A loose coalition of game developers and other industry folks from around the world are getting together under the "Game Devs For Fireys" banner to auction off goods and services in support of Australian firefighting services and wildlife organizations.
If it's not immediately clear, "firie" or "firey" is Australian slang for "firefighter". Many (if not most) of the firefighters in Australia are volunteer forces who are absolutely running themselves ragged facing off against the terrible bush fire crisis that has been ongoing for quite a while now.
Now, a bunch of game industry folks are getting together to raise money in a novel fashion as reported by GamesIndustry.biz: through a loose coalition of auctions under the Game Devs For Fireys hashtag. Here are just a few examples of the people who will be supporting this cause starting January 14, 2020 — that's today! (Unless you're from the future, then it's probably a long time ago.)
I’m contributing to #gamedevsforfireys by putting up for auction two free QA consulting sessions. I’ve got MANY (I’m so old) years of experience, and have helped some wonderful studios and companies do QA the right way.
— Jason Imms 🅽🅸🅲🅴 🔜 MIGW (@jasonimms) January 13, 2020
Info on how to bid:https://t.co/4x08CckGtt pic.twitter.com/aNIOFI1cYe
For #GameDevsForFireys I'm giving all those who donate over $10 a store page overview!
— meredith 🍒 (@merryh) January 13, 2020
I'll look at your Steam (or equiv) & give some suggestions on improvements via email, strategies you could leverage, and more.
The more you donate, the more time I'll spend!
Ok #GameDevsForFireys / #gamedevsforfiries I'm offering a copy of #animalempire #rpg by @halfmonstergame and I'll also show my method for creating an open world storyline: HookStorm to anyone who donates $5 or more. pic.twitter.com/8hcX4D0Qcp
— Callan Davis (@davis_callan) January 14, 2020
Joining in on #GameDevsForFireys with a unique key & build of This Too Shall Pass (aka @afleetingworld), a travelling exploration game about the climate crisis we're in the middle of.
— TRANS RAGE (@aCrownOfMoths) January 14, 2020
Currently only 4 of them exist in the wild, with each one being a unique experience https://t.co/xkUVWYM4p3 pic.twitter.com/R2xdj2EWZ6
How to Support Game Devs For Fireys
To start, there are a plethora of organizations that could put your donations to very good use. Game Devs For Fireys has a donation page that tells you who you can donate to if you just feel like putting some money towards a good cause with no strings attached.
However, the organizations listed there are also valid charities for those who are participating in this program. Simply put, it works like this:
- A gaming industry person promises an object or service in exchange for a donation. They may also nominate a specific charity.
- Someone donates the required amount and provides a receipt to the game industry person in question.
- The donator receives the goods and/or services, along with a warm fuzzy feeling and quite possibly a tax deduction.
It might be a bit difficult to find auctions tat first, but there are two ways you can do it:
- Check out the Auction Items Round-Up page at the GDFF website.
- Check out the #GameDevsForFireys and #GameDevsForFiries hashtags on Twitter.
Keep your eyes open throughout the day to see what neat stuff pops up on the auctions!
The Game Devs For Fireys campaign joins several other gaming companies who have stepped up to help out with relief for the Australian bush fire disasters. Recently, developers Onion Soup Interactive and Crytivo have announced intiatives of their own to contribute.
What do you think of Game Devs For Fireys? Have you seen any particularly interesting auctions? Let us know in the comments below!