Greetings, itch.io community! VitaGames is here and that's our call for submissions to the “Games against war” co-op bundle.
Firstly, a few words about what VitaGames is.
VG is a unique project aimed at helping Ukrainian children to adapt to new environments and overcome the adverse effects of war and immigration. We use game development by children not only as a way to obtain new skills, but as expressive art therapy and stress relief to show them that war is not the end of their childhood. It’s a brand-new approach to expressive therapy with no analogs yet.
First groups of children have already completed our course. Considering the scale of this war, we can do more, but we need the help of the game community. However, to organize a 3-year game-dev therapy program, we need the funding. To raise funds, we are organizing a “Games against war” co-op bundle, starting on the 10th of December. Date has not been chosen randomly. That’s the International Human Rights Day. The end date is the 18th of December; that’s only one week bundle.
There are no doubts that our project will be helpful not only for Ukraine; we will share our experience with researchers and psychologists worldwide. Video game development as a therapy is an entirely new approach to psychological help in dealing with post-traumatic stress. That's one of many reasons why we are asking for help, right here, on ITCH.IO. That's not just a site where creators try to sell their games, but also a place where the game community can influence the world. Bundle for Palestinian Aid, the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality, Bundle for Ukraine are solid proves of it.
So meet our call for submissions to the “Games against war” bundle! It would be great to have all submissions in by the end of the 1st of December at 11:59 PM.
Here's some important stuff (parts of this were owed and modified from the Bundle for Palestinian aid and the Bundle for Ukraine):
- please submit your game as a link in reply to this posting. Your submission indicates consent to publish the game in the bundle.
- you MUST be signed in to the itch.io dev account associated with your game when you submit it here. Otherwise, it won't be counted.
- please, do not say anything else in your post. It may sufficiently increase the time of organizing this bundle.
- paid games only. There has been too much back and forth about free and paid games in past bundles, and the fact is some folks will be buying this bundle because of the "value" for better or for worse.
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Below, we prepared the Q&A section with some crucial information. In case you have any question, there is a big chance to find there information you are interested in.
Can I get more information about the VitaGames project?
Of course. To get more info, just go to our website. Plus, you can leave whatever question you have in this thread.
Is this a charity bundle?
Yes. It is a 100% charity co-op bundle. If you are a submitter, we can send a budget summary and the research proposal to you on demand.
Can I submit non-commercial/free projects?
Not this time, sorry! As mentioned above, the free aspects of prior bundles caused a lot of consternation and winded up diluting the perceived "value" of the bundle. There was also a lot of debate about whether free games in a bundle like this wound up becoming self-promotion. All of that sucks, but we're not out from under capitalism just yet, and we decided to avoid it in this bundle. The games can be affordable, but not free.
Can I submit non-games?
Not this time, sorry! This bundle is all about games only.
Can I submit adult content?
No, sorry! We want this bundle to be media-friendly for maximum reach, and you know how people get. Just use your discretion.
Will Steam (or other external keys) be given with a purchase?
No. It's too difficult to coordinate and can wind up inviting scammers. Only itch.io projects will be considered for this bundle.
I'm worried people might already have my game from another bundle.
That's okay. Obviously, we want as much new stuff as possible, but there will be new people buying this bundle, and there will be new games in it.
