Isaiah shines at games industry spotlight

Hosted by Creative Victoria at ACMI as part of Melbourne International Games Week, this two-day festival celebrated the future of the games industry and featured a Hackathon – a high-stakes game design competition, open to tertiary students across Victoria, including game art and design TAFE course learners.

Isaiah secured second place at the competition, an incredible achievement in the face of fierce competition. His success earned him several prizes, including free tickets to the PAX Aus Expo and the opportunity to showcase his game design creation, titled ‘Inner Frey’, at the Creative Victoria booth.

The Hackathon challenged students from institutes across the state to create and pitch a game concept responding to the theme: “Games Can Change the World.”

Each institute was permitted to submit only two of their strongest projects. A panel of industry judges, curated by Creative Victoria, then selected the six best ideas as finalists. These finalists were given the rare opportunity to pitch their game art concepts live at the Careers and Frontiers festival.

‘Inner Frey’ is a role-playing game (RPG) experience that tackles the pressing issue of teen mental health in Australia. Blending real-life struggles with elements of dark fantasy, the game design transforms mental health battles into monsters that players can defeat.

Within the game, instead of conventional combat mechanics, players must use real-world techniques such as mindfulness, controlled breathing, and cognitive coping strategies to overcome these challenges.

Using skills acquired in his game art course, Isaiah aimed to provide players with practical coping mechanisms while immersing them in a gripping and emotionally resonant story.

“I looked at myself and my own struggles and I know a lot of friends who have battled mental health issues as well. So, I wanted to find a creative solution through the concept of my game.”

During the final round, Isaiah stood out for several reasons. Firstly, he was one of only two solo competitors, going head-to-head with larger team projects.

Secondly, at just 17 years old, he was the youngest finalist in the competition. Despite these challenges, he delivered a professional, confident, and compelling presentation that impressed the judges and audience alike.

By using games as a medium for positive change, Isaiah has set an inspiring example for young developers across Australia. Isaiah found his path to game design and development by studying a ICT50220 Diploma of IT (Game Art and Design) TAFE course in Melbourne.

“I have really enjoyed being at Holmesglen and my teachers and my classmates gave me a lot of support and inspired me to look at the concept from the player’s point of view.”

Isaiah’s advice to anyone considering a career in game design is to dive into the world of games and game design and always pay attention to gaming concepts as well.

“You can explore game design in many ways, through ideas and concepts and actual development techniques. Choose what appeals to you and pursue it.”

Isaiah will be competing in the 3D Game Art category, at the WorldSkills 2025 National Championship, held in Brisbane from Thursday, 12 June to Saturday, 14 June 2025.

To discover more about our game art course, visit our game design and development courses page where we offer certificate and diploma courses.

Some of our computing and IT courses are on the Free TAFE courses list, including programs in cyber security and information technology.