In this episode, I sit down with the deadly Elijah McDonald – a proud a Noongar|Yamatji|Pitta-Pitta man from WA– who’s part of the team behind Blaktasia: Invasion of the Merk, Australia’s first-ever Aboriginal-led mobile game.

I caught up with Elijah fresh from Yabun Festival on Gadigal Country, where he and his team were showcasing Blaktasia and spreading the word about this groundbreaking project. Made by mob, for mob, this game isn’t just about fantasy and fun – it’s about reconnecting with Country, fighting back the darkness with mulga magic, and seeing our stories and faces represented in digital spaces.

We yarn about Elijah’s journey from playing games with his dad to studying Game Art and Design at TAFE, and how he landed a role at Guck – a majority Blak-owned company making big waves in the gaming world. This was such a refreshing convo – I’ve never had a game developer on the podcast before, and Elijah is leading the way for young First Nations creatives in the tech space.

If you’re a young fulla dreaming of a future in gaming, design or digital storytelling – or just curious about how culture and coding can come together – this one’s for you.

And the best part? Blaktasia is 100% free – no ads, no microtransactions. Just pure Blak brilliance.

🔗 Resources from this episode:


Follow Blaktasia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blaktasia_game


Follow Blaktasia on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@blaktasia_game


Follow Blaktasia on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/blaktasia_game


Like on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blaktasiagame


Learn more about Guck: https://www.guck.com.au


Indigenous Game Developers (IGEA article): https://igea.net/2022/10/indigenous-game-developers


CSIRO Indigenous STEM Programs: https://www.csiro.au/en/education/programs/Indigenous-STEM


Indigitek – Mob in Tech & Innovation: https://indigitek.org.au


Unity Learn (Free Game Dev Tutorials): https://learn.unity.com


Unreal Engine Learning Portal: https://dev.epicgames.com/community/learning


Roblox Studio (Create Your Own Games): https://create.roblox.com

Website: www.blackmagicwoman.com.au

Follow us on Instagram - @blackmagicwomanpodcast

The Black Magic Woman Podcast is hosted by Mundanara Bayles and is an uplifting conversational style program featuring mainly Aboriginal guests and explores issues of importance to Aboriginal people and communities.  Mundanara is guided by Aboriginal Terms of Reference and focusses more on who people are rather than on what they do.

If you enjoyed this episode, please ‘Subscribe’ on Apple Podcasts or ‘Follow’ on your Spotify app and tell your friends and family about us! If you’d like to contact us, please email, info@blackmagicwoman.com.au

In this episode, I sit down with the deadly Elijah McDonald &ndash; a proud a Noongar|Yamatji|Pitta-Pitta man from WA&ndash; who&rsquo;s part of the team behind Blaktasia: Invasion of the Merk, Australia&rsquo;s first-ever Aboriginal-led mobile game.
I caught up with Elijah fresh from Yabun Festival on Gadigal Country, where he and his team were showcasing Blaktasia and spreading the word about this groundbreaking project. Made by mob, for mob, this game isn&rsquo;t just about fantasy and fun &ndash; it&rsquo;s about reconnecting with Country, fighting back the darkness with mulga magic, and seeing our stories and faces represented in digital spaces.
We yarn about Elijah&rsquo;s journey from playing games with his dad to studying Game Art and Design at TAFE, and how he landed a role at Guck &ndash; a majority Blak-owned company making big waves in the gaming world. This was such a refreshing convo &ndash; I&rsquo;ve never had a game developer on the podcast before, and Elijah is leading the way for young First Nations creatives in the tech space.
If you&rsquo;re a young fulla dreaming of a future in gaming, design or digital storytelling &ndash; or just curious about how culture and coding can come together &ndash; this one&rsquo;s for you.
And the best part? Blaktasia is 100% free &ndash; no ads, no microtransactions. Just pure Blak brilliance.
🔗 Resources from this episode:
<ul data-start="213" data-end="1027">
<li data-start="213" data-end="290">
Follow Blaktasia on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/blaktasia_game" data-start="248" data-end="288">https://www.instagram.com/blaktasia_game</a>
</li>
<li data-start="291" data-end="363">
Follow Blaktasia on TikTok: <a data-start="323" data-end="361">https://www.tiktok.com/@blaktasia_game</a>
</li>
<li data-start="364" data-end="435">
Follow Blaktasia on Twitter/X: <a href="https://twitter.com/blaktasia_game" data-start="399" data-end="433">https://twitter.com/blaktasia_game</a>
</li>
<li data-start="436" data-end="496">
Like on Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/blaktasiagame" data-start="456" data-end="494">https://www.facebook.com/blaktasiagame</a>
</li>
<li data-start="498" data-end="548">
Learn more about Guck: <a href="https://www.guck.com.au" data-start="523" data-end="546">https://www.guck.com.au</a>
</li>
<li data-start="550" data-end="648">
Indigenous Game Developers (IGEA article): <a data-start="595" data-end="646">https://igea.net/2022/10/indigenous-game-developers</a>
</li>
<li data-start="649" data-end="743">
CSIRO Indigenous STEM Programs: <a data-start="683" data-end="741">https://www.csiro.au/en/education/programs/Indigenous-STEM</a>
</li>
<li data-start="744" data-end="810">
Indigitek &ndash; Mob in Tech &amp; Innovation: <a href="https://indigitek.org.au" data-start="784" data-end="808">https://indigitek.org.au</a>
</li>
<li data-start="812" data-end="878">
Unity Learn (Free Game Dev Tutorials): <a data-start="853" data-end="876">https://learn.unity.com</a>
</li>
<li data-start="879" data-end="958">
Unreal Engine Learning Portal: <a data-start="912" data-end="956">https://dev.epicgames.com/community/learning</a>
</li>
<li data-start="959" data-end="1027">
Roblox Studio (Create Your Own Games): <a data-start="1000" data-end="1025">https://create.roblox.com</a>
</li>
</ul>
Website:&nbsp;<a href="https://open.acast.com/www.blackmagicwoman.com.au">www.blackmagicwoman.com.au</a>
Follow us on Instagram - @blackmagicwomanpodcast
The Black Magic Woman Podcast is hosted by Mundanara Bayles and is an uplifting conversational style program featuring mainly Aboriginal guests and explores issues of importance to Aboriginal people and communities.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mundanara is guided by Aboriginal Terms of Reference and focusses more on who people are rather than on what they do.
If you enjoyed this episode, please &lsquo;Subscribe&rsquo; on Apple Podcasts or &lsquo;Follow&rsquo; on your Spotify app and tell your friends and family about us! If you&rsquo;d like to contact us, please email, info@blackmagicwoman.com.au

Hosted by Mundanara Bayles who was born and raised in Redfern (Sydney) Australia and currently lives in Queensland. The Black Magic Woman Podcast is an uplifting conversational style program featuring mainly First Nations people from Australia and around the world sharing their stories about their journey to highlight the diversity amongst First Nations peoples and the resilience of her people. She hopes these stories inspire her listeners and also create a better understanding of what First Nations Peoples culture and history.

 

Mundanara is guided by Aboriginal Terms of Reference and focusses more on who people are rather than on what they do. Mundanara makes people feel relaxed and comfortable as if they were sitting around the kitchen table just having a yarn. It’s the way First Nations people have been building relationships and getting to know each other for tens of thousands of years. She draws from a long family history in the media industry and has grown up in culturally strong, politically active family who have been at the forefront of the Aboriginal Rights movement since the 1960’s.

 

Mundanara sees this platform as an opportunity to share her cultural knowledge and insights to her audience in a non confrontational way that brings people along with her to create change for a better Australia. To connect more with Mundanara check out the work she does with her elders at www.theblackcard.com.au

 

If you'd like to support the show by making a financial contribution, visit www.theblackcard.com.au Any help is appreciated and goes a long way. I encourage to get behind any First Nations media, contribute, share and be apart of positive change that Australia needs.

Hosted by Mundanara Bayles who was born and raised in Redfern (Sydney) Australia and currently lives in Queensland. The Black Magic Woman Podcast is an uplifting conversational style program featuring mainly First Nations people from Australia and around the world sharing their stories about their journey to highlight the diversity amongst First Nations peoples and the resilience of her people. She hopes these stories inspire her listeners and also create a better understanding of what First Nations Peoples culture and history.
&nbsp;
Mundanara is guided by Aboriginal Terms of Reference and focusses more on who people are rather than on what they do. Mundanara makes people feel relaxed and comfortable as if they were sitting around the kitchen table just having a yarn. It&rsquo;s the way First Nations people have been building relationships and getting to know each other for tens of thousands of years. She draws from a long family history in the media industry and has grown up in culturally strong, politically active family who have been at the forefront of the Aboriginal Rights movement since the 1960&rsquo;s.
&nbsp;
Mundanara sees this platform as an opportunity to share her cultural knowledge and insights to her audience in a non confrontational way that brings people along with her to create change for a better Australia. To connect more with Mundanara check out the work she does with her elders at <a href="https://www.theblackcard.com.au">www.theblackcard.com.au</a>
&nbsp;
If you'd like to support the show by making a financial contribution, visit <a href="https://www.theblackcard.com.au">www.theblackcard.com.au</a> Any help is appreciated and goes a long way. I encourage to get behind any First Nations media, contribute, share and be apart of positive change that Australia needs.

Black Magic Woman with Mundanara Bayles

Hosted by Mundanara Bayles who was born and raised in Redfern (Sydney) Australia and currently lives in Queensland. The Black Magic Woman Podcast is an uplifting conversational style program featuring mainly First Nations people from Australia and around the world sharing their stories about their journey to highlight the diversity amongst First Nations peoples and the resilience of her people. She hopes these stories inspire her listeners and also create a better understanding of what First Nations Peoples culture and history.



Mundanara is guided by Aboriginal Terms of Reference and focusses more on who people are rather than on what they do. Mundanara makes people feel relaxed and comfortable as if they were sitting around the kitchen table just having a yarn. It’s the way First Nations people have been building relationships and getting to know each other for tens of thousands of years. She draws from a long family history in the media industry and has grown up in culturally strong, politically active family who have been at the forefront of the Aboriginal Rights movement since the 1960’s.



Mundanara sees this platform as an opportunity to share her cultural knowledge and insights to her audience in a non confrontational way that brings people along with her to create change for a better Australia. To connect more with Mundanara check out the work she does with her elders at www.theblackcard.com.au.



If you'd like to support the show by making a financial contribution, visit https://www.theblackcard.com.au./ Any help is appreciated and goes a long way. I encourage to get behind any First Nations media, contribute, share and be apart of positive change that Australia needs.

Hosted by Mundanara Bayles who was born and raised in Redfern (Sydney) Australia and currently lives in Queensland. The Black Magic Woman Podcast is an uplifting conversational style program featuring mainly First Nations people from Australia and around the world sharing their stories about their journey to highlight the diversity amongst First Nations peoples and the resilience of her people. She hopes these stories inspire her listeners and also create a better understanding of what First Nations Peoples culture and history.
 
Mundanara is guided by Aboriginal Terms of Reference and focusses more on who people are rather than on what they do. Mundanara makes people feel relaxed and comfortable as if they were sitting around the kitchen table just having a yarn. It’s the way First Nations people have been building relationships and getting to know each other for tens of thousands of years. She draws from a long family history in the media industry and has grown up in culturally strong, politically active family who have been at the forefront of the Aboriginal Rights movement since the 1960’s.
 
Mundanara sees this platform as an opportunity to share her cultural knowledge and insights to her audience in a non confrontational way that brings people along with her to create change for a better Australia. To connect more with Mundanara check out the work she does with her elders at www.theblackcard.com.au.
 
If you'd like to support the show by making a financial contribution, visit https://www.theblackcard.com.au./ Any help is appreciated and goes a long way. I encourage to get behind any First Nations media, contribute, share and be apart of positive change that Australia needs.

Black Magic Woman

Levelling Up with Blak Magic

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/fa326977-3de5-4283-9b8b-af3500c58607/clips/24433392-6306-48c1-b61e-b2ab003e61dd/transcript