A group of indie game developers have come together to raise more than $200,000 for the United Kingdom-based charity Medical Aid for Palestinians. Esther Wallace from Oak Grove Games put together the Games for Gaza bundle which includes 256 games including physical games, soundtracks, books and assets from 140 creators, all from $10.
All proceeds from the sales will go to the Medical Aid for Palestinians, with the bundle aiming to raise up to $300,000 before November 9th. According to NPR, Israeli attacks have since caused the reported death of more than 7,000 Palestinians. The non-stop violence began when Hamas, the group that controls the Gaza Strip, launched an attack that resulted in the deaths of over 1,400 people in Israel.
In the weeks that followed, Israel initiated extensive airstrikes and a ground invasion of its own, along with a reported blockade that prevented essential aid from entering the country. Just recently there’s been reports of almost complete internet and communication outages in Gaza, according to The Verge.
Providing assistance
“In times of humanitarian emergency, we are ready to respond rapidly with aid and assistance,” wrote MAP.
Medical Aid for Palestinians is now making efforts to provide the necessary supplies to assist displaced and injured civilians. “Since the limited opening of the Rafah border crossing on 22 October, the first time since the blockade, a drop in an ocean of 74 aid trucks of food, water and medicine arrived in Gaza,” MAP said on its website.
“Prior to 7 October, an average of 500 truckloads entered Gaza every working day according to the UN. None of the aid deliveries entering Gaza so far has included fuel, and UNRWA, by far the largest humanitarian provider in Gaza, has almost exhausted its fuel reserves and has therefore begun to reduce operations significantly.”
Currently, the Games for Gaza bundle includes games like the squirrel surveillance game Nuts, Necrosoft Games’ Hyper Gunsport, and a Wikipedia-based murder mystery called Neurocracy 2049 which costs $10. Video games aside, the bundle also includes physical and tabletop games like Everest Pipkin’s The Ground Itself and soundtracks from various games as well.
So far, more than 14,000 people have donated with over $235,000 raised. The bundle is expected to run until November 9th.
Isa Muhammad is a writer and video game journalist covering many aspects of entertainment media including the film industry. He's steadily writing his way to the sharp end of journalism and enjoys staying informed. If he's not reading, playing video games or catching up on his favourite TV series, then he's probably writing about them.
