⚠️ I’m happy to speak at events on a range of topics, including game development and design, artifical intelligence, the intersection and implications of technology and creativity, space, technology, and beyond. Email me at paris AT paris.id.au to chat. You can find a bio and headshots here.

Upcoming Events

2024

• Speaking: It Takes a Spark! - STEM Conference 2024, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
  • Workshop: Writing choose your own adventure stories with Yarn Spinner
• Speaking: Yarn Spinner Workshops Melbourne
  • Workshop: Yarn Spinner for Writers

2025

• Speaking: ACS EdCAT (Australian Computer Society Education Careers and Tech Summit)
  • Session: Careers, video games, and technology

Past Events

2024

• Speaking: Tasmanian Ham Radio Conference 2024, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
  • Session: Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning in Amateur Radio
• Speaking: NZGDC 2024, Wellington, New Zealand
  • Session: Let’s learn to write narrative games with Yarn Spinner
• Speaking: Melbourne International Games Week, Technically Games Lightning Talks
  • Session: Let’s learn to write narrative games with Yarn Spinner
• Speaking: West Coast Heritage Centre, Zeehan, Tasmania
  • Open Day Session on STEM and Space
• Speaking: Level Up Tasmania 2024, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
  • Panel: Path to Play: Education & Gaming
  • Session: From Secret Lab to Yarn Spinner
  • Expo: Night in the Woods, I Feel Fine, and Leonardo’s Moon Ship
• Organising/Speaking: West Coast Space Show 2024, Tasmania, Australia
• Organising: AUC /dev/world/2024, Melbourne, Australia
• Organising: AUC XWorld 2024, Melbourne, Australia
• Speaking: NarraScope 2024, Rochester, NY, USA
  • Workshop: Getting started with Yarn Spinner
• Speaking: North Bay Python 2024, Petaluma, CA, USA
  • Session: Nighmare on LLM Street

2023

• Speaking: Everything Open 2023, Melbourne, Australia
  • Session: Let’s Use An Automated Theorem Prover To Verify Video Games
  • Session: Don’t wait for Godot! Build a game today!
• Attending: GDC 2023, San Francisco, USA
• Organising: AUC /dev/world/2023, Melbourne, Australia
• Organising: AUC XWorld 2023, Melbourne, Australia
• Organising: FOSSY 2023, Portland, OR, USA
  • Track: FOSS at Play
• Speaking: NZGDC 2023, Wellington, New Zealand
  • Workshop: Introduction to Yarn Spinner
• Speaking: High Score 2023, Melbourne, Australia
  • Panel: Experience Design–Game Audio beyond PC & Console

2022

• Exhibiting: Gamescom 2022, Cologne, Germany
  • Exhibiting: Yarn Spinner
• Speaking: KiwiPyCon 2022, Christchurch, New Zealand
  • Session: Machine Learning, Video Games, and Python
• Speaking: NZGDC 2022, Wellington, New Zealand
  • Session: Building and Training Machine Learning Agents with Unity
  • Panel: Writing, Workflow, and Game design
• Speaking: linux.conf.au 2022 [online]
  • Session: Let’s Make a Game
• Speaking: GCAP 2022, Melbourne, Australia
  • Session: We deserve better subtitles!h

2021

• Speaking: PAX Australia Online 2021 [online]
  • Panel: Understand the enemy! How does Artificial Intelligence work?
• Speaking: GCAP 2021, Melbourne, Australia
  • Session: Machine learning plus a game engine!
• Speaking: Fifteen Seconds Festival 2021, Graz, Austria
  • Keynote: Building a self-driving car without a car
• Speaking: National Science Week 2021, Australia
  • Session: Let’s Train an AI (Hobart)
  • Session: Let’s Train an AI (Launceston)
• Speaking: NZGDC 2021, Wellington, New Zealand
  • Session: Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Simulations with Unity (with Mars)
  • Panel: What’s the story with narrative game development? (with Tim and Jon)
• Speaking: Write the Docs 2021, Portland, Oregon [online]
  • Session: The Secret History of Libraries [video 🎬]
• Speaking: Reinforce AI Conference 2021, Budapest, Hungary [online]
  • Session: Simulating your robot brain with a game engine

2020

• Speaking: GIDS.AI/ML & Data [online]
  • Session: Deep Learning Techniques for Natural Language Processing
• Organising: EveryWorld 2020 [online]
• Speaking: FWD50 2020, Ottawa, Canada [online this year]
  • Session: What government needs to know about teaching AI in schools
• Speaking: SeaGL 2020, Seattle, USA [online this year]
  • Session: First Steps with Swift for TensorFlow (with Tim)
• Speaking: All Things Open 2020, Raleigh, USA [online this year]
  • Session: State of Swift (with Tim)
  • Session: Live Coding a 3D Game in 45 minutes with Open Source technology (with Tim)
• Speaking: Infoshare 2020, Gdańsk, Poland (online)
  • Session: Simulating your robot brain with a game engine (with Mars) [video 🎬]
• Speaking: PAX Online 2020
  • Session: DIY Robot Overlord: How does AI actually work? (with Tim, Jon, Mars, and Meredith)
• Speaking: National Science Week 2020 Australia
  • Session: How does AI actually work? (with Tim, Mars, Jon, and Meredith) [video 🎬]
• Speaking: App Builders 2020 (remote event)
  • Session: Practical AI with Swift
• [cancelled due to COVID-19]: The Artificial Intelligence Conference 2020, San Jose, USA
  • Tutorial: Swift for TensorFlow in 3 Hours (with Mars and Tim)
• [cancelled due to COVID-19]: GDC 2020, San Francisco
  • Speak to us about Yarn Spinner at GDC!
• Speaking: Cocoaheads Sydney, February 2020
  • Session: Swift for TensorFlow (with Mars)
• Speaking: Software Architecture Conference 2020, New York City, USA
  • Session: Entity component systems and you: They’re not just for game developers (with Mars and Tim)
• Speaking: Sydney Python, January 2020
  • Session: Swift ❤️ Python(with Mars)

2019

• Speaking: PyCon AU 2019, Sydney, Australia
  • Session: Building, designing, teaching and training simulation environments for Machine Learning [video 🎬]
• Speaking:O’Reilly OSCON 2019, Portland, Oregon, USA
  • Tutorial: AI problem solving with TensorFlow and Unity (with Mars and Tim)
  • Tutorial: Building a programming language for fun (and maybe profit) (with Tim and Jon)
  • Ignite: Why did medieval knights fight giant snails?
• Speaking: The BiG Day In 2019, Hobart, Australia
  • a talk on careers in technology (with Mars)
• Speaking: YOW! Data 2019, Sydney, Australia (with Mars)
  • Session: Training a Self-Driving Car Without a Car (with Mars) [video 🎬]
• Speaking: Strata Data Conference 2019, London, UK Session: Science Fictional User Interfaces (with Mars) [video 🎬]
• Speaking:The Artificial Intelligence Conference 2019, New York City, USA
  • Session: Game engines and machine learning (with Mars and Tim) [video 🎬]
• Speaking: Ignite NYC 2019 @ The AI Conference, New York City, USA
  • a talk on science-fiction and its influence, and potential influence, on artificial intelligence
• Speaking: Reinforce AI Conference 2019, Budapest, Hungary
  • Session: On-device Neural Style Transfer (with Mars) [video 🎬]
• Speaking: Budapest Artificial Intelligence Meetup, March 2019
  • a talk on on-device neural style transfer (with Mars)
• Speaking: Software Architecture Conference 2019, New York City, USA
  • Session: Entity component systems and you: They’re not just for game developers (with Mars and Tim) [video 🎬]
  • Meetup: Meet the Experts (with Tim)
  • Book Signing: Learning Swift, 3rd Edition (with Tim)
• Speaking: AWS Community Day 2019, Melbourne, Australia
  • Session: Live coding a self-driving car (without a car) (with Mars)
• Organising: /dev/world/2019, Melbourne, Australia
• Speaking:NZGDC19, Wellington, New Zealand
  • Session: Machine Learning with Unity (with Mars and Tim)
• Speaking:The Artificial Intelligence Conference 2019, San Jose, USA
  • Tutorial: Machine Learning problem solving with a game engine (with Mars and Tim)
  • Session: Live coding a self-driving car (without a car) (with Mars and Tim)
  • Book Signing: Unity Game Development Cookbook, 1st Edition (with Tim)
• Speaking: GCAP19 (Game Connect Asia Pacific), Melbourne, Australia
  • Session: Why did medieval knights fight giant snails? And what does this have to do with games?
• Speaking: PAX Australia 2019, Melbourne, Australia
  • Panel: Let’s Train an AI to Play a Game (with Tim, Meredith, and Jon)
• Speaking:The Artificial Intelligence Conference 2019, London, UK
  • Session: Building, teaching and training simulations for machine learning.. with a game engine! (with Tim)
  • Session: Practical on-device AI and ML using Swift (with Tim)
• Speaking: Bitnorth 2019, Mont-Tremblant, Canada
  • Session: History and Politics
• Speaking: TensorFlow World 2019,Santa Clara, USA
  • Session: Swift for TensorFlow in 3 hours (with Mars, Tim, and Jon)
• Speaking: North Bay Python 2019, Petaluma, USA
  • Session: Let’s build a video game, train a bot to play it, and deploy it on a smartphone in 30 minutes
• Speaking: Velocity 2019, Berlin, Germany
  • Session: Replacing Your Gearbox At 100MPH: How Live Games Monitor and Change With Millions Playing (with Jon)
  • Book Signing: Unity Game Development Cookbook, 1st Edition (with Tim and Jon)
• Speaking: Software Architecture Conference 2019, Berlin, Germany
  • Tutorial: How Do I Game Design? Architecting games to expand your thinking (with Mars and Tim)
  • Session: Does architecture matter in a world of ‘quick hacks’? Architecture vs. Big Data and ML (with Mars)
• Speaking:The Swift Alps 2019, Crans-Montata, Switzerland
  • Tutorial: Swift for TensorFlow (with Mars)
  • Tutorial: Practical AI with Swift (with Mars)

2018

• Attending: Kiwicon, Wellington, Australia
• Attending: ACS Reimagination Thought Leaders Summit 2018
• Attending: PAX Aus 2018, Melbourne, Australia
• Speaking: GCAP 2018, Melbourne, Australia
  • Session: Arrr-chitecting games and game teams: what we can learn from actual pirates [video 🎬]
• Speaking: TasICT Technology, Transformation, and Innovation Conference 2018, Hobart, Australia
• Speaking: Australian Engineering Conference 2018, Sydney, Australia
  • Panel: The Grand Plan — Big Ideas for Australia 
• Speaking: The Artificial Intelligence Conference 2018, San Francisco, USA
  • Session: Learning from video games (with Mars and Tim) [video 🎬]
• Organising: /dev/world/2018, Melbourne, Australia
• Speaking: OSCON 2018, Portland, USA
  • Session: Learning Swift with Playgrounds (with Mars and Tim) [video 🎬]
• Attending: WWDC 2018, San Jose, USA
• Speaking: Science in the Pub Tasmania, April 2018
  • Session: Not just playing games anymore

2017

• Attending: BuzzConf 2017, Ballan, Victoria, Australia, December 1 to 3, 2017
• Speaking: The Future of Work in Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, October 3, 2017
• Speaking: NZGDC 2017, Auckland, New Zealand
• Organising: /dev/world/2017, Melbourne, Australia
• Speaking: OSCON 2017, Austin, USA
• Speaking:linux.conf.au 2017, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
  • Session: Engaging with Open Data through Video Games

2016

• Organising: OzCHI 2016, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia, November 29 to December 2, 2016
• Speaking: BuzzConf 2016, Ballan, Victoria, Australia, November 25 to 27, 2016
• Speaking/Sponsoring: GCAP 2016, Melbourne, Australia, November 1 and 2, 2016
• Speaking: OSCON 2016, London, UK:
  • Session: Building Containerized Microservices with Swift
  • Session: Engaging with Open Data through Video Games
• Attending/Program Committee: YOW! Connected, Melbourne, Australia, October 5 and 6, 2016
• Organising: /dev/world/2016, Melbourne, Australia
• Speaking: Write the Docs North America 2016, Portland, USA
• Speaking: OSCON 2016, Austin, USA
• Speaking: IA Summit 2016, Atlanta, USA
• Speaking: International Conference of Game Jams, Hackathons, and Game Creation Events (ICGJ) 2016, Berkeley, USA
• Speaking: linux.conf.au 2016, Open Knowledge Miniconf, Geelong, Australia
• Speaking: linux.conf.au 2016, Functional Programming Miniconf, Geelong, Australia

2015

• Speaking: OZCHI 2015, Workshop on Science Fiction and the Reality of HCI, Melbourne, Australia
• Speaking: OSCON 2015 in Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NL
• Speaking: Museums and the Web Asia 2015, Melbourne, Australia
• Speaking: YOW! Connected 2015, Melbourne, Australia; September 17-18, 2015
• Organising: /dev/world/2015 [conference organiser], Melbourne, Australia
• Speaking: OSCON 2015, Portland, USA

2014 and earlier

• Organising: /dev/world/2014 [conference organiser], Melbourne, Australia; September 29-30, 2014
• Speaking: YOW! Connected 2014, Melbourne, Australia; September 8-9, 2014
• Speaking: Apple Australia/AUC iOS Developer Workshops 2014, Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide; September 1-10, * 2014
• Speaking: OSCON 2014, Portland, USA
• Speaking: CreateWorld 2014, Brisbane, Australia
• Speaking: /dev/world/2013, Melbourne, Australia
• Speaking: CompCon 2013, Canberra, Australia
• Speaking: OSCON 2013, Portland, USA
• Speaking: iConference 2013, Fort Worth, USA
• Speaking: CreateWorld 2012, Brisbane, Australia
• Speaking: OzCHI 2012, Melbourne, Australia
• Speaking: /dev/world/2012, Melbourne, Australia
• Speaking: OSCON 2012, Portland, USA
• Speaking: IA Summit 2012, New Orleans, USA
• Speaking: linux.conf.au 2012, Ballarat, Australia
• Speaking: CreateWorld 2011, Brisbane, Australia
• Speaking: Screen Tasmania Digital Seminar 2011, Hobart, Australia
• Speaking: OSDC 2011, Canberra, Australia
• Speaking: Web Directions South 2011, Sydney, Australia
• Speaking: /dev/world/2011, Melbourne, Australia
• Speaking: UX Australia 2011, Sydney, Australia
• Speaking: OSCON 2011, Portland, USA
• Speaking: Nordic Game 2011, Malmö, Sweden
• Speaking: Interaction 2011, Boulder, USA
• Speaking: X-Media Lab 2011: Location Based Services, Malmö, Sweden
• Speaking: CreateWorld 2010 [keynote], Brisbane, Australia
• Speaking: OzCHI 2010, Brisbane, Australia
• Speaking: /dev/world/2010, Melbourne, Australia
• Speaking: CreateWorld 2009, Brisbane, Australia
• Speaking: OzCHI 2009, Melbourne, Australia
• Speaking: /dev/world/2009, Canberra, Australia
• Speaking: /dev/world/2008, Melbourne, Australia

Speaker Information

You can download a headshot here: Paris Buttfield-Addison headshot. A variety of biography lengths are available below.

Long Biography

Paris Buttfield-Addison is a multifaceted creative technologist, author, and entrepreneur with a PhD in Computing from the University of Tasmania. As co-founder of Secret Lab, he has led teams in creating award-winning games and interactive experiences, including contributions to the BAFTA- and IGF-winning Night in the Woods, as well as projects for high-profile clients such as CSIRO, ABC, Qantas, Marvel, and Apple.

In 2024, he co-founded Yarn Spinner, a company built around the eponymous narrative scripting tool developed at Secret Lab, which has gained widespread adoption in both educational settings and acclaimed game titles worldwide. Paris has authored more than 20 books on subjects ranging from game development to artificial intelligence and astrophysics, with translations in more than 10 languages and international bestseller status.

Paris holds current board positions as Secretary of the Australasian Apple University Consortium (AUC) and Chair of the Tasmanian Game Makers Association (TasGM), and spent twelve years on the board of the Australian Computer Society (ACS) in Tasmania. A sought-after speaker, Paris frequently shares his knowledge at conferences globally, covering topics from game design to cutting-edge AI technologies.

In 2024, Paris, together with his wife, embarked on a new venture by co-founding the West Coast Space Centre, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing STEAM education in Tasmania, with the eventual goal of a permanent presence on Tasmania’s West Coast.

Medium Biography

Paris Buttfield-Addison is a creative technologist, author, and entrepreneur with a PhD in Computing from the University of Tasmania. As co-founder of Secret Lab, he has led teams in creating award-winning games and interactive experiences, including contributions to the BAFTA- and IGF-winning Night in the Woods.

Paris has authored more than 20 internationally bestselling books on subjects ranging from game development to artificial intelligence. Paris sits on the board of the Australasian Apple University Consortium and the Tasmanian Game Makers Assocation, and spent twelve years on the board of the Australian Computer Society.

A sought-after speaker, Paris frequently shares his knowledge at global conferences. In 2024, he co-founded Yarn Spinner, a company built around a widely-adopted narrative scripting tool, and together with his wife, Mars, the West Coast Space Centre, a non-profit dedicated to advancing STEAM education in Tasmania.

Short Biography

Paris Buttfield-Addison is a creative technologist, author, and entrepreneur with a PhD in Computing. He co-founded Secret Lab, creating award-winning games, and has authored over 20 bestselling tech books. Paris serves on industry boards, speaks globally, and recently co-founded Yarn Spinner and the West Coast Space Centre, advancing game development and STEAM education in Tasmania.