ACMI presents
Apartment
A Freeplay 2021 series commission
When
Wed 8 Feb 2023
Home is where the gaming is.
In March 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns were taking hold, Melbourne-based 3D animator and game maker Kalonica Quigley had to leave her home and most of her belongings behind. Unable to return for months, she decided to recreate her apartment from memory. In her game Apartment, she invites you to her place, to explore and interact with the home she could no longer inhabit.
The player is invited through the front door of the apartment building and allowed to wander around until they find a door that opens into the apartment. Once inside, the player can interact with the space and items inside and walls and items can appear and disappear, giving a new experience to each play.
The sound design by Maize Wallin, also creates a textural soundtrack with voice, strings and guitar. Apartment was commissioned by Freeplay Independent Games Festival as part of their 2021 Victoria Together commission series.
Apartment is free to download for PC and MAC here: Apartment by Freeplay Independent Games Festival, Kalonica (itch.io)
A vulnerable and touching story about the intentions we put into our spaces and things, and how much it hurts to not be able to live the life we imagined for ourselves.
About your host
Georgia Symons
Georgia Symons is a maker of theatre, games, and interactive experiences, and she lives and works on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Bunurong peoples. She holds a Master Degree in Writing for Performance from the VCA (2014), and is a member of the Theatreworks She Writes collective. She is a part of the Ghost Pattern team, whose videogame Wayward Strand (2022) has been released on all platforms.
In all her work, Georgia wants to bring people together to conduct experiments, pranks and spooky rituals. She is currently working on a short story collection, and a play about a cannibalism startup. She is a great cyclist, a good cook, an average dancer and a terribly slow reader.
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Community Code of Conduct
Everyone participating in an ACMI Women & Non-Binary Gamer Club event — including, but not limited to the meets, clubs and talks — is required to agree to the following code of conduct. This includes all attendees, speakers, performers, patrons, and volunteers.
ACMI Women & Non-Binary Gamer Club will enforce this code during its events and throughout the year. We expect cooperation from everyone to ensure a safe, diverse, and welcoming environment.
The condensed version
ACMI is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion (or lack thereof). We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form.
Sexist, racist, discriminatory, or harassing language and imagery is not appropriate in the ACMI Women & Non-Binary Gamer Club community, in person or online. Participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the event and premises, as well as all future events without a refund at the discretion of ACMI.
The less condensed version
Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.
Exception: discussion or images related to sex, pornography, discriminatory language, or similar is welcome if it meets all of the following criteria:
— It is necessary to the topic of discussion and no alternative exists
— It is presented in a respectful manner
— Attendees are respectfully given ample warning and opportunity to leave beforehand.
This exception specifically does not allow use of gratuitous sexual images as attention-getting devices or unnecessary examples.
Participants asked to stop any harassing behaviour are required to comply immediately.
If a participant engages in any of the aforementioned behaviour, ACMI may take any action they deem appropriate, from warning the offender to immediately expelling the offender with no refund.
Reporting and enforcement
If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact an ACMI Women & Non-Binary Gamer Club team member immediately. If you can’t or don’t wish to speak in person, or prefer to talk privately or electronically, contact us via gamerclub@acmi.net.au.
All reports will be handled in the strictest confidence.
With thanks
This document was based on the work of XOXO Festival, JSConf, Geek Feminism, confcodeofconduct.com, and inspired by resources provided by Ashe Dryden.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.