ACMI MicroGame Commission____
This is an example of the space cannister backpack, launching a star.
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To Whom it may concern,
My name is Liz Hazledon and I am applying for the August 2026 round of submissions for the ACMI Microgames Commission.
I am a Sydney based artist whose practice often explores self-introspection through art and game development. As a queer artist working across contemporary art and interactive elements, I am deeply interested in games as mediums for the development of art and as a home for energy and memory.
In 2025, I completed a Bachelor of Honours in Visuals Arts at the University of Sydney, where I developed a fully functioning explorational game titled “Save Slot” using GameMaker. The project was completed over the course of 8 months, alongside two jobs, a 7000 word research paper and additional coursework. The game was entirely self coded from the beginning to end with no prior coding or development experience, demonstrating my resolve and commitment to learning and the capability to independently follow strict timelines when developing creative projects.
For the ACMI Microgames Commission, I am proposing an NES-inspired side-scrolling platform game that responds to the commission’s theme of remixing classic arcade and console iconography from the 1980s and 1990s.
The concept emerged from reflecting on games from this era that used ‘stars’ as key elements. The collections of stars as points, power-ups or abstract resources. I became interested in what happens to these ‘stars’ after the fact. Where do they go after being collected? And what if they had homes?
In response, I propose a game centered around returning the lost stars back to their place within the stars. Players travel across outer space and strange planetary environments to restore stars back into the night sky and as a result gradually the sky resets to its natural shimmer in a previously starless sky. Through this work, I hope to playfully play tribute to games that helped shape my childhood, and concepts such as care, belonging, displacement and our interconnectedness to the cosmos.
Given the short time frame, I have already begun planning the project's development. I also intend to collaborate with Sydney-based artist Rachel Lai, who will compose the game's soundscapes and music. Their art practice explores pataphysics, the cosmos and the 5th dimension predominantly via sound. This and their love of stars makes them an ideal collaborator for the artworks creation.
While I may not be as established as most, I believe my dedication, adaptability and skills make me a well suited applicant for the commission. I am passionate about pursuing digital games as both an art form and a medium but also a mode to facilitate play, artistic expression and reflection. If accepted, I would be honored to contribute to ACMI’s ongoing interest and collection of games as cultural and artistic works.Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to the ACMI Microgames Commission and hope to work with you in the future.