While these campaigns can be used to raise funds for an indie developer’s own games, they are more often than not used to encourage gamers to donate to a good cause through these campaigns.
The Indie Bundle for Palestinian Aid and the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality, both of which raised funds for victims of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the George Floyd protests in the United States of America, respectively, were two of the most successful fundraising campaigns on itch.io.
In addition to providing assistance to those in need, these bundles provided the buyer with a plethora of goodies, including 2D and 3D video game assets as well as critically acclaimed indie games such as Celeste, Baba is You, and Pikuniku.
Due to the fact that these two examples are among the best and most successful fundraisers on itch.io, it was only a matter of time before a similar donation drive was launched in order to assist victims of the current tropical cyclone, Typhoon Rai.
The Malaysia Flood Relief 2021 Bundle was created by tabletop game developer Aaron Lim, also known by his online handle, ehronlime, and is available for purchase on his website. This bundle was originally created with the assistance of more than a handful of other regional tabletop creators with the goal of assisting flood victims in Malaysia.
The bundle quickly surpassed its US$1,000 fundraising goal and, as of the time of writing, had raised more than US$13,000. Lim later took to Twitter to announce that the proceeds from this bundle would also be donated to the victims of Typhoon Rai in the Philippines, which had hit the country earlier this month.
30% of the proceeds will be donated to the Tulong Kabataan Network, a relief and rehabilitation network comprised of various youth organizations in the Philippines that provides relief and rehabilitation services.
For example, in contrast to the previously mentioned bundles, the Malaysia Flood Relief 2021 Bundle contains 25 different tabletop games that donors can enjoy. This includes everything from the slice-of-life tabletop roleplaying game Capitalites to a small number of game books created by A Thousand Thousand Islands and other publishers and developers.
Check out the Malaysia Flood Relief 2021 Bundle and make a donation to help those affected by the floods.
