Traces of Play
Traces of Play is a participatory installation that celebrates the folk, playground, and street games we used to play. From sticks to stones, erasers to elastic bands, walnuts to wooden spoons: Traces of Play invites us to subvert these humble everyday objects into magnificent playthings of joy. Participants are invited to play games contributed by the community, and add their own favourite childhood game to the installation. Exhibited at the Roslyn Smorgon Gallery at Footscray Community Arts from 17 September – 13 December 2025. The installation was a part of the We Have Been Called Many Things exhibition curated by Curatorial Ensemble, and featured as part of Melbourne Fringe and Melbourne International Games Week. Collaborator: Chad Toprak Creative development supported by City of Melbourne Arts Grants. Photos credit (installation and workshop photos): Helen Kwok & Chad Toprak Photos credit (last 2nd-4th photos): Thuy Vy Photos credit (last photo): Yi Li
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Tiny Kami
Tiny Kami is a playable game zine. It’s winter time and all the tiny kami (“little spirits”) have gone into hiding, camouflaging into their surroundings. Find them all by matching the coloured swatches with objects in your environment! Created for Winter Zine Game Jam. Physical copies were available for purchase at Sticky Institute for a limited time. Each zine comes with a different set of kami and colours to play with! No two zines are the same.
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Memories of Play
Memories of Play is an interactive poem about a walk through the city of Narrm (Melbourne, Australia), and how the scenery, architecture, and everyday objects remind us of the Hong Kong and Turkish street games our parents used to play. A tiny tribute to the folk games passed down through generations and the stories behind them. Games featured: Stairs Game (猜樓梯) Five Stones (Beş Taş) Eagle Catches the Chicks (麻鷹捉雞仔) Long Donkey (Uzun Eşek) Chinese Jump Rope (跳橡筋繩) Walnut Game (Ceviz Oyunu) Created for Now Play This 2025. Collaborator: Chad Toprak
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A Train Ride Home
A Train Ride Home is a solo role-playing game about reflecting on life, prompted by the fleeting and impermanent scenery around you as you take the train back home. Designed to be played at home or on a train. Created for A Game By Its Cover 2024, an annual game jam where participants turn a fictional cartridge art from the My Famicase Exhibition into a real thing. Originally inspired by the zenmen tenbou famicase by Kai Werder. Watch a short trailer (1 min.) about A Train Ride Home.
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Painting with Numbers
Painting with Numbers is a multiplayer spreadsheet guessing game where players recreate famous paintings using only numbers on a 5×5 grid. Made and played entirely using Google Sheets. Created for the 9-5jam.exe Game Jam, a game jam where only everyday office applications can be used (no game engines allowed!). Watch a short trailer (1 min.) about Painting with Numbers.
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Goalie Snap!
Goalie Snap! is a two-player penalty shootout game where your phone’s camera boundaries are the goal posts and the player’s head is the ball. All that is needed to play are 2 players and a smartphone with a camera. Created for Factory Reset Jam #2, a game jam where only apps pre-installed on phones can be used. Watch a short trailer (1 min.) about Goalie Snap. Collaborators: Chad Toprak
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Pirate Doodle-Doo
Pirate Doodle-Doo is a piratey co-op drawing game for 2–5 players. You and your pirate crew are in search of legendary treasure, and its map is guarded by a ferocious but sleeping dragon. To communicate without waking the dragon? You must draw like a pirate! Watch a short trailer (45 sec.) about Pirate Doodle-Doo. Made in 48 hours, Pirate Doodle-Doo was made as part of the Melbourne Global Game Jam 2024 in 2024 in response to the theme MAKE ME LAUGH. Collaborators: Chad Toprak
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Lucky Clover
Lucky Clover is a print-and-play cardgame for 2-4 players. In a game reminiscent of Dominoes and Dots and Boxes, players have to strategically flip, shift, rotate, and swap tiles to form as many lucky clovers as they can. How many lucky clovers can you find? Lucky Clover was created for A Game By Its Cover 2023, an annual game jam where participants turn a fictional cartridge art from the My Famicase Exhibition into a real thing. Originally inspired by the Lucky Clover famicase by nozakiworks. Watch a short trailer (1 min.) about Lucky Clover.
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Moonscope
Moonscope is a print-and-play memory cardgame for 2-4 players. Taking on the new role of celestial matchmaker and using your handy L-073 telescope, search for lost moons across the galaxy and connect them to lonely planets based on their unique attributes. Moonscope was created for A Game By Its Cover 2023, an annual game jam where participants turn a fictional cartridge art from the My Famicase Exhibition into a real thing. Originally inspired by the Moon Scope famicase by Ryan McKnight. The game was later exhibited as part of the Feminine Play exhibition from 4-18 October 2024 at Carlisle Street Arts Space, St Kilda Town Hall. Watch a short trailer (1 min.) about Moonscope.
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Game Design Workshops
The Game Design Workshop series introduced children, teenagers, and adults to the concepts of puzzle/game design and the wonderful world of alternative controllers. In collaboration with City of Melbourne Libraries and SIGNAL, the workshops invited participants to transform the library into an escape room and make your own game controllers from everyday materials. Co-facilitatied with Chad Toprak at the following venues: Puzzle & Game Design – Library at the Dock Alt-Ctrl Construction – Library at the Dock Invent Your Own Game Controller – SIGNAL Co-facilitator: Chad Toprak Photo credits: Dan Soderstrom, Melbourne Knowledge Week & SIGNAL
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