How good are game devs?
Very good, is the answer if you weren’t aware. During Australia’s bushfire crisis we’ve seen gamers from all walks of life and talent sets coming together to offer their unique set of skills in a way to raise funds for the much-needed fires that are raging across Australia at the moment, a lot of which still are not yet under control. As someone who lives near the affected areas, and has had family members fighting the fires, every time I see gamers working together like this, it warms my heart. Of course, just about everyone knows someone that’s impacted by these fires. Even those who live in the now smoke-shrouded cities are suffering.
It’s a horrible, complicated issue that I could say a lot about but, in the end, the hope coming forth from projects like this is what makes hope and moving forward seem within reach.
Based on the hugely popular #AuthorsForFiries, #GameDevsForFiries aims to replicate its success in a very specific format. That is to say, developers (and some other people within the games industry) are offering up rare, cool stuff. Whether that’s from a game they’ve worked on, a game they’ve reviewed, or helping other game developers working on their own projects, there’s all kinds of cool stuff up for grabs.
Taking place over 10 days, from Tuesday 14th January through to 11 am AEDT 22nd January, folks from the game industry are invited to step forward to create a tweet offering, an item, unique opportunity or service that they’re willing to donate under the hashtag #GamersForFiries. Twitter users can then reply to this tweet with a bid in Australian dollars until the bidding end time. The author of the tweet will then message the highest bidder, who will then donate their money to a specified charity. Some devs will choose the charity, while others might leave it open for the winning bidder to decide where the money goes.
The initiative was put together by a group of Australian game developers who felt strongly about the topic, and are just one of many groups all fundraising in their own way.
Here are a few of the very, very cool things on offer so far by searching the hashtag #GameDevsForFiries or #GameDevsForFireys:
We're giving away a bundle of goodies in support of https://t.co/J5rCAzCS8P
– Slime Rancher doodle
– Signed copy of Slime Rancher
– Signed Slimepedia
– Tabby sticker
– Tabby Pinny ArcadeHelp us support Australian firefighters & wildlife!#GameDevsforFireys #GameDevsforFiries pic.twitter.com/Stigh3zWRM
— Monomi Park (@monomipark) January 13, 2020
#GameDevsforFireys while I didn’t make it, I have a signed Ultimate Edition of @SuperMeatBoy I will send to the highest bidder, with a preference to @CFA_Updates
Is that cool, @edmundmcmillen and @TommyRefenes? it’s a very good cause.https://t.co/J15VNgBL2d pic.twitter.com/FyGLYJsPs3
— Giselle Rosman (@jazzrozz) January 13, 2020
The destruction caused by the Australian bushfires has been devastating so we’re having a benefit auction.
The highest bidder will receive a full poster sized version of one of these ace posters created by #Melbourne artist, Tim Goschnick. #GameDevsforFireys #OfficeBotsVR pic.twitter.com/QsXMP1VYIW
— FutureStateMachine (@FutureStateMach) January 13, 2020
And this is only a small collection! The scope is even broader if you’re someone that makes games, with people offering up tutoring sessions, reviews of Steam pages and more! So what are you waiting for? Get you some charitable game goodies!
For more information and to find out how you can participate or contribute, check out the Game Devs for Fireys website!
