Play by Play talks are now LIVE on our channel! youtube.com/playlist?lis... 💫 Catch the talks you couldn't make, or re-live the Play by Play magic 💫 👉 Sign up for our newsletter for more NZGF pānui tinyurl.com/kkfw83pn

So happy we get this energy at Play By Play 🥹

Anna Barham 🔜 NZGDC@annabarham.bsky.social · 5mo ago

I’m in a Play by Play talk by a programmer and I don’t understand a word from it (apart from the analogy about trying to keep your flatmate out of the kitchen) but people are gasping and laughing and man I love my industry. What a bunch of freaking nerds 🥰🥰🥰

🙌 We’re extremely thankful to the New Zealand Game Developers Association for supporting us as a 2026 Pavs event partner! ✨️ NZGDA is a not-for-profit organisation created to support, nurture, and grow our local games industry both inside and outside Aotearoa! 🇳🇿 #NZGamesFest #NZGameDev #NZGF2026

💁 Come along for Sunday Game Day this weekend at the Michael Fowler Centre. There’s heaps of free events to get stuck in at the Michael Fowler Centre! #NZGamesFestival #NZGF2026 #NZGameDev

PB & Jam starts today, marking the start of our 10th Games Fest! 🍰🎉 We encourage anyone to join our free 48 hr game jam! 🫵 We want to see ✨️your✨️unique skills & ideas in a game dev environment! ‼️ Registrations close May 2, 10AM 👉 Participants must be 18+

1️⃣ more sleep until PB & Jam kicks off our 10th games festival! 🎉 Our free, 48 hour Game Jam welcomes all to sign up! 🍞✨️ 🫵 We want to see your unique skills and ideas in a game dev environment! Participants (18+) have 48 hours to work in teams to create a game based on a surprise theme!

(1/2) Wondering what you could do at NZ games fest? 🤔 💁 Come along on May 9 to Sunday Game Day and visit the free events at the Michael Fowler Centre! 👉 Paid workshops for: narrative writing, toy design, & Tabletop RPGs also available #NZGamesFestival #NZGF2026 #NZGameDev

Level up your game knowledge at some of the events at the NZ Games Festival next week! ✨️

Get ready to get stuck in games next week! 👀 There’s a bunch of cool, free events for students or families during the festival! 💁 On Thursday May 7th, come and learn about the game dev pathway! 🇳🇿 On Sunday May 10th, try out local games at Cream of the Crop and Platformer!

📢 Our free 48 hour game jam is ✨️next week!✨️ 👉 PB & Jam welcomes anyone, regardless of experience to join! – share your passion for game dev! 😊 Participants must be 18+ 📍Old Museum Building, Massey 🗓 May 1-3 ✨ Keen to jam? Register via link in our bio! #NZGamesFestival #NZGF2026 #NZGameDev

A big thank you to the folks over at Game Kings for providing us copies of Tākaro! 😊💕 Tākaro is a unique take on memory games where you can expand your Te Reo Māori vocabulary and pronunciation as you play! 🃏🇳🇿 💁 Recommended for ages 4+ ! #NZGamesFestival #NZGF2026 #NZGameDev #2026PlayByPlay

💁 Check out our All Ages & Adults Level Up Workshops! 🎊✨️ 📅 Sunday, May 10th 📍Renouf Foyer, Michael Fowler Centre ★ ➡️ Get ‘Em Where it Hurts (aka Emotional Oomph in Storytelling” – $10 Fee Hosted by Sarah Daymond (from PikPok) 10AM–11:30AM

💁 Check out our Kids/Students Level Up Workshops! ✨️ 📅 Sunday, May 10th 📍Renouf Foyer, Michael Fowler Centre Game Design Using Godot — ✅️ FREE workshop (Beginner & Advanced Streams) 10AM–4PM 👉 Beginner and advanced streams have separate sign ups! Link in the post below 👇

Join us in Wellington for the 10th NZ Games Festival from May 1-13! 🎉✨️ There’s free and paid events, from family-friendly exhibitions to conferences and talks! 🎮🍰 💁 Check out our website for more info! #NZGamesFestival #NZGF2026 #NZGameDev

🙌 Time for a throwback! We're taking a trip down memory lane by previous outstanding Games Award Winners! 🏆2016 Outstanding Overall “Poly Bridge” by Dry Cactus 🏆2017 Outstanding Overall “Grow” by Suntale Games 🏆2018 Outstanding Overall There were too many outstanding games this year!

Introducing the last our Play By Play Speakers! 🎉✨️ 👉 Anna Barham “Yes I Can (Learn)" 👉 Mike Barwise “24 Years. What Actually Matters” 🙌 Join us at the Play By Play Conference from May 8-9! Ticket link in comments! 🔗 #NZGamesFestival #NZGF2026 #NZGameDev #2026PlayByPlay

Introducing more Play By Play speakers! 👉 Serena Lal “This Isn’t Just a Game” 👉 Moana Moran “The Good With/In Games Aotearoa Research Collection” Join us at the Play By Play Conference from May 8-9! Ticket link in comments & bio! 🔗 #NZGamesFestival #NZGF2026 #NZGameDev #2026PlayByPlay

🎊 Get yourself something to commemorate our 10th year of NZ Games Fest! 🍰 T-Shirts and bags are available! 👕🛍 NZGF posters will also be available at the venue. ⏳️ Available for orders until April 24! 👉 All orders must be placed through our website & collected at the Play By Play conference.

Heads up! There's 2 more weeks to register for our free game jam! ✨️ 👉 No game dev experience is needed to register– we want to see your diverse skillsets and unique ideas! Meet new people & share your passion for game development! 😊 ✨ Keen to jam? Register via the link in bio! 🔗

Introducing more Play By Play speakers! 👉 Josmar (Jay) Roman Miti “Now that Minecraft is Puerto Rican…” 👉 Laura Anderson “Craft with Care: Tips from a cosy games writer” 👉 Jeff Andrews “You Should Build A Game Engine (for fun)” Tickets available via link in bio. 🔗 #NZGamesFestival #NZGF2026

Introducing more Play By Play speakers! 👉 Jenn Sandercock “Worst Practices in Game Development: Pitfalls to Avoid” 👉 Laurent T “When I Play Games Now, They Are Less Fun” 👉 Jimmy Baird “I Just Have This Feeling No One Knows What a Game Is" Tickets available via link in bio. 🔗

Introducing more Play By Play speakers! 👉 Sam Marsh “A Recruiter’s View of the ANZ Games Industry” 👉 Piper Van Rinsvelt “Anything and Everything and Design” 👉 Robert Francis “How did they ship with that?!” Tickets available link in bio🔗 #NZGamesFestival #NZGF2026 #NZGameDev #2026PlayByPlay

Introducing more Play By Play speakers! 💕 👉Anna Lezhikova “Side Quests in Security: Keeping Your Game (and You) Safe” 👉Jevon Wright “Why I didn't use generative AI in my game, and you shouldn't either” 👉Zelle Marcovicci “Pay to Lose! (The Death of the Microtransaction)” Ticket link in bio! 🔗

🤗 Introducing more of our Play By Play conference speakers! 👉 Tana Tanoi “Encouraging Creativity in Shape Sender Deluxe” 👉 Nina Estrella “Designing multiplayer games with in-game community and culture in mind” 👉 Stef Peacock "UI ✨Vibes✨ and how to find them" Conference ticket link in bio! 🔗

Introducing some of of our wonderful speakers at the Play By Play conference! 👉 Henry Feltham "Making Games that Obsess People" 👉Lucy Weekley "What 14 NPC Romances Taught Me About Game Design" 👉 Robert Yang "The Gay Hockey Show is a Game (Dev) Changer" Play By Play ticket link in bio! 🔗

Band your party together and seize the glory at this year’s game-themed pub quiz! 🧝‍♂️🧙‍♀️🧚‍♀️ Enjoy a night of fun, bad jokes, & sustenance! Prizes & honour will be at stake! 🍗🍻 📍 Meow 📆 May 7, 6:30-9PM 👉 Teams need 3-6 people. Register through the link in bio 🔗 #NZGamesFestival #NZGF2026 #NZGameDev

🫣 There’s less than 3 weeks til PB & Jam, the free game jam! ⏱️ Participants (18+) have 48 hrs to form teams & create a short game! 👉 Game dev experience not required – we want to see your unique skills & ideas! 😊 Keen? Register through the link in bio! 🔗 #NZGamesFestival #NZGF2026 #NZGameDev

🎉 Thank you very much to NZ On Air (Irirangi te Motu) for joining us as a New Zealand Games Festival sponsor! It’s an honour to be recognised and receive support for sharing both our stories and voices in game development with the rest of Aotearoa! 🎮 🇳🇿 #NZGamesFestival #NZGF2026 #NZGameDev

⏳️The extended early bird tickets will close soon! After April 10th, tickets will return to regular price! Student discounts and other options are also available! 🧑‍🎓🎮 👉 Grab yours before they fly away! Visit the link in our bio to get yours now! 🔗 #NZGamesFestival #NZGF2026 #NZGameDev

This is ✨️your chance✨️ to showcase your games to the public! 👀 👉 Table applications for the Level Up Platformer exhibition are extended til April 20! We welcome digital, card, tabletop, and experimental games! 🎮 📍 Michael Fowler Centre 🗓 May 10, 10AM-4PM To apply, please check the link in bio! 🔗