Even though Humble Bundle is no longer the independent little outfit we grew up with, they're still offering bundles that donate to charity every other fortnight. And their latest bundle is worthy of some attention, because it's all Australian.

Hand of Fate raised plenty of money on Kickstarter, and last time we checked in with the board game that was doing well on Kickstarter too. The campaign has since come to a close. Have a guess how well you think it did.

It's been in the works for a while, but finally the Hand of Fate board game is nearing release. But perhaps launching to the finish line is a better analogy, with the game having surpassed its Kickstarter funding goal in the first six hours.

Australia has a long, proud history of making video games extending back to the (figurative) dawn of time. But while plenty of gamers will remember the days of Shane Warne Cricket and our contributions to much more serious genres (like Dark Reign and Krush, Kill N Destroy), contributions over the last couple of years are sometimes forgotten.

So to help celebrate our national day of not being at work and generally overeating, here's a look at 7 of the best Australian games of recent times.

Australia no longer has a foot in the AAA industry, so it's natural that our video games wouldn't take the sideways step into other mediums or properties.

But every now and again, you get a surprise. And one such surprise at PAX Australia came from Defiant Development and Rule & Make, who have joined forces to turn the charismatic indie into a board game.

The 2015 Australian hybrid card game and action role-playing game Hand of Fate was surprisingly good, if a bit rough-edged. It built a following, sold some 400,000 copies on PC and console, added 1.5 million more through a free Xbox Games with Gold promotion and was successful enough that it's getting a slicker sequel that was shown off behind closed doors at last month's Game Developers Conference.

How do you define 'success'? Well, if you're a government body thinking about funding video games, about aiding growth, creating sustainable jobs -- all that good stuff -- this is what a successful Australian video game studio looks like.

Comfortably nestled in Brisbane (weather permitting), Defiant Development has seen great success on PC and mobile, with both Hand of Fate and Ski Safari kicking goals. The former title is currently 66 per cent off on Steam, which means you can grab it for the delicious price of $US8.49.

The latter months of 2014 was marked by a string of big-name releases being delayed, and February was the month when they started to drop. But as it turned out, some of them dropped more than just a release date.

Defiant Development has been around for five years. Formed after the closure of Pandemic, it represents something grander than the video games it creates. For the Australian games industry, it represents a transition. For the people who work there? A safe haven in an world that is constantly in flux.

Aussies will be able to buy an exclusive Xbox One bundle consisting entirely of indie games such as Threes!, Jackbox Party Pack, and the Brisbane-made, critically acclaimed Hand of Fate.

At Defiant Development's five year anniversary party recently, staff who had been at the Brisbane studio for at least two years were rewarded for their faithful service with a sizeable sword.