WEBVTT - Talking Vision 776 Week Beginning 14th of April 2025 0:00:13.280 --> 0:00:18.920 From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's 0:00:18.919 --> 0:00:21.000 your host Sam Colley. 0:00:23.440 --> 0:00:26.560 Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And 0:00:26.560 --> 0:00:29.560 for the next half hour we talk matters of blindness 0:00:29.560 --> 0:00:30.440 and low vision. 0:00:30.480 --> 0:00:33.919 Obviously, as we've expanded to focus on those with a disability, 0:00:33.960 --> 0:00:36.479 we've encountered people with different disabilities that we haven't come 0:00:36.479 --> 0:00:40.720 across before, which obviously provided some accessibility challenges that we've 0:00:40.760 --> 0:00:42.880 had to work through. But yeah, we've been very happy 0:00:42.879 --> 0:00:44.960 to work through those and just, you know, even just 0:00:44.959 --> 0:00:47.839 feeling the impact on the participants who, you know, have 0:00:47.879 --> 0:00:51.000 received our services and have made a huge difference in 0:00:51.000 --> 0:00:54.520 their lives, um, that's definitely made any kind of, um, 0:00:54.560 --> 0:00:56.959 issues with, with trying to get that coordinated. Very much 0:00:57.000 --> 0:00:57.560 worth it. 0:00:57.600 --> 0:01:02.280 Welcome to the program. This week we feature an interview 0:01:02.279 --> 0:01:08.710 with Alfie Coyle, the founder and creative director of Lightmass Studios, 0:01:09.190 --> 0:01:15.430 a game studio and training academy for coders and gamers 0:01:15.429 --> 0:01:20.910 with disabilities, to get into the gaming industry and share 0:01:20.910 --> 0:01:25.749 their love for games and computing and coding. That interview 0:01:25.750 --> 0:01:29.310 is coming up very shortly and I'm very excited to 0:01:29.310 --> 0:01:32.470 bring it to you. That's just around the corner, so 0:01:32.470 --> 0:01:37.390 stick around. And then after we hear from Elfi, we 0:01:37.390 --> 0:01:41.869 share some Easter news and we finish up with a 0:01:41.910 --> 0:01:47.030 reader recommended from Francis Kelland. I hope you enjoy this 0:01:47.069 --> 0:01:55.669 week's episode of Talking Vision. Elfie Coyle is the founder 0:01:55.670 --> 0:02:02.540 and creative director of Lightmass Studios, a games company and 0:02:02.540 --> 0:02:09.100 Training academy for people with disabilities to get involved in 0:02:09.100 --> 0:02:14.220 creating games and joining together to enjoy gaming in a 0:02:14.220 --> 0:02:18.740 social setting. But more recently, we can reveal on Talking 0:02:18.740 --> 0:02:23.340 Vision that they are set to launch the Vibe coding initiative, 0:02:23.620 --> 0:02:28.780 kicking off late this month for early adopters to the program, 0:02:29.220 --> 0:02:32.900 and it's my great pleasure to be joined by Alfie 0:02:32.900 --> 0:02:36.780 right now to talk all about it. Alfie, welcome to 0:02:36.820 --> 0:02:39.500 Talking Vision. Thank you very much for your time. 0:02:40.060 --> 0:02:41.220 Thanks for having me, Sam. 0:02:41.580 --> 0:02:47.260 Now, firstly, Alfie, let's jump into some details around your company. 0:02:47.300 --> 0:02:50.180 Nightmare games tell our listeners all about it. 0:02:50.780 --> 0:02:54.700 Yeah. So Nightmare Studios is a video game studio primarily, 0:02:54.940 --> 0:02:57.780 but we've also been supporting those who want to learn 0:02:57.780 --> 0:03:00.450 how to make video games and want to learn social 0:03:00.450 --> 0:03:03.770 skills as well through making and playing games. For the 0:03:03.770 --> 0:03:07.130 last 17 years. So yeah, we've basically been very well 0:03:07.170 --> 0:03:10.530 known within the game development, education and the broader disability 0:03:10.570 --> 0:03:11.850 sectors over that time. 0:03:12.170 --> 0:03:16.130 Before that, 17 years. So 17 years ago around that time, 0:03:16.130 --> 0:03:19.770 how did Nightmare Studios come about? Where did the idea 0:03:19.810 --> 0:03:20.690 spring from? 0:03:21.370 --> 0:03:24.730 Yeah, so I started in 2007 because I become financially 0:03:24.730 --> 0:03:27.770 independent through a couple of phone shops and had just 0:03:27.770 --> 0:03:30.530 really got obsessed with playing video games. And then after 0:03:30.530 --> 0:03:32.770 a few months of trying to become a pro gamer 0:03:32.770 --> 0:03:35.810 and failing miserably, I decided to actually combine my two 0:03:35.810 --> 0:03:39.290 passions of games and business and create a game studio. 0:03:39.330 --> 0:03:40.330 That's where it began. 0:03:40.450 --> 0:03:45.010 Okay. And, um, what's been the main things that Nightmare 0:03:45.010 --> 0:03:48.890 Studios have been up to over the 17 years? Give 0:03:48.890 --> 0:03:50.770 us a bit of a highlight package. 0:03:51.410 --> 0:03:56.210 Yeah, absolutely. So we started in a garage back in 2007, 2008. 0:03:56.210 --> 0:03:59.890 We ended up moving into and purchasing an internet cafe. 0:04:00.170 --> 0:04:02.890 And then we operated out of that internet cafe during 0:04:02.890 --> 0:04:05.250 the day. And then at night it was internet cafe. 0:04:05.650 --> 0:04:07.730 That's kind of our humble beginnings. We made a few 0:04:07.890 --> 0:04:11.610 small titles, eventually got some success with a title called 0:04:11.610 --> 0:04:15.770 Infinity Wars, and people have been playing it since 2011. Uh, 0:04:15.810 --> 0:04:17.850 we've been going pretty much that whole time with that 0:04:17.850 --> 0:04:20.450 game and continuing to to serve that across the world 0:04:20.450 --> 0:04:23.050 to over half a million players have played our game. 0:04:23.410 --> 0:04:25.090 And so it's one of the highlights during that time, 0:04:25.090 --> 0:04:27.409 we also got the rights to, uh, Star Trek The 0:04:27.410 --> 0:04:29.330 Next Generation and had that as part of our card 0:04:29.330 --> 0:04:31.610 set as well. But the whole time that we've been 0:04:31.610 --> 0:04:34.770 doing video game creation in the background, we've or in 0:04:34.770 --> 0:04:37.130 the foreground as well as the background, we've been making 0:04:37.130 --> 0:04:40.570 programs for participants who want to learn either game development 0:04:40.570 --> 0:04:43.410 skills or social skills. And so through that time, we've 0:04:43.410 --> 0:04:48.609 actually helped over over 3000 young people gain qualifications and 0:04:48.650 --> 0:04:51.370 even employment in game development. And a good third of 0:04:51.370 --> 0:04:53.530 those are actually those with a disability. 0:04:53.570 --> 0:04:59.080 Oh, wow. And has Lightmass Studios always had that focus on, 0:04:59.320 --> 0:05:03.680 you know, disability and accessibility from day one, or did 0:05:03.680 --> 0:05:08.000 that organically develop over the time where you sort of 0:05:08.160 --> 0:05:10.840 saw a niche and thought, you know, this is something 0:05:10.840 --> 0:05:13.600 we really want to be a part of and really 0:05:13.600 --> 0:05:17.159 get into that space and make a difference there. 0:05:17.680 --> 0:05:20.960 Yeah, absolutely. So yeah, the idea of actually working specifically 0:05:20.960 --> 0:05:23.840 in disabilities wasn't something that we intended to do. We 0:05:24.040 --> 0:05:27.320 had organically done that through, you know, having these participants 0:05:27.320 --> 0:05:30.680 come in and do, um, game development courses with us 0:05:30.680 --> 0:05:34.280 and traineeships and actually get paid to, to make video games. 0:05:34.320 --> 0:05:36.760 And through that process, we noticed that there was a 0:05:36.800 --> 0:05:39.279 large number of those, um, coming through that had some 0:05:39.280 --> 0:05:42.440 form of disability. It turns out that the industry itself 0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:45.440 has at least a 30% number of people who are 0:05:45.480 --> 0:05:48.080 identified as having a disability. So it ends up really 0:05:48.080 --> 0:05:51.480 lending lending itself well, particularly to those on the spectrum. 0:05:51.520 --> 0:05:54.040 So yeah, we kind of stumbled into that, uh, fact 0:05:54.040 --> 0:05:56.110 that we had helped so many people with disabilities and 0:05:56.150 --> 0:05:58.550 had done that for years and years before we even 0:05:58.590 --> 0:06:00.870 looked at other ways we could directly help those with 0:06:00.870 --> 0:06:04.070 this disability. So we've only directly gone out to have 0:06:04.070 --> 0:06:06.990 programs that, for example, could have participants in it using 0:06:06.990 --> 0:06:09.830 using NDIS services. Only about three years ago. But we've 0:06:09.830 --> 0:06:12.430 been helping people with disabilities that whole 17 years. 0:06:12.470 --> 0:06:16.510 Oh, wow. And had you or, you know, members of 0:06:16.510 --> 0:06:22.470 your team had much experience with disability before encountering it, 0:06:22.470 --> 0:06:26.950 with clients and people coming in and taking part in, 0:06:26.990 --> 0:06:30.550 you know, the activities that Nightmare Games had to offer. 0:06:30.550 --> 0:06:33.390 And what was that learning curve like for you in 0:06:33.390 --> 0:06:33.950 the team? 0:06:34.630 --> 0:06:37.910 Sure. Well, it wasn't that hard a jump for us 0:06:37.910 --> 0:06:41.350 because we, like myself, I have ADHD and a number 0:06:41.350 --> 0:06:45.990 of other our staff members have got various disabilities of 0:06:45.990 --> 0:06:48.230 some sort. So we found that we actually ended up 0:06:48.230 --> 0:06:51.110 really resonating with those with the disability, particularly those on 0:06:51.110 --> 0:06:54.100 the spectrum very naturally anyway, because a number of us, 0:06:54.300 --> 0:06:56.539 upwards of half of us, had some form of, uh, 0:06:56.540 --> 0:06:59.260 something on the spectrum or something, uh, that made us 0:06:59.300 --> 0:07:02.820 able to relate to those who were coming through. So obviously, 0:07:02.820 --> 0:07:05.740 as we've expanded to focus on those with a disability, 0:07:05.780 --> 0:07:08.340 we've encountered people with different disabilities that we haven't come 0:07:08.340 --> 0:07:12.580 across before, which obviously provided some accessibility challenges that we've 0:07:12.580 --> 0:07:14.780 had to work through. But yeah, we've been very happy 0:07:14.780 --> 0:07:16.820 to work through those and just, you know, even just 0:07:16.820 --> 0:07:19.700 feeling the impact on the participants who, you know, have 0:07:19.740 --> 0:07:22.860 received our services and have made a huge difference in 0:07:22.860 --> 0:07:26.380 their lives, um, that's definitely made any kind of, um, 0:07:26.420 --> 0:07:28.820 issues with, with trying to get that coordinated very much 0:07:28.860 --> 0:07:29.420 worth it. 0:07:29.700 --> 0:07:34.420 So cool. And, um, following on from that, Alfie, I'd 0:07:34.420 --> 0:07:37.660 love to have a chat about a couple of programs 0:07:37.660 --> 0:07:42.300 that Nightmare Studios are involved with lately, starting off with 0:07:42.300 --> 0:07:45.740 the Vibe coding initiative. Tell us a bit about that one. 0:07:46.260 --> 0:07:49.060 Yeah, so the Vibe Coding initiative is a brand new initiative, 0:07:49.060 --> 0:07:52.010 so I would need to talk about the broader group 0:07:52.010 --> 0:07:55.610 that we're focusing on lately first. But basically, we have 0:07:55.610 --> 0:07:59.330 a social games community that connects our veteran game developers, 0:07:59.330 --> 0:08:02.250 as well as community managers and even those who work 0:08:02.250 --> 0:08:06.210 in various other roles in a clinical sense, with those 0:08:06.210 --> 0:08:10.090 that are passionate about video games. And yeah, and then 0:08:10.090 --> 0:08:12.890 a lot of those participants are actually secretly suffering from 0:08:13.090 --> 0:08:17.650 loneliness and social anxiety as well. So the community basically 0:08:17.650 --> 0:08:21.450 gets together and either plays games or creates games. And 0:08:21.450 --> 0:08:23.730 then that allows a space for people to develop their 0:08:23.730 --> 0:08:27.090 social skills whilst engaging with them, something that they love 0:08:27.130 --> 0:08:30.450 as it could be like Minecraft or digital art or 0:08:30.450 --> 0:08:34.530 game design, or even virtual Dungeons and Dragons that we 0:08:34.530 --> 0:08:37.689 do as well. And so ultimately, our purpose is to 0:08:37.729 --> 0:08:40.970 transform lives through games. And so we'll we'll find various 0:08:40.969 --> 0:08:43.249 means to do that. And the latest one of those 0:08:43.250 --> 0:08:46.370 is the vibe coding group. So happy to cover that 0:08:46.370 --> 0:08:47.969 unless you've got another question. In the meantime. 0:08:47.969 --> 0:08:51.199 No, that's um, some. That's really interesting. Um, did you 0:08:51.199 --> 0:08:56.559 have any more details about the social games groups? Because that's, um, 0:08:56.599 --> 0:09:00.000 that's quite, um, intriguing as well. How long has that 0:09:00.000 --> 0:09:03.519 been going for and what sort of reception have you 0:09:03.520 --> 0:09:05.760 had over the years when it has been running? 0:09:06.400 --> 0:09:08.920 Yeah. So it's only been going for about three years now, 0:09:09.040 --> 0:09:11.600 which is probably a long time in the space. But uh, 0:09:11.599 --> 0:09:14.600 certainly the program itself has had a great reception. So 0:09:14.599 --> 0:09:16.920 participants obviously a lot of them love video games, and 0:09:16.920 --> 0:09:18.520 there's a lot of people out there who love video 0:09:18.559 --> 0:09:21.079 games and are missing like a third space, what they 0:09:21.079 --> 0:09:23.640 call a third space, or a safer space where people 0:09:23.640 --> 0:09:25.839 can come together and not be at work or be 0:09:25.880 --> 0:09:29.040 at home like, yeah, so that allows them to actually connect. 0:09:29.079 --> 0:09:31.079 A lot of them connect online. So it is actually 0:09:31.079 --> 0:09:33.280 done primarily through online, but it allows them to still 0:09:33.319 --> 0:09:36.119 enjoy that social aspect, no matter where they are, and 0:09:36.120 --> 0:09:39.160 have that community of people that they form genuine connections 0:09:39.160 --> 0:09:42.480 with and genuine friendships with. And, uh, yeah, we've had 0:09:42.479 --> 0:09:44.599 a lot of participants come back to us saying that 0:09:44.599 --> 0:09:46.559 they love the program and it's changed their life. It's 0:09:46.559 --> 0:09:49.270 become like an extension of their family for some of them. 0:09:49.309 --> 0:09:52.870 Oh that's fantastic. And it certainly is a great time 0:09:52.870 --> 0:09:57.790 to jump back into the details around vibe coding. Now 0:09:57.790 --> 0:10:00.630 we've got a bit of that context and you know 0:10:00.709 --> 0:10:04.869 how it's become that offshoot of the social games groups. 0:10:05.069 --> 0:10:08.949 Why don't we jump into the details around vibe coding? 0:10:09.309 --> 0:10:11.189 Yeah. So vibe coding as a concept has only been 0:10:11.189 --> 0:10:13.470 around for a couple of months now. It's very recently 0:10:13.469 --> 0:10:15.829 started to hit the mainstream of people who are interested 0:10:15.829 --> 0:10:18.949 in AI or interested in game development in some way. 0:10:18.990 --> 0:10:21.910 And so it's a, it's a, it's a form of, um, 0:10:21.910 --> 0:10:24.749 coding that's available now. People can just jump in and 0:10:24.790 --> 0:10:28.390 actually start vibe coding today. They can connect up a 0:10:28.829 --> 0:10:32.869 large language model to their coding environment and then also 0:10:32.910 --> 0:10:34.990 and then from there, from just doing that, they can 0:10:34.990 --> 0:10:37.989 actually type and talk to the AI like the same 0:10:37.990 --> 0:10:41.309 as you would ask an AI about a particular topic 0:10:41.309 --> 0:10:43.789 or whatever. You would ask it to make a game 0:10:43.829 --> 0:10:46.670 using whatever parameters and whatever things you want to have 0:10:46.670 --> 0:10:48.670 in it, and it would go away and actually make 0:10:48.670 --> 0:10:52.110 that game for you. And so when you first ask 0:10:52.109 --> 0:10:53.870 it to do it, it'll produce a bunch of code, 0:10:54.150 --> 0:10:56.390 and then you can test it out. And if you 0:10:56.390 --> 0:10:58.350 find anything you want to improve, or if you find 0:10:58.349 --> 0:11:00.709 any mistakes that you want it to fix, then you 0:11:00.709 --> 0:11:03.670 would have it be fixed through engaging in conversation with 0:11:03.670 --> 0:11:06.510 the AI and not actually typing a single line of code. 0:11:07.109 --> 0:11:11.550 Are there any sort of details around where and when 0:11:11.709 --> 0:11:15.509 the vibe coding sessions will take place? Is that set 0:11:15.510 --> 0:11:17.109 in stone yet for people? 0:11:17.150 --> 0:11:19.590 Yeah, so we've actually teed up our first live coding 0:11:19.589 --> 0:11:21.150 session for the last day of this month. So it 0:11:21.150 --> 0:11:23.910 should be the 30th of this month or Wednesday night. 0:11:24.189 --> 0:11:27.350 And that'll be the first, like official vibe coding session. 0:11:27.390 --> 0:11:30.710 It'll be done. Still in the social games development community 0:11:30.709 --> 0:11:33.790 that we have. That happens on a Wednesday night. And 0:11:33.790 --> 0:11:36.589 so participants will people can just come along and check 0:11:36.589 --> 0:11:39.949 out the program, at least before the actual Vibe Coding day, 0:11:39.949 --> 0:11:41.910 to just see if they find that they're a fit 0:11:41.910 --> 0:11:44.140 for joining the community. They can come along for a 0:11:44.140 --> 0:11:46.819 free session, and then if they enjoy that free session 0:11:46.819 --> 0:11:48.580 and want to start coming along, then that would be 0:11:48.579 --> 0:11:50.619 the way that they could start coming along to these 0:11:50.620 --> 0:11:53.379 vibe coding sessions that we will be having at least fortnightly, 0:11:53.380 --> 0:11:55.260 if not weekly, based on the interest. 0:11:55.300 --> 0:11:59.020 Well that's fantastic. There's a little sneak peek vibe coding 0:11:59.020 --> 0:12:02.660 session for people to dip their toe in and have 0:12:02.660 --> 0:12:04.660 a go. Check it out and see if it's the 0:12:04.660 --> 0:12:07.500 right thing for them. That's a great way to do it. 0:12:07.500 --> 0:12:13.860 And elfy, in terms of where the sessions are taking place, 0:12:14.059 --> 0:12:18.620 I understand it's mostly online, but have there been other 0:12:18.660 --> 0:12:23.499 in-person things that have happened and possibly coming up in 0:12:23.500 --> 0:12:24.300 the future? 0:12:24.500 --> 0:12:28.340 Yeah, absolutely. So we do deliver it primarily online and 0:12:28.339 --> 0:12:31.099 it's to 99% of Australia. So basically if you have 0:12:31.099 --> 0:12:34.260 a broadband internet connection, you can join the program. And 0:12:34.260 --> 0:12:37.780 for those that want to progress to doing something in person, um, 0:12:37.819 --> 0:12:40.580 because often it takes a lot more confidence to come 0:12:40.579 --> 0:12:43.050 in and do it in face to face, and we 0:12:43.050 --> 0:12:45.890 prefer to actually meet our participants where they're at with 0:12:45.969 --> 0:12:48.329 what they prefer to do. But we have done some 0:12:48.370 --> 0:12:51.090 in-person things in the past, and we're actually looking at 0:12:51.130 --> 0:12:53.890 doing some more events starting in Brisbane in the coming 0:12:53.890 --> 0:12:57.689 months as well. In person at a yeah, a studio location. 0:12:57.729 --> 0:13:01.929 Oh, cool. And, um, you mentioned there that one of 0:13:01.929 --> 0:13:06.650 the initial vibe coding sessions is free, but what's the 0:13:06.689 --> 0:13:11.769 sort of structure for prices going forward with either the 0:13:11.770 --> 0:13:16.009 social games groups or the vibe coding sessions, if people 0:13:16.010 --> 0:13:17.369 would like to take part? 0:13:17.890 --> 0:13:20.050 Sure. So if people want to participate in the social 0:13:20.050 --> 0:13:22.890 games community beyond the first discovery session, there is a 0:13:22.929 --> 0:13:25.209 nominal charge that we would have per session if they're 0:13:25.209 --> 0:13:27.410 doing it under a fee for service, but it is 0:13:27.410 --> 0:13:31.170 covered completely by services like the NDIS. There's there's no 0:13:31.170 --> 0:13:32.969 out of pocket for the participants at all if they 0:13:32.969 --> 0:13:35.610 happen to be on the NDIS and otherwise. Yeah, we 0:13:35.609 --> 0:13:38.290 have rather nominal charges for our services each week that 0:13:38.290 --> 0:13:41.160 can come from other places if they wanted to fund it, but. Yeah. 0:13:41.199 --> 0:13:45.280 All right. Cool. If people would like to find out 0:13:45.280 --> 0:13:49.920 more about the social games groups or vibe coding, or 0:13:49.959 --> 0:13:52.359 maybe they just want to find out a bit more 0:13:52.359 --> 0:13:56.440 about Nightmare Studios, what are the best ways for people 0:13:56.439 --> 0:13:57.400 to do that? 0:13:57.439 --> 0:13:59.759 Yeah, the best way would be to hop on to 0:13:59.880 --> 0:14:03.839 social Dot nightmare and it's spelled l I g h 0:14:03.920 --> 0:14:06.760 t m a r e. So like nightmare but with light. 0:14:06.760 --> 0:14:13.880 So that's social.nightmare.com.au. And that has a page about the 0:14:13.880 --> 0:14:16.959 social games community in general. And then as far as 0:14:17.000 --> 0:14:19.520 the vibe coding part, they would need to maybe just 0:14:19.520 --> 0:14:22.120 when they express interest on the on the form, mention 0:14:22.120 --> 0:14:24.119 the vibe coding as an interest, and we'll try and 0:14:24.120 --> 0:14:26.080 get them in for an earlier session so that they 0:14:26.080 --> 0:14:28.520 can still join that session. The first session coming up 0:14:28.520 --> 0:14:30.160 on the 30th. Obviously, we're going to have more than 0:14:30.160 --> 0:14:32.160 just the one session, so there's no real urgency. But 0:14:32.160 --> 0:14:33.960 if they want to be one of the very founding 0:14:33.960 --> 0:14:36.000 people in the vibe coding group, then that would be 0:14:36.000 --> 0:14:38.749 the best way to do that. Just go to social. social.com. 0:14:39.590 --> 0:14:41.470 Fill out the form and then we can coordinate for 0:14:41.470 --> 0:14:43.430 them to have a free discovery session to see if 0:14:43.430 --> 0:14:45.310 they like it. And then the other thing to mention 0:14:45.310 --> 0:14:48.229 as well is, um, you know, those who have vision impairment, 0:14:48.270 --> 0:14:50.710 there's also means and tools that we can connect the 0:14:50.710 --> 0:14:54.350 participant to so that they can actually start to vibe 0:14:54.350 --> 0:14:57.550 code without touching a keyboard, and they can create something 0:14:57.550 --> 0:15:00.670 auditory or whatever they want to create. Again, just through 0:15:00.710 --> 0:15:03.390 vocal conversation, instead of having to type, they can just 0:15:03.390 --> 0:15:05.710 talk to the AI and the AI talks to the Mac. 0:15:06.150 --> 0:15:07.910 So that's another thing we'll be setting up with those 0:15:07.910 --> 0:15:10.030 who have, you know, some form of inability to type, 0:15:10.030 --> 0:15:11.790 or they'd prefer to just do it through voice. 0:15:12.190 --> 0:15:16.910 Oh that's incredible. No, that sounds fantastic. Well, I'm really 0:15:16.910 --> 0:15:21.670 looking forward to seeing how the Vibe coding initiative goes. 0:15:21.670 --> 0:15:24.830 Let's possibly catch up in a few months, and we 0:15:24.830 --> 0:15:27.630 can get a little bit of a progress report and 0:15:27.630 --> 0:15:30.190 tell us a bit about how the first six months 0:15:30.190 --> 0:15:33.390 have gone. So that's very exciting. Looking forward to catching 0:15:33.390 --> 0:15:38.300 up with you then. I've been speaking today with Elfie Coyle, 0:15:38.340 --> 0:15:43.859 founder and creative director of Lightmass Studios, in charge of 0:15:44.020 --> 0:15:50.020 game development and a training academy for people with disabilities 0:15:50.020 --> 0:15:54.259 to get involved in social gaming and more recently, the 0:15:54.260 --> 0:15:59.220 Vibe coding initiative coming up very shortly. Elfie, thank you 0:15:59.220 --> 0:16:01.739 so much for your time today. It was great to 0:16:01.780 --> 0:16:04.580 catch up with you and chat about all the things 0:16:04.580 --> 0:16:06.460 Lightmass Studios has been up to. 0:16:07.180 --> 0:16:09.140 It's been fantastic chatting with you Sam, and I'm looking 0:16:09.140 --> 0:16:11.540 forward to potentially coming back with some of the, you know, 0:16:11.580 --> 0:16:13.540 maybe some of the projects that some of the participants 0:16:13.540 --> 0:16:14.979 have worked on would be really cool to check out 0:16:14.979 --> 0:16:15.379 as well. 0:16:20.780 --> 0:16:24.540 I'm Sam Corley and you're listening to Talking Vision on 0:16:24.540 --> 0:16:30.180 Vision Australia Radio, Associated Stations of Reading Radio and the 0:16:30.180 --> 0:16:35.490 Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that conversation with 0:16:35.490 --> 0:16:39.050 Alfie Coyle there. If you missed any part of that 0:16:39.050 --> 0:16:42.690 conversation with Alfie or you'd love to hear it again. 0:16:42.890 --> 0:16:46.810 Talking vision is available on the podcast app of your 0:16:46.810 --> 0:16:51.330 choice or through the Vision Australia library. You can also 0:16:51.330 --> 0:16:55.410 find the podcast of the show on the Vision Australia 0:16:55.410 --> 0:17:01.850 Radio website. Simply head to RVA radio Dot. That's RVA 0:17:01.890 --> 0:17:06.810 radio Dot. And now it's time for some Easter news 0:17:06.810 --> 0:17:12.050 and information. The Vision Australia Easter Egg Hunt is back 0:17:12.050 --> 0:17:18.369 in Bendigo. Coming up this good. Friday, April 18th, 2025 0:17:18.530 --> 0:17:24.530 from 9:40 a.m. to 5 p.m. it costs $18 each 0:17:24.690 --> 0:17:29.450 and it's located, as always, at Rosalind Park in Bendigo. 0:17:30.210 --> 0:17:35.370 Join the exciting search for 85,000 Easter eggs in Rosalind 0:17:35.369 --> 0:17:39.489 Park on Good Friday. The chocolate eggs will be hidden 0:17:39.490 --> 0:17:43.210 in straw at the beautiful Rosalind Park for more than 0:17:43.210 --> 0:17:48.409 4000 children to find. Easter egg hunts are organised for 0:17:48.409 --> 0:17:52.410 separate age groups over various time slots throughout the day. 0:17:52.810 --> 0:17:56.170 See the below table on the website, which I'll give 0:17:56.210 --> 0:18:00.250 at the end. Come and say hello to Vision Australia's 0:18:00.290 --> 0:18:03.090 Seeing Eye Dogs, who will be part of the Easter 0:18:03.090 --> 0:18:06.769 action too. They've had to make a change to the 0:18:06.770 --> 0:18:11.610 product used in their Easter egg hunt due to supply issues. No, 0:18:11.609 --> 0:18:15.090 the Easter eggs are unaffected, but this year they'll be 0:18:15.090 --> 0:18:20.130 using straw and hay instead of wooden wool. They appreciate 0:18:20.129 --> 0:18:23.409 your understanding and can assure you that the change will 0:18:23.409 --> 0:18:27.930 not impact the fun and excitement of the event. In 0:18:27.930 --> 0:18:32.359 regards to tickets, tickets will be available for purchase prior 0:18:32.359 --> 0:18:36.439 to the event. Tickets will be available to purchase via 0:18:36.440 --> 0:18:44.879 the Bendigo Visitor Centre by visiting the website, or calling 1800 813 153. 0:18:45.320 --> 0:18:52.560 That's 1800 813 153. Tickets can also be purchased in person at 0:18:52.560 --> 0:18:57.600 the Bendigo Visitor Centre at 51 to 67 Pall Mall, 0:18:57.639 --> 0:19:02.600 Bendigo Limited. Tickets may be available on the day, subject 0:19:02.600 --> 0:19:07.640 to availability. They've added an extra, all accessible hunt for 0:19:07.639 --> 0:19:11.639 children who need a little extra support. This hunt will 0:19:11.639 --> 0:19:15.959 have a much smaller amount of participants and be held 0:19:15.960 --> 0:19:20.960 at 9:40 a.m., before the park becomes too busy. Spaces 0:19:20.960 --> 0:19:26.320 are limited. All proceeds go towards supporting the local services. 0:19:26.359 --> 0:19:30.190 Vision Australia provides to people who are blind or have 0:19:30.190 --> 0:19:34.790 low vision living in the Bendigo region. To find out more, 0:19:35.030 --> 0:19:41.189 visit the Bendigo Easter Festival website at Bendigo Easter Festival. 0:19:43.629 --> 0:19:53.229 That's Bendigo Easter festival. And search for Vision Australia. Easter 0:19:53.230 --> 0:19:58.470 egg hunt. You can also visit the Bendigo Visitors Centre 0:19:58.470 --> 0:20:10.149 website at Bendigo region. That's Bendigo. And in some other 0:20:10.149 --> 0:20:15.470 Easter news, the hundred K team has released ten fun, 0:20:15.470 --> 0:20:20.429 long weekend ideas to go 100 K your way. So 0:20:20.510 --> 0:20:25.030 here's ten long weekend KM boosters with a four day 0:20:25.070 --> 0:20:28.699 weekend in sight. There's a great opportunity to plan a 0:20:28.740 --> 0:20:33.540 power up on your 100 Koa efforts. Whether you're taking 0:20:33.540 --> 0:20:37.020 it slow and enjoying time with loved ones, or blazing 0:20:37.020 --> 0:20:40.700 your case with a four day fitness frenzy, here are 0:20:40.700 --> 0:20:45.459 ten ideas to boost your kilometres this weekend. Take a 0:20:45.460 --> 0:20:49.340 hike in a place you've never visited before. Check out 0:20:49.340 --> 0:20:54.419 this list of inclusive all abilities trials for inspiration, which 0:20:54.419 --> 0:21:02.900 you can find at trial. Hiking. That's trial hiking. And 0:21:02.899 --> 0:21:09.500 search all inclusive. Trials. Australia. Enjoy some screen free time 0:21:09.500 --> 0:21:14.139 with a family bike ride. Visit the local pool and 0:21:14.139 --> 0:21:18.259 get in some extra laps before winter sets in. Play 0:21:18.260 --> 0:21:23.300 backyard sports after lunch. Explore new towns by foot on 0:21:23.300 --> 0:21:26.929 a day trip or holiday. Take the kids to the 0:21:26.930 --> 0:21:31.530 local zoo. Spend a day at your local botanic gardens. 0:21:32.169 --> 0:21:34.649 Take your dog to the beach for a long walk 0:21:34.690 --> 0:21:38.210 and play. Play tag with the kids for a fun. 0:21:38.210 --> 0:21:43.889 Run around and rollerblade your local beach or river boardwalk. 0:21:44.450 --> 0:21:49.170 You can download a free KM planner by heading to 0:21:49.210 --> 0:21:57.530 Vision Australia's fundraising page at Fundraising Vision Australia. That's Fundraiser 0:21:58.649 --> 0:22:04.330 Australia and search under Planners and Tallies, where you'll see 0:22:04.369 --> 0:22:09.530 an activity conversion chart. And lots of teams really went 0:22:09.530 --> 0:22:13.650 the distance in kilometers and fundraising last week. You can 0:22:13.649 --> 0:22:17.050 check out the 100 K Your Way leaderboard to see 0:22:17.050 --> 0:22:22.010 the latest rankings for teams and individuals. Again, to check 0:22:22.050 --> 0:22:28.840 out everyone's progress. You can head to fundraiser dot. That's 0:22:28.840 --> 0:22:34.960 fundraiser Dot to check out how everyone's 100 K is going. 0:22:35.280 --> 0:22:39.279 Or if you'd like to particularly check out how your 0:22:39.280 --> 0:22:43.800 Vision Australia radio favorites are tracking along, you can head 0:22:43.800 --> 0:22:49.080 to the Vision Australia Radio website, of course at radio Dot. 0:22:49.919 --> 0:22:54.640 That's VA radio dot and click the link on the 0:22:54.639 --> 0:22:59.399 front page to head to the Vision Australia Radio 100 0:22:59.440 --> 0:23:05.520 K pages featuring all teams from Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and 0:23:05.520 --> 0:23:17.080 regional Victoria. And now here's Frances Kelland with her radar recommended. 0:23:17.080 --> 0:23:21.550 Thank you Sam. Now today's reader recommended is a timely 0:23:21.550 --> 0:23:24.629 one because sadly, we saw the passing of father Bob 0:23:24.629 --> 0:23:27.109 Maguire and this book is one we've had in the 0:23:27.109 --> 0:23:29.950 library collection for a little while. Its father, Bob the 0:23:29.950 --> 0:23:34.070 Larrikin Priest by Sue Williams. This is the life story 0:23:34.070 --> 0:23:37.150 of father Bob Maguire. A rare behind the scenes look 0:23:37.190 --> 0:23:40.909 at the much loved people's priest. The enigmatic champion of 0:23:40.909 --> 0:23:43.629 the down and out was shaped by a lonely childhood 0:23:43.629 --> 0:23:47.830 in poor circumstances, an early priesthood that collided with the 0:23:47.869 --> 0:23:51.070 upheaval of Vatican Two and working with the army during 0:23:51.070 --> 0:23:53.909 the Vietnam War. This is a lively portrait of the 0:23:53.909 --> 0:23:58.070 man behind the resilient social activist and popular media performer, 0:23:58.070 --> 0:24:01.550 who refuses to be defeated by enforced retirement from the 0:24:01.550 --> 0:24:05.350 parish over which he presided for nearly 40 years. Let's 0:24:05.350 --> 0:24:08.669 hear a sample of father Bob, the Larrikin Priest by 0:24:08.710 --> 0:24:11.949 Sue Williams. It's narrated by Richard Bligh. 0:24:12.070 --> 0:24:15.710 The most chilling sound of young Bob Maguire's childhood was 0:24:15.710 --> 0:24:19.230 his father's heavy footfall on the front doorstep, followed by 0:24:19.230 --> 0:24:21.790 the scratch of a fumbled key in the lock as 0:24:21.790 --> 0:24:24.910 he stumbled home from yet another drunken evening at the pub, 0:24:25.830 --> 0:24:28.790 the family would hold their breath in fear, waiting to 0:24:28.790 --> 0:24:32.150 see just what would walk in. Sometimes it would be 0:24:32.149 --> 0:24:36.109 his dad, in a genial mood, animated with ale and conversation, 0:24:36.109 --> 0:24:41.229 telling jokes, singing songs, reciting passages from Shakespeare and recounting 0:24:41.230 --> 0:24:45.510 funny anecdotes from his years spent at sea. More often, 0:24:46.109 --> 0:24:49.149 it would be a dark, smoldering stranger who didn't want 0:24:49.149 --> 0:24:52.030 to know his kids and could, with his temper on 0:24:52.030 --> 0:24:56.830 a hair trigger, explode into violence at any moment. It 0:24:56.830 --> 0:24:59.869 was their mum who was his usual target, and she 0:24:59.869 --> 0:25:04.750 regularly endured savage beatings. The four children would cower in 0:25:04.750 --> 0:25:08.070 terror as their father lashed out in an alcoholic rage, 0:25:08.190 --> 0:25:12.750 frequently leaving his wife cut, bloodied and bruised. Even today, 0:25:12.750 --> 0:25:16.350 three quarters of a century later, Bobby's older brother Jim 0:25:16.350 --> 0:25:19.700 can still picture the handprints of blood left smeared on 0:25:19.700 --> 0:25:22.419 the walls as she struggled to get away from him 0:25:22.419 --> 0:25:25.820 and out of the sight of the children. At other times, 0:25:25.820 --> 0:25:29.420 their eldest sibling, Eileen, found herself on the wrong side 0:25:29.419 --> 0:25:32.900 of his fists. But Bobby, the baby of the family, 0:25:32.899 --> 0:25:35.860 has few memories of any of that. I think I 0:25:35.859 --> 0:25:38.899 probably just blocked it out, he says now. But I 0:25:38.899 --> 0:25:42.020 do remember the only time my father communicated with me. 0:25:42.180 --> 0:25:44.780 He'd been away, and when he came home, he beat 0:25:44.780 --> 0:25:47.859 me with his belt. He was always a bad drunk. 0:25:47.899 --> 0:25:50.340 And that's the only time I can ever remember him 0:25:50.340 --> 0:25:51.739 taking any notice of me. 0:25:51.740 --> 0:25:55.260 And that was a sample of father Bob by Sue Williams. 0:25:55.540 --> 0:25:57.139 If you would like to borrow that book, if you 0:25:57.139 --> 0:25:59.220 would like to join the library and find out about 0:25:59.220 --> 0:26:05.820 other wonderful books they have, you can always call 1300 654 656. 0:26:05.859 --> 0:26:11.980 That's 1300 654 656. Or you can email the library at Library 0:26:11.980 --> 0:26:16.250 at Vision Australia. That's library at Vision In Australia. 0:26:17.010 --> 0:26:20.050 And that's all the time we have for today. You've 0:26:20.050 --> 0:26:24.169 been listening to Talking Vision. Talking vision is a Vision 0:26:24.210 --> 0:26:28.410 Australia radio production. Thanks to all involved with putting the 0:26:28.409 --> 0:26:32.570 show together every week. And remember, we love hearing from you. 0:26:32.570 --> 0:26:36.050 So please get in touch anytime on our email at 0:26:36.090 --> 0:26:41.890 Talking at Vision Australia. That's talking vision all. One word 0:26:41.889 --> 0:26:46.690 at Vision Australia. But until next week. It's Sam Culley 0:26:46.690 --> 0:26:48.209 saying bye for now. 0:26:51.810 --> 0:26:55.889 You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during 0:26:55.889 --> 0:27:04.970 business hours on 130084746. That's one 384 74 six. Or 0:27:04.970 --> 0:27:09.210 by visiting Vision Australia. That's Vision Australia.