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https://www.theguardian.com/games/2026/aug/11/pro-jank-footy-video-game-australian-rules>
"Try explaining Australian rules football to anyone outside Australia and “it
sounds like you’re making it up”, says David Ashby, the multi-hyphenate comedic
mind behind deeply silly spoofs such as
Italian Spider-Man and
Danger 5.
“Eighteen players a side, running around on a cricket oval with a rugby ball
that has to be bounced every so often and gets kicked between posts – like,
what the fuck is happening?”
Two years ago at a fantasy footy barbecue, Ashby had a brainwave: why not make
a video game where Australia’s strange national sport becomes even stranger the
more you play?
Pro Jank Footy reimagines the sport as a high-octane fever dream, where every
time your opponent kicks a goal, you get to change one rule so the game gets
increasingly janky (and hilariously stupid). Your opponents turn into seagulls.
One player becomes massive. A labrador tries to steal the ball. Everyone loses
their arms. The bouncing DVD logo appears and gets in the way (if it hits the
corner, you win). Meat pies with legs storm the oval to provide energy boosts.
A power-up called “Dad’s Car” sees a Ford Falcon hoon around the grounds. A
third team joins in.
Ashby is rattling these off with delight; there are more than 150 in the game.
“There’s one called Sore Neck which flips the game upside down so you get a
sore neck. There’s another called Where’s the Remote, which switches the
channel to HDMI 2,” he says, ticking off his fingers. “It is very dumb stuff.”
We’re sitting in Melbourne’s Great Northern hotel with Ashby’s friend and
fellow footy nut, Broden Kelly of Aunty Donna. Right next to us is an
old-school arcade cabinet for
Pro Jank Footy, which is already attracting
informal tournaments among pub-goers. Kelly, who did the commentary for the
game, has to speak over the sound of his own voice blaring out of the cabinet.
“It’s so sick,” he says. “This will live beyond me.”"
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
