About Us

I’m the co-founder of Secret Lab, a game development studio based in beautiful Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Secret Lab works on games and game development tools, including the award-winning ABC Play School iPad games, BAFTA- and IGF-winning Night in the Woods, the Qantas Joey Playbox, and the popular open source Yarn Spinner narrative game framework. I formerly worked as a software engineer, and product manager for Meebo, which was acquired by Google in 2012. I have a degree in medieval history, a PhD in Computing, and write technical books on machine learning, programming, and game development for O’Reilly Media.

I am a technology-focused generalist, self employed IT professional (Leo Febey Tech Support and Solution), who has many side hobbies and projects. I regularly attend the monthly meetups for TasGM and also other social tech related groups. I have released a game on Steam, Gravity Flux (via studio name Motley Pixels), which has been on display at Level Up Tas in 2024. I enjoy living in Tassie, spent most of my life here, it’s a great place for finding work life balance.

I’m a software engineer, game developer and general tech problem solver. I’ve also founded Tiny Island Games with the aim to enter the games industry professionally, but in my own time and without risking my dayjob. I’m passionate about enabling people to make games, demystifying processes and generally being a friendly face. If you’re new and anxious at an in-person event feel free to just send me a message and I’ll be sure to super casually introduce you.

Dr Jon Manning is the Treasurer of Tas Game Makers, and the co-founder of the Tasmanian game studios Secret Lab and Yarn Spinner. He’s written far too many books, had a direct and indirect hand in thousands of games, and is pretty sure he put his sunglasses down somewhere near here.

Tim is the co-founder of Yarn Spinner, co-author of a huge number of books on Unity, Swift, and machine learning, and holds a PhD on information flow in public spaces.

I’m Alonso, worked in the game industry as a game designer and dev for around 3 years. Currently I’m active in the community trying to organise jams, skilling up and making my own games and software while also trying to get an Aussie Visa! Originally from Peru, I’m really keen to teach others, travelling around and of course games.

Although I’m only a recent addition to the Tasmanian games industry I have a strong drive to be involved. Moving into games from an arts background I hope I can offer a different perspective both in the work I produce and the community around me. I am passionate about making games and try to do my best to support my local game makers!

Dean is a Launceston based game developer and producer. With a big focus on sustainable game development he has moved his focus from not just making games such as ShapeVS and Nullstar: Solus but to providing support for local developers with Smash Attack Studios.

Jason Imms is the Head of QA for Keywords Studios Australia, and the Director of Automated QA for Mighty Games Group. He has been working in games and enterprise software for his entire career, and was one of the founders of Tas Game Makers. Jason assesses grant applications for most of the state and federal screen agencies nationwide, and enjoys helping emerging game makers have their best shot at following their dreams (when he’s not wrangling his five wonderful kids).

I’ve been dabbling in game development since before 2013, which ultimately led to me getting a degree in ICT (Games and Creative Technology). Despite working as a web developer now, I still have a keen interest in making games and love a good game jam. I have further interests in voice acting and music, both of which I’ve incorporated into video games over the years.

Lindsay Mansfield is a Tasmanian writer, artist, and indie developer of narrative and experimental games. Her debut solo title, Melbourne: Route 96, launched on Steam in 2025, the same year she was selected for Screen Australia’s Future Leaders Delegation. Originally published in horror anthologies, she now channels her storytelling into interactive fiction that explores personal and atmospheric themes. She is currently developing her next narrative game, Atlantic. When not creating, she can often be found yelling (loudly) at video games.

Dr Lindsay Wells is a lecturer in games design, mobile development, and human computer interaction, with over 15 years of experience teaching at tertiary-level and over 20 years of experience in producing desktop, mobile, web, and game applications as a software developer. He has a passion for delivering high-quality engaging teaching content, with a strong focus on student experience and communication. As a co-founder of the Hobart-based video-game development company Giant Margarita, Dr Wells has published several commercial video games, including the first PlayStation 4 and Xbox One game to come out of Tasmania (Party Golf).

I’m a software developer based in Launceston, Tasmania. Most recently, I was the lead programmer for Letters to Arralla, and also have experience in local tech education and digital artistry. I want our local creative communities to flourish and will do my best to facilitate that through my role here at Tas Game Makers!