2020, what a year. The pressure is on for many people financially, socially, and medically. Enter Itch.io offering the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality for just $5, which has ballooned to over 1700 games. Today, with just hours left, Itch.io has broken the 7 million mark.
For those who do not know, Itch.io is a haven for indie games. They often don't have big budgets and are either pay-what-you-want or free. Since the bundle became available June 6th with 744 games, developers have pitched in to add another thousand on top of that. So far, the average contribution is about $10, but the highest contribution is a whopping $5000. The funds will be split 50/50 between NAACP's Legal Defense & Education Fund and Community Bail Fund.
Itch.io's success can be attributed to the uptick in support for #blacklivesmatter and civil rights in general. Many people are looking for a way to help even if they cannot attend protests or have very little to give. This bundle offered gamers a way to contribute while staving off quarantine fever at a price they can afford.
One element of the bundle that most people gloss over is the resources buried in there for tabletop gamers and game developers. The DragonRuby Game Toolkit and at least fifteen bundles of tile sets will prove invaluable to beginning programmers. For game masters, there are also tabletop rule books and a charming black and white hex kit, among others.
Some have criticized the bundle, saying that most of the games are low-quality, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Indie games are labors of love, and Itch.io's bundle is an expression of love for our common man. Even without the good cause, if just one game out of 1700 brings a little joy to someone's life, that's more than worth the five bucks.
Source: Itch.io