01/01/2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Two graduates of the Vermont College of Fine Arts Writing for Children and Young Adults program recently released their first game for young children.
Gnomestead, now available on Steam, is a point-and-click farming experience somewhere between a pop-up book and a fully fledged video game. It rotates through the wheel of the year with eight different activities for players to help gnomes work in the garden.
It's intended to fill the space between quieter picture books and attention-hacking phone games, according to writer and designer Vander Gac, who graduated from VCFA in 2019.
“Video games are still a very new medium, but a lot of the content for young people seems to gravitate around microtransactions and maximizing engagement,” they said. “Gnomestead is our attempt to build something that focuses more on writing, art, and connection to the natural world.”
Gac worked with their coding partner for several years building small prototypes. In 2025, the team was joined by another VCFA grad, Marianne Murphy.
Marianne received an M.F.A. in Writing for Children and Young Adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and a B.F.A. in Animation at the University of the Arts.
"This game rewards exploration for young gamers and celebrates the passing of time in a meaningful way," she said.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2573650/Gnomestead/
Join the GORT Discord - https://discord.gg/MywvtDVRAJ
