Cassandra (Cass) Barkman

Kniv3s Out is obscenely fun, and a very unsubtle grappling with the effects of ideologically captured religious institutions and cults of personality (especially spicy for anyone with religious trauma).

This is the last week where Playful Paths will have display posters up on campus!

You can find us at the following locations:
• The South Lawn
• John Medley
• The Systems Garden
• The Student Pavilion
• The Science Gallery

Lucky me to have paid full price for Wednesdays just last week (not that I regret giving money to this game especially).

Technically it would be cheating for me to claim one of these given I helped make the game but I still kinda wanna.

Demonschool Review - Top marks Demonschool gets high marks for its inventive and tightly designed combat system; it also offers assured, cohesive design and presentation.

REVIEW: Demonschool

"Demonschool is nonetheless a vivid, stylistic mesh of Argento and Persona that, alongside strong writing and a fun cast, was a great companion over a semester of time."

@necrosoftgames.com

checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2025...

Ah good to know! My bad for missing that detail.

Charlie staph (that's very sweet thank you).

Demonschool Review - Top marks Demonschool gets high marks for its inventive and tightly designed combat system; it also offers assured, cohesive design and presentation.

Reviewing @necrosoftgames.com's Demonschool after it was delayed by Silksong was REALLY HARD, because I had to spend three months resisting my urge to recommend it to everyone.

But now its finally coming out tomorrow and its great and you should play it. checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2025...

Finally got around to playing Wednesdays, a game where the heaviness of it's subject matter is only matched by how deftly it handles it (huge recommend).

Also sets the template for how to handle content warnings in videogames too, hoping other games will start to adopt similar mechanics.

Screen Australia is doing a massive research project on the current state of the screen and games industries in Australia. Local devs, please consider taking the time to complete their survey survey.alchemer.com/s3/8573365/S...

Also Jacqueline Moran's art is incredible and everyone should commission her to do all of your art forever.

Has been an absolute joy to work on this, both as something very different to research but also for the opportunity to work more closely with the incredible @oddgoo.bsky.social.

Hey all, we are extending the deadline for our 2026 issue to December 10, 2025📅This is an excellent chance if you have a paper you're working on right now but need just a bit of extra time!
We look forward to your submissions😉

Everyone still needs to play despelote btw. Special game.

This seems outrageously cruel.

And just a handful of months before these folks would have been set to enjoy the release of one of the biggest games of their careers too.

The imbalance of power in the games industry remains utterly fucked.

I almost don't want to put this out in the world in fear of manifesting it, but after Xbox utterly buried Keeper's release I fear for Double Fine.

Yessss join me on the Keeper love train. Genuinely a very special game, particularly for right now.

Add my game to SIFTER's Australian Made Games List Have you released a game made in Australia this year? Use this form to let us know

Reminder to Australian devs that @sifterhq.bsky.social does the lord's work every year by compiling every single Australian-made videogame they can find. You can submit your 2025 releases here: www.sifter.com.au/add-my-game-...

Between the Lines Join us for an engaging and interactive workshop designed to generate conversations around anti-racism. This workshop involves an online game, Betw...

I am facilitating a workshop trying to heal the disease of racism, using an anti-racism game 'Between the lines', at the Being Human Festival 2025. Come along for a mindful engagement & fight racism. #beinghumanfestival2025 #Gamesforchange
events.unimelb.edu.au/arts/event/5....

Whether it's creators and designers or researchers and players, gaming communities show that the true value of games lies not just in the code - but in the collaborative worlds they build together 🎮

Tap through to read more → unimelb.me/46VD9wV

Parallels was great last night. Absolutely wild that Freeplay has been both the anchor and the beacon for experimental and independent game development in this country for 21 years now.

Day one of PAX and I've already hit the floor.

Reviewing this game was actually a joy, not because it's good but just because of how eclectically interesting it is. Simultaneously recommend and warn you.

Oh its me.

To coincide with Melbourne International Games Week, MAGPIE has put together a special report with @unimelb.bsky.social's Pursuit talking all about the effects gaming is having socially and culturally on the world around us.

pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/special-repo...

Episode 141: Hidden Advertising of Feminine Games | Video Game History Foundation Phil Salvador interviews Dr. Stephanie Harkin, lecturer at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) School of Design Games Program in Australia, about her research on femininity in gaming, p...

The latest Video Game History Hour podcast talks to Dr. Stephanie Harkin, lecturer at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, about her research on video games in girls’ lifestyle magazines like Girl Gamer & Total Girl: gamehistory.org/episode-141-...

Book cover for "Girlhood Game: Gender, Identity, and Coming of Age in Video Games." A youthful feminine bedroom is depicted, centring on a computer desk setup with game accessories.

My book is out! 💗
Girlhood Games: Gender, Identity and Coming of Age in Videogames is a 6-year-long labour of love for young adult stories, teen heroines in videogames and unnoticed girly game histories.
Thank you @livvy.itch.io for the beautiful cover!

www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...

‼️Call for reviewers‼️
We're looking for three reviewers for an article concerning Pokémon and the deconstruction of the Hero's journey. Please check the attached image for the abstract. (1/2)

Got to watch and play a secret early version of this and absolutely loved it (also incredible trailer), everyone go wishlist immediately.

Loot boxes are still rife in kids’ mobile games, despite ban on ‘gambling-like’ features Games with ‘loot boxes’ should be classified for over-15s – but a new study shows many of the most popular mobile games completely ignore the rules.

New article in @theconversation.com today reflecting on Australia’s 2024 loot box regulations and how, 1 year later, there remains widespread non-compliance - and generally really confusing age ratings for mobile games on the App Stores!

theconversation.com/loot-boxes-a...