletter: playtopiafestival.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a7519a3c437d815c73706457d&id=89538b8298Want to speak at Playtopia 2026? Submit your talk here: https://forms.gle/rZEawSQKcBR3eKXG6
Ammaarah Noormohamed speaking at Playtopia Festival 2025 #indiedev #gaming Playtopia 2026-06-17 | ...
Ammaarah Noormohamed | How I figured out what I want to be when I grow up Playtopia 2026-06-17 | Ammaarah Noormohamed presents a playful and unconventional talk that replaces traditional slides with a custom-designed game, transforming the session into an interactive and gameful experience.Through this format, she reflects on her journey toward becoming an experience designer, tracing how she came to understand her place within the game design industry. The talk explores the influence of her diverse background—including chemical engineering and photography—in shaping her current path. More than a conventional presentation, the talk is itself a designed experience, embodying her approach and philosophy as an experience designer.Ammaarah began her journey as an aspiring chemical engineer, but soon realised that she wanted to focus on more creative exploits. This led her to pursue a degree in Digital Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand, where she later stayed on as a tutor and Master's student. Her academic research focused on thematic integration in board game design — exploring how mechanics and theme can work in harmony to create a unique experience.Though no longer in academia, she briefly lectured an Android development course at Vega before transitioning into the games industry. She now works as a QA tester at 24 Bit Games, steadily carving out her path toward the title she feels most drawn to: experience designer. Ammaarah is also part of the current team behind the Campus Game Jam.Playtopia is Africa’s first annual destination Indie Games & Immersive Arts festival and conference. It is a gathering of South African and global creators and players, where we celebrate the African scene. A place for people to come together to share ideas, connect across continents and disciplines, and to exhibit work.recording by DPK productions: https://dpk.co.za/Find out more about Playtopia: https://www.playtopiafestival.co.zaFollow our Instagram: instagram.com/playtopia_festSign up for our newsletter: playtopiafestival.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a7519a3c437d815c73706457d&id=89538b8298Want to speak at Playtopia 2026? Submit your talk here: https://forms.gle/rZEawSQKcBR3eKXG6
Ryan Ike | How Not To Work in Game Audio Playtopia 2026-06-17 | Ryan Ike believes that there is no shortage of advice on how to begin a career as a composer or sound designer in the game industry. The problem is that much of that advice varies so wildly that it’s hard to tell what’s useful. Ask any two audio professionals how you should structure your first contract, or what software is truly necessary to get started, and you can expect to be met with two starkly different (and sometimes contradicting) answers. There are so many schools of thought on the “right” way to begin your audio career that many of us find ourselves lost and overwhelmed before we even start.This talk will help burgeoning composers and sound designers get their careers off on the right foot by instead focusing on what to avoid when beginning your journey into the world of game audio. We’ll discuss what’s not necessary so that you can focus on what’s actually important: finding a career path that works for you, adapted to your specific needs and skillset.Ryan Ike is a two-time BAFTA-nominated composer with over twelve years of experience making music for indie games. He's written for award winning projects like West of Loathing, Where the Water Tastes Like Wine, and Wizard With a Gun, and collaborated with developers and musicians from across the globe. His work covers a variety of genres, from jazz and American folk music, to synthwave, chamber music, and more. While he primarily writes for video games, his music has also been featured in short films, commercials, and the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C.When not making audio, Ryan is likely preparing talks and online content on how to navigate the game industry. He’s spoken at dozens of events–including PAX West in Seattle, The Edinburgh Game Symposium, and the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco–where he’s given talks designed to help people start or further their work in games, with an emphasis on emotional and mental health.Playtopia is Africa’s first annual destination Indie Games & Immersive Arts festival and conference. It is a gathering of South African and global creators and players, where we celebrate the African scene. A place for people to come together to share ideas, connect across continents and disciplines, and to exhibit work.recording by DPK productions: https://dpk.co.za/Find out more about Playtopia: https://www.playtopiafestival.co.zaFollow our Instagram: instagram.com/playtopia_festSign up for our newsletter: playtopiafestival.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a7519a3c437d815c73706457d&id=89538b8298Want to speak at Playtopia 2026? Submit your talk here: https://forms.gle/rZEawSQKcBR3eKXG6
Dean Gichukie | Africa To the World Playtopia 2026-06-03 | Dean Gichukie offer a practical session on how Africa’s music and film industries broke into the global stage — and what game developers can learn from them. Discover how Afrobeats, Amapiano, Bongo and Nollywood built local roots with global reach & revenue.Dean Gichukie is a creative industry professional. He is a storyteller & builder, specializing in the creation, production and distribution of creative content like music, games, film, Esports & TV.He is currently the CEO & Game Producer at Kunta Content. Kunta Content is an African game studio. Their vision is to make great African games. Kunta Content is currently working on HIRU a Maasai-inspired 3D Video Game for consoles & PC. They have signed groundbreaking partnerships with Minecraft, Xbox & Microsoft as one of the few studios to do so. We have also received support from Ubisoft, Epic Games & Steam. Playtopia is Africa’s first annual destination Indie Games & Immersive Arts festival and conference. It is a gathering of South African and global creators and players, where we celebrate the African scene. A place for people to come together to share ideas, connect across continents and disciplines, and to exhibit work.Recording by DPK productions: https://dpk.co.za/Find out more about Playtopia: https://www.playtopiafestival.co.zaFollow our Instagram: instagram.com/playtopia_festSign up for our newsletter: playtopiafestival.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a7519a3c437d815c73706457d&id=89538b8298Want to speak at Playtopia 2026? Submit your talk here: https://forms.gle/rZEawSQKcBR3eKXG6
CALLING ALL INDIE GAME DEVS! 🎮 Playtopia 2026-05-26 | Submissions for Playtopia 2026 are officially OPEN! If you want toto have your game shown at Africa's greatest indie games & immersive arts festival, this is your moment!Hit the link in our bio to apply now.#Playtopia2026
Meg Clarke | How to be a Critic Even When You Feel Like a Fraud Playtopia 2026-05-22 | Meg Clarke asks "When your feedback has the power to alter creative projects and teams, how do you build confidence and stay true when your inner saboteur has its grip on your innards?" Meg explores imposter syndrome, losing your creative voice and coping mechanisms in this talk about what it means to be a “failed creative” making big decisions.Meg currently scouts for the British games label Team17, helping indie developers secure support and funding for their games as well as providing feedback on ideas and prototypes. They have been working in games for over a decade with a wildly varied CV working across games audio, project investment, events; following creative opportunities and turning their hand to any craft that sounds interesting and not too techy. They have been credited on titles such as Dragons Dogma 2, Demon’s Souls, Forza Horizon 5, Anno1800 and plenty of indie gems.Playtopia is Africa’s first annual destination Indie Games & Immersive Arts festival and conference. It is a gathering of South African and global creators and players, where we celebrate the African scene. A place for people to come together to share ideas, connect across continents and disciplines, and to exhibit work.recording by DPK productions: https://dpk.co.za/Find out more about Playtopia: https://www.playtopiafestival.co.zaFollow our Instagram: instagram.com/playtopia_festSign up for our newsletter: playtopiafestival.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a7519a3c437d815c73706457d&id=89538b8298Want to speak at Playtopia 2026? Submit your talk here: https://forms.gle/rZEawSQKcBR3eKXG6
Khumo Moerane | Do South Africans Know We Make Games Playtopia 2026-05-15 | Khumo Moerane’s talk centres on a simple but important question: how South African game developers can inspire local audiences to connect with and take pride in their own games industry.He highlights the current challenge that many South Africans are largely unaware that a local games industry exists, especially in contrast to sectors like music, fashion, and sport, which have successfully captured the national imagination. Drawing on these comparisons, he explores what game developers can learn about building connection, recognition, and loyalty within their own country. Rather than definitive answers, Khumo frames the talk as a starting point for meaningful conversation. He invites developers, artists, storytellers, and studios to reflect, listen, and collaborate—working together to grow the visibility and appreciation of the local games scene, with the hope that one day it will be widely recognized and celebrated by South Africans.Khumo Moerane is a passionate advocate for creating video games that centre South African heroes and stories, while contributing to the growth of employment opportunities within the local games industry. As the Studio Head of Disputed People Video Games, he leads a team focused on developing engaging games for both local and global audiences. He holds an MSc in Video Game Enterprise, Production and Design from Birmingham City University and is currently a PhD candidate at Stellenbosch University. His doctoral research explores how South African-made games can function as decolonial spaces for identity formation and representation, as well as how Africanfuturism can inform the development of distinctly African-focused genres in video games. With over 20 years of experience as a senior graphic designer, Khumo has received international recognition for his work, including a Promax International Bronze award and a Promax Africa Silver award for design work created for a major South African television channel.Playtopia is Africa’s first annual destination Indie Games & Immersive Arts festival and conference. It is a gathering of South African and global creators and players, where we celebrate the African scene. A place for people to come together to share ideas, connect across continents and disciplines, and to exhibit work.recording by DPK productions: https://dpk.co.za/Find out more about Playtopia: https://www.playtopiafestival.co.zaFollow our Instagram: instagram.com/playtopia_festSign up for our newsletter: playtopiafestival.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a7519a3c437d815c73706457d&id=89538b8298Want to speak at Playtopia 2026? Submit your talk here: https://forms.gle/rZEawSQKcBR3eKXG6
Our call for volunteers is now open! Playtopia 2026-05-05 | Become a member of the Playtopia family and help us build this year's festival. Apply on our website!
🕹️8 crazy alternative controller games made over an 8 hour game jam. Playtopia 2026-04-23 | The Super Friendship Arcade crew were on fire over our last game jam, creating 8 radical new games and custom controllers.Can’t wait to playtest these new creations at our next arcade. Details about that at the end of the video!💖
Iris Compiet | Crafting an Authentic Career Playtopia 2026-04-22 | Award-winning watercolour artist Iris Compiet traces her career path, its ups and downs, and her current trajectory. Discussing the importance of authenticity in your art.Iris Compiet is a traditional artist and Illustrator from the Netherlands. She is the illustrator of The Dark Crystal Bestiary, winner of the 2020 Jack Gaughan Award for Best Emerging Artist, and a 2020 nominee for the Chesley Award for Best Gaming Related Illustration. She is the illustrator of The Star Wars Bestiary vol1, The Labyrinth Bestiary, and most recently, winner of the 2021 Chesley Award for Best Interior Art for The Dark Crystal. Iris’s work has appeared in numerous publications including Spectrum, Infected by Art, ImagineFX, and 3D Total. Some of her other clients include Wizards of the Coast and Netflix, and her art has appeared in publications around the world. In her recent work Faeries of the Faultlines Iris guides readers through a world of fantastical creatures from beyond the veil.Playtopia is Africa’s first annual destination Indie Games & Immersive Arts festival and conference. It is a gathering of South African and global creators and players, where we celebrate the African scene. A place for people to come together to share ideas, connect across continents and disciplines, and to exhibit work.recording by DPK productions: https://dpk.co.za/Find out more about Playtopia: https://www.playtopiafestival.co.zaFollow our Instagram: instagram.com/playtopia_festSign up for our newsletter: playtopiafestival.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a7519a3c437d815c73706457d&id=89538b8298Want to speak at Playtopia 2026? Submit your talk here: https://forms.gle/rZEawSQKcBR3eKXG6
Zau and Beyond: African Voices in Global Game Development | Abubakar Salim & Marcia Shange Playtopia 2026-04-15 | Actor and game creator Abubakar Salim joins Nyamakop’s Marcia Shange for a conversation on identity, creativity, and leadership in the games industry. From his breakout role in Assassin’s Creed: Origins to the founding of Surgent Studios and the making of Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, Abubakar reflects on how African heritage can shape new kinds of storytelling in games — and what it takes to lead a studio that embodies that vision.Abubakar Salim is the CEO and Creative Director at Surgent Studios. Surgent's BAFTA-winning debut game, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, was released in 2024. Surgent's second title, Dead Take, was released in 2025. A BAFTA nominated actor, Salim's work in games spans Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, Diablo IV, and Assassin’s Creed: Origins in which he played Bayek. He is known for a number of film and television roles as well, including Father in Raised by Wolves and Alyn of Hull in House of the Dragon. In 2020 Salim was chosen as one of BAFTA's Breakthrough Brits and was revealed at the London Games Festival as one of eight industry faces of Games London Ensemble.Marcia Shange is the COO of Nyamakop Games with a background in banking, compliance and Anti-Money Laundering. In a weird turn of events the world of game devs found her and she decided to stay. Her focus is on creating a healthy, inclusive and sustainable working environment that empowers my team to be creative and produce high quality games.Playtopia is Africa’s first annual destination Indie Games & Immersive Arts festival and conference. It is a gathering of South African and global creators and players, where we celebrate the African scene. A place for people to come together to share ideas, connect across continents and disciplines, and to exhibit work.Recording by DPK productions: https://dpk.co.za/Find out more about Playtopia: https://www.playtopiafestival.co.zaFollow our Instagram: instagram.com/playtopia_festSign up for our newsletter: playtopiafestival.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a7519a3c437d815c73706457d&id=89538b8298Want to speak at Playtopia 2026? Submit your talk here: https://forms.gle/rZEawSQKcBR3eKXG6
PLAYTOPIA 2025 | OFFICIAL AFTER MOVIE Playtopia 2026-04-15 | Playtopia is a playground of video games, custom controllers, and immersive art, alongside a summit featuring some of the world’s most exciting game developers sharing their creative processes and perspectives on the industry.This video is a recap of the 2025 festival.Video by: Liam Littonhttps://www.playtopiafestival.co.za
SUPER FRIENDSHIP ARCADE Playtopia 2025-08-12 | Super Friendship Arcade is Cape Town’s own punk games playground — where controllers are anything you can get your hands on, and games are all about joy, laughter, and a little bit of mayhem. SFA is a much-loved part of Playtopia. So come be silly. Bring your friends. Expect the unconventional.
ONE MONTH TO GO Playtopia 2025-07-15 | If you're planning to submit a game or art for Playtopia 2025, you have one more month and we can't wait to see!
SA INDIE DEVS Playtopia 2025-07-08 | We've had some amazing South African games at Playtopia over the years
PRISM Playtopia 2025-06-17 | ‘•. ̧♡ PRISM ♡ ̧.•’ a living, breathing intersection of art and technology seen at Playtopia 2024!
CUBE Playtopia 2025-06-05 | Last year we had CUBE, a stunning mix of visual art and video gaming, by Diana Tinkerbell & Al Campbell. Submit YOUR artwork at the link in bio! #playtopia2025
Apply to be part of the 2025 volunteer team! Playtopia 2025-05-20 | Love Playtopia? Apply to be part of the 2025 volunteer team 🖐️. Playtopia volunteers are the face (and heart) of the festival, fulfilling a wide range of functions. Follow the link for all the details! ➡️ https://f.mtr.cool/sropafftxw
Our Playtopia volunteers are the heart and soul of the festival. Playtopia 2025-05-16 | Our Playtopia volunteers are the heart and soul of the festival.
PLAYTOPIA 2024 | OFFICIAL AFTER MOVIE Playtopia 2025-01-28 | Take a trip down memory lane, to the not so distant past, and relive some highlights from Playtopia 2024.Video by Liam Littoninstagram.com/liam.litton
Playtopia 2023 Playtopia 2024-02-15 | Playtopia 2023 saw Africa and the world gather together to share their passion for Indie Game development and Immersive Arts. Hosted in the most beautiful city in the world, Cape Town, South Africa. Attendees were able to experience the best of African made games as well as highlights of Indie gems from around the world brought to us by Playtopia's latest initiative, Indie Planet. We invited indie festivals from around the world to exhibit their best games of the year enabling locals to experience the highlights of Bitsummit (Japan), Free Play (Australia) and A.Maze (Germany). Devolver Digital brought the fire with their latest releases in the main arcade alongside The Super Friendship Arcade's slew of custom controller made games and over 20 other Indie titles. The conference had a devastating line up of speakers like Paolo Pedercini of Molle Industria, The Devolver Digital publishing team doing a Q&A panel session, Josie Fletcher the CM for Cult of The Lamb, Space Salad studios, Nyambura Waruingi and many many more...12 interactive and immersive art installations, that for the first time saw the participation of international artists as well, were on exhibit for festival goers to experience. See you in 2024! 5-7 DECEMBER at The Homecoming Centre, Cape Town. www.playtopiafestival.co.zaThanks to our sponsors: Devolver Digital, Free Lives, Landfall, Raw Fury, Super Hot, 24Bit Games and Goethe Institute.
PLAYTOPIA MGA 2019 / Indie Games & Immersive Arts festival Playtopia 2020-04-07 | Playtopia MGA is Africa's first annual destination Indie Games & Immersive Arts festival and conference. It is a gathering of the global fraternity of indie game developers, immersive artists and B2B giants to network, collaborate and exhibit the wonderful creations and ideas this industry has to offer. With year 2 now firmly behind us, we look forward to sharing with you Playtopia MGA 2020 plans and innovations!www.playtopia.co.zainfo@playtopia.co.za
Playtopia 2019 TRAILER HQ Playtopia 2019-11-25 | Africa's premier games, immersive arts and music festival! The Castle / Cape Town / 5 - 7 December 2019 www.playtopia.co.za for tickets!
