Dear Bitsy community, dear Adam Le Doux, and everyone who has contributed to expanding the beautiful boundaries of this tool,
I’m Nico, a game designer, researcher, educator, ludic activist, and co-founder of Niebla Games, an independent game studio based in Chile, at the southernmost tip of the Americas. Over the years, I’ve worked with a variety of engines and tools, but I want to say that few things have filled me with as much joy and possibility as Bitsy. This tool has not only allowed me to create but also to share creation with others, breaking down barriers that many didn’t even realize they could overcome.
Bitsy has given me the opportunity to work with people who never imagined they could make a video game: students, colleagues, communities far removed from technological hubs, and even individuals who had never played a game before. As an educator and ludic activist, I’ve seen how Bitsy sparks creativity, how its simplicity and minimalism make game creation accessible to people who might otherwise feel excluded. It removes the paralyzing notion that one needs to be a 'genius' or have access to expensive tools to create something meaningful, reminding us that true creativity flourishes in constraints, necessity, and the beauty of the small.
At a time when the gaming industry and mainstream development tools seem increasingly dominated by corporate interests and extractive practices, Bitsy feels like an anchor of resistance—small, yes, but powerful enough to lift (and create) entire worlds. Its open-source ethos and minimalist approach offer a different path, a much-needed reminder that there is another way to do things in these ominous times. Bitsy’s design doesn’t just lower technical barriers—it reduces environmental impact. In a world grappling with climate urgency and ever-expanding technological consumption, tools like Bitsy are not just alternatives; they’re essential pathways we need to pursue.
Bitsy runs on low-spec devices, opening up a world of possibilities for communities without access to cutting-edge technology. This isn’t a minor detail: I’ve seen how this accessibility transforms lives, enabling people from challenging circumstances to tell their stories and express themselves through games. And it’s not just accessible for creators—it’s accessible for players. Small games with simplified inputs allow people with limited mobility or those unfamiliar with gaming literacy to experience the hundreds of micro-stories created in Bitsy. In my workshops, I’ve seen people with no prior gaming experience find, through Bitsy-made games and the tool itself, an entry point into the beauty of this medium.
With Bitsy, I was able to create a game (Wildfire Chile 24) in just a few days to raise funds and support the victims of a devastating wildfire in Chile. The game served as a form of ludic direct action, mobilizing economic aid, raising awareness about the tragedy and its causes, and pointing to the historical role of real estate interests in such disasters, as well as the ongoing persecution of environmental activists.
Bitsy also enabled me to achieve key milestones in my work as a ludic activist and creator, including one of the most significant projects of my career: Hawk and Puma. This game pays homage to the Andean Indigenous chronicler Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala. Through Bitsy, I was able to honor his monumental manuscript—1,000 pages and 400 illustrations critiquing colonial abuses—with a minimalist game that conveys the depth of his message. The project was nominated for international accolades like the AMaze Berlin Festival for Playful Media and Gamescom Latam in categories focused on diversity and social issues. It also led to a beautiful collaboration with members of the ÑawpaÑan community in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, resulting in the game being developed in English, Spanish, and Quechua, one of the Indigenous languages of the region, which remains vibrant and alive.
That collaboration grew into something larger. Alongside Kenia Chávez Ccahuana, I co-founded Andean Futures, an initiative of community-based research-creation where Indigenous and local youth in the valley now tell their own stories through open-source tools—Bitsy being a star in the show. These young creators are making their first-ever video games, a milestone that holds profound meaning for me as I reflect on how interactive art has transformed my own life.
None of this would have been possible without Bitsy or the people who’ve nurtured its growth, from Adam to the creators of hacks and extensions that have expanded its possibilities into a full ecosystem.
I want to encourage everyone to keep creating, sharing, and believing in the power of Bitsy. I also invite you to participate in festivals like AMaze and others. When I submitted Hawk and Puma, I worried it was too small to be considered, but the nomination taught me otherwise. It also gave me the chance to meet incredible creators like Valeriy Petrov, a brilliant ludic activist from Ukraine, whose work with Bitsy and whose thoughtful feedback on my game gave me goosebumps. Knowing that someone truly understood the heart of my project meant the world to me and encouraged me to apply to spaces like those. It’s an honor that Hawk and Puma was the first Bitsy game to be nominated for such a festival, but what matters most is that it opened the door for more Bitsy creators to aim for similar recognition. I’ve come across so many incredible projects that deserve to be showcased, and I hope to help open even more spaces for Bitsy creators in the future.
That said, external validation isn’t what drives me to write this letter, nor do I believe it should be the ultimate goal. Creating small stories, games, and worlds is what truly matters, and I want to encourage everyone reading this to embrace that. Bitsy has allowed me to create work that resonates with dozens of people while also empowering me to share the tool itself, inspiring others to craft their own small worlds. Bitsy has the power to transform lives—just as it transformed mine—by opening tiny universes and creating stories that will continue to resonate with hundreds of future players.
Thank you, Adam, to all the contributors, and to this incredible community that makes it all possible. Let’s keep opening doors of 8x8 pixels, welcoming new players and creators into this 16x16-tile room we keep building together. And most importantly, let’s keep feeding this small flame that dances so beautifully with just two frames of motion.
With deep admiration and love,
