Bitsy Game Engine Celebrates 7th Anniversary with Exhibition and Online Jam

The Bitsy game engine, created by Adam Le Doux, marked its seventh anniversary with Bitsy Fest, an online game jam and exhibition organized in collaboration with The Museum of Screens, run by Toulou Toumou. The event ran from September 22 to October 15, featuring games made with the minimalist tool that requires little coding or artistic skill. Bitsy enables creation of small, two-dimensional, 1-bit games reminiscent of early Nintendo titles like The Legend of Zelda (1987), focusing on simple graphics and basic interaction. The community around the tool includes artists from DIY backgrounds, queer creators, and developers using it as a sketchpad, drawn to its low technical barriers and opposition to industry gatekeeping. Notable games from the jam include Fishhooks by Ellis Devereux, Charcoal Pencils by Léo Mirland, The Tower at Night by G.P. Lackey, and i had another dream about you last night by caanti. Other works like There Aren’t Really Words… by rose.kiid and games by candle and Cecile Richard explore themes of grief, mortality, and loss. The tool’s limitations foster intimate, contemplative experiences, with recent jam themes including 'museum', 'the little things', and 'sleepy'. Game designer Alicia Ripp assisted with the exhibition, noting the community's connection to zine-making ethos. Bitsy games are often uploaded to platforms like itch.io, emphasizing small-scale, poetic interactions over blockbuster production values.