Elijah Gonzalez 
In the wake of worldwide protests over racial inequality and police brutality, Itch.io is currently offering an unprecedented pay-what-you-want (5 dollar minimum) bundle featuring 1,427 works. The site and participating developers have already raised more than 3,000,000 dollars of their 5,000,000 dollar goal, and all of the proceeds are being donated directly to the NAACP and Community Bail Fund in a 50/50 split. The offer ends on June 15th.
Among this gargantuan list of games are some of the most notable indie titles in recent memory, including the stellar twitch-platformer Celeste, and the exceedingly charming Night in The Woods. Other highlights include A Mortician’s Tale, Nuclear Throne, Tonight We Riot, A Short Hike, Minit, and 2064: Read Only Memories. And you know, around 1,000 others, many of which are likely hidden gems.
And more importantly, these proceeds are being directly donated to a great cause. In the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, people from all around the world have found solidarity in the cause to eliminate systemic racism and police violence. The NAACP is an organization that was founded to help eliminate race-based discrimination, playing a pivotal role in the civil rights movement in the USA, and the organization currently seeks to alleviate inequality in jobs, education, health care, voting rights, and the criminal justice system.
Community Bail Funds offer aid to individuals who cannot afford to post bail and the funds are particularly important in a moment when thousands of protestors find themselves detained in the midst of largely peaceful lawful assemblies. While there are many ways to support the Black Lives Matter movement, it’s affirming to see an avenue to support this cause within the context of the video game industries’ largely confused response to these issues.
