NZ Games Festival Is Back For 2025!

Wellington, NZ - The New Zealand Games Festival is back in 2025 with a fully reloaded schedule of exciting events that are all things gaming!

From April 23rd to May 3rd, this festival celebrates our gaming industry in New Zealand (and over the ditch in Australia). The NZ Games Festival hosts the Play by Play Conference and events such as The Pavs Game Awards, Treat & Great networking evening, JOYPAD LGBTQI+ games night, PB&Jam 48-hour game jam, Super Quiz Night and the Level Up Exhibition.

Festival Manager Tanya Marriott describes the NZ Games Festival as bringing “the community together to celebrate gaming in all its aspects. It’s a wonderful opportunity for students to bond with industry veterans over common interests.”

The Play by Play conference returns for its seventh year, showcasing speakers who share industry knowledge and experience. Over two days, this conference hosts over twenty industry and game-enthusiastic speakers who will cover various topics and perspectives. Topics include Game Design, Culture, Audio, Narrative, Art, Programming and more! All speaking on the theme ‘Joy Sparks!’

Florence, NZGF Creative Director, explains, “the theme is dedicated to everything in your life that sparks the want to.” ‘Joy Sparks’ aims to bring attention back to what brings joy.

Tanya sees this theme as a push to remember what drives us and the magic that sparked it. “We can't deny that it’s a bit tough out there right now. So, we wanted this year's festival to return to our core values of community and the magic of games, what sparks our joy and love for games, and remember why we do this.”

Play by Play will take place on the 1st and 2nd of May at Tapere Nui Te Auaha, Wellington.

The Pavs game awards also return to celebrate New Zealand and Australian game achievements. These awards aim to recognise the amazing work and highlight stories within our game development community. Where excellence in ‘concept, execution, innovation, and creativity’ is worth recognition. Across ten award categories, games ranging from digital to tabletop could enter. The Pavs will take place on the 2nd of May at Te Auaha, Wellington.

Tanya also draws attention to two particular awards that highlight the incredible work within the gaming community: the Unsung Hero - Te Maunga Kai Kapua (Teina) and Industry Pillar Te Maunga Kai Kapua (Tuakana). Pointing out that both of this Play By Play’s keynotes for 2025 (Sam Cook and Taikawa Tamati-Elliffe) have been awarded these titles.

The Level Up exhibitions return this year and allow guests to view the finalists for the Pavs Game awards showcased in the Level Up - Cream of the Crop exhibition. Additionally, the Level Up Retromania exhibition returns as a nod to the ‘golden age of arcades’ and to highlight some of the talented artists and the vibrant gaming community. The exhibitions offer up an opportunity for guests to take home some retro nostalgia, with all artworks featured in the Retro-mania showcase being up for silent auction at Treat & Greet, the sweetest networking event around.

If you don't end up with a successful bid at the Retro-mania auction, you can otherwise expect to take away “good vibes, great stories and inspiration to keep playing in the game community.”

This year, Tūhura Tech and Massey University will host a two-day “Level Up Gameathon” for school or tertiary students as an opportunity for students to learn about all things game dev, develop skills and connect with peers.

In 2025, the Festival will be fully reloaded with all its flagship events. “There's not a lot of events quite like it, and being surrounded by so many excellent people is a privilege.”

The New Zealand Games Festival is for everyone: game enthusiasts and developers, regardless of experience or background. Championed by a committee of volunteers from all backgrounds, in and out of the gaming sector, this festival has something for everyone. For just over a week, there are plenty of opportunities to experience the magic of games and spark some joy.

Sponsors for 2025 include Dinosaur Polo Club, Massey University and Tūhura Tech

Tickets to Play by Play and other NZGF events are available on the NZ Games Fest website.

More information about NZGF, Play by Play and Level Up Exhibition can be found on the NZGF website: www. www.nzgamesfest.com and www.playbyplay.co.nz

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