Testimonials

Below is some of the impact Sabby has had on the local industry, and why Sabby deserves support:

Launching careers

Being at Sabby has provided me with opportunities to not only share my work, but also strengthen my connections with the local creative community. From working at Sabby, people are able to see how I work which builds my confidence as a developer and has directly resulted in my first paid job in the games industry. Sabby has given me space to grow as both an individual creator, as well as a valued member in this community. I cannot count how many doors have opened for me because of what Sabby provides, and through Sabby I can open doors for others too.

Participating in Sabby's WIP Nights allows me to present my work amongst like-minded individuals! As a student and emerging game developer, the workspace fosters an environment where I receive valuable feedback in a safe and supportive space.

Supporting studio growth

We attended Sabby's WIP night with a very early prototype of our game, before Ghoulish was even announced. Showing our work there early helped us get opinions on our game in a no-stakes, low-pressure environment, which helped us steer in the right direction with our project. It was great to hear feedback from players and developers who were interacting with us for the first time and get different perspectives.

Attending events at Sabby Gallery has made me more aware of the opportunities which exist for local game developers. At a WIP Night I saw Weird Flex Studio discuss their application to VicScreen Originate Games, a development grant which supports local emerging game makers. This was my first time hearing about funding of this kind, and I was inspired to submit my own application to the program. I ended up being successful and received the funding to support development on my first game Brine Pool! This program has gone on to provide me with further advancement opportunities and helped to establish myself and my work within the indie games landscape. My career in games would not be in the place it is if it were not for the opportunities and supporting and open community fostered at Sabby!

Finding avenues outside the mainstream to enter into the game development space has always been hard, and you can often feel isolated and siloed. Getting involved with Sabby and participating in their Work In Progress nights has given me the courage to keep developing and sharing my work. Seeing all the game ideas and feedback that people share during those WIP nights has been incredibly fulfilling, which has helped me keep going (and growing) as a creator.

Cross industry collaboration

I was fortunate enough to book sabby for my first art show in Melbourne in August 2023. The team at sabby were super supportive of my ideas of how to set up the space (even letting me paint a wall) . And extremely flexible of how we could put a show over the week as well as running games week events and regular co working days around the shows duration . I really appreciated being given the chance to exhibit my work in such an accessible and community centred space. I often visit sabby and always leave with learning some thing new or having a new idea to ponder over . Thanks sabby!

Over the years I’ve helped host several events at Sabby that brought the community together in celebration of a shared love for art. Most recently I collaborated with Boshi’s Place in New York City, simultaneously showcasing games from each other’s city. It was a sort of culture exchange that sought to connect both communities together over their shared practice. It was really amazing to see both communities resonating with and celebrating each other's work. Sabby offers this crucial space for game makers and artists to create and connect outside their commercial industries. Ultimately, empowering the community to do what they love, not as a career, but as a creative practice that connects them more deeply to the world and people around them. Sabby serves to facilitate this cultural shift within the volatile landscapes that games and art are entrenched in. This leads to a greater diversity of artists putting art out and enriching our world for the better; while supporting the longevity of a healthy and culturally rich community of practice.

Running zine club at Sabby has been such a fun and enriching experience. Seeing folks who mostly work with computers discover the value and joy of cutting, pasting and making something with their hands has become one of my greatest joys as a zine maker. Over 50 original zines have been created over the course of zine clubs 18 month run, and most of them by people who had never made a zine before attending zine club. It's also been incredible to see Sabby folks engaging in Naarm's wider zine culture - I spotted a lot of zine club participants at this year's Festival of the Photocopier zine fair! It really feels like zine club is adding to the wider Naarm arts ecosystem, and I couldn't be prouder. It also couldn't exist without Sabby.

Sabby is both a place and community, and is invaluable to me in bringing collaborative projects to life. Sabby is and has been so important because it provides a place where people can engage with each other, share stories, skills and moments, and build things together. No Scope, a creative collective I started, booked the space for our meetings, workshops and jams to produce a Fantasy Console Showcase for Melbourne International Games Week 2023. Our collective of game devs, students and artists from the Sabby community and another Melbourne artist collective, This is Not a Toy Store, joined forces to put on a hugely successful exhibition of experimental games and imagined consoles. And through the Sabby community we were also able to secure grant funding for this project.

A place to always call home

Having moved from Tasmania, where there was little in the way of spaces for games, Sabby has provided a space and community that makes me feel comfortable creating and talking about my work.

As an indie full-time solo indie developer, one of the things I miss most about working with a team is the social element. Sabby really helps scratch that itch. Every time I have been I always find myself surrounded by wickedly talented creative people from all sorts of different disciplines and backgrounds, it's a great environment to work, network and socialise in.

I love spending time at Sabby, from just chatting to people while idly making a zine to getting feedback for my projects at their WIP nights. It's a great place to connect with other creatives who are passionate about their craft and helping others. Sabby is a very welcoming space that fosters community and creativity.