On Saturday registration opens at 8:30am for a start at 9am sharp. Allow yourself enough time to find a park, register, grab a coffee & find a seat – there will be important information shared during that first session so you don’t want to miss it! We will work right through the day and finish around 9pm that night (don’t worry, we’ll keep you well fed and busy so the time will fly).

Doors will open on Sunday at 8:30am and the hackathon will finish around 4pm – but we ask that you stick around until at least 5pm for the Play Party! Check out the other games created over the hackathon and celebrate your achievements with cheese and cupcakes.

The whole event will finish no later than 6pm.

Whatever you like! Digital games, card games, board games, party games, app-based games… whatever your team gets excited by. The idea is to try and reach at least the prototype stage by the end of the weekend so others can play & test your creation.

Our mentors will have a broad range of experience across different disciplines so no matter what you’re creating there will be someone able to support you.

Of course you can! As long as you satisfy the criteria for that ticket type, and are happy to take responsibility for that role.

For example – if you were hoping to be a Producer but they are sold out, you might buy a Designer ticket… but you will have to take on the Designer role in your team. You can’t buy a Designer ticket but on the day say that you want to be the Producer, or arrive without any skills as a Designer.

Makes sense, right?

If you don’t have a full team, then you cannot request to be in a team with someone else. So be prepared to be split into different teams.

The reason for this is so that all participants are able to participate, share and contribute equally to the team project as a whole. If you were to join a team where your two teammates were already friends and had an idea to work on, you might feel that your ideas aren’t equally heard. And feeling excluded isn’t a fun way to spend a weekend.

It’s also the best way to encourage meeting new people and opening yourself up to a more creative and surprising event.

While this is our first gaming hackathon we have run many startup hackathons and tested different team models – and this has been the most successful model by far for participant enjoyment and equality within teams. Trust us on this.

Deep breaths… it’s going to be ok.

There is no prerequisite knowledge to attend #SheHacksGames. The beauty of a hackathon is that you work within the skills and knowledge that you have. If you want to challenge yourself to learn something new – go for it! As long as you can deliver what you need to, how you do so is completely up to you.

Don’t forget we will have mentors roaming the space to give advice as well – so if you’re unsure if there’s an easier way to do what you want to do, ask!

And we said it above, but it bears repeating – newbies are absolutely welcome! Every year our inboxes are flooded with nervous newbies wanting to know if they should pull out of the event, or if they are good enough to attend. Of course you are! If you have passion for creating games and are happy to work with a team and as a team, then that’s all we ask.

Unfortunately we are unable to provide refunds for this event, so please make sure you can commit to the program before you sign up. You do have the option to transfer your ticket to someone else, as long as they satisfy the same requirements as your ticket type (e.g. if you bought a Programmer ticket, your replacement must also have programming skills).

Due to our workload we are unable to help you source someone to transfer your ticket to, but if it is sold out we sometimes have a waitlist so let us know and we might be able to pass on your info to someone else.

Most importantly – if you cannot attend, please let us know as soon as possible so we can reallocate another participant into your team. We handpick our teams based on skills and experience levels, so by not showing up on the day your team will be left without crucial skills that can’t necessarily be replaced easily. Please consider your fellow participants.

While it’s awesome that they want to support you & cheer on your team, for OHS reasons we can’t have an open door policy during the hackathon so it’s best that they leave you to do your thang. If there’s a situation where this does need to happen (e.g. dropping off/picking up kids from our babysitting area) then check with a Girl Geek Academy staff member beforehand so we are aware.

HOWEVER we don’t want them to miss out on all the fun – so we will be releasing tickets to our post-hackathon Play Party! They can play the games, eat some cheese and support the amazing effort you put in over the weekend. Stay tuned for more details.

If you’re asking that question, you’re our kind of person 🙂

Girl Geek Academy is known for fantastic and abundant catering at all our events. (Have you ever tried to be creative when your stomach is grumbling? No hangry gamers on our watch.) Our focus is on delicious, filling but healthy food – so no pizza or greasy food here. And you know we will always have cupcakes to celebrate!

We also cater for dietary requirements, so when you fill in your order form you can tell us about what you need. If for some reason we can’t work around it we will get in touch directly and make it happen. Nobody should be put off attending just because they can’t eat the food.