On June 4th we hosted our first charity stream on our Twitch channel! During the five and a half hour stream, our generous community donated over $800 to the Chicago Community Bond Fund (CCBF). We picked this charity because we as individuals and as a company stand firmly behind its mission to fight the discriminatory practice of money bond and to educate people on the negative effects of pre-trial incarceration. As stated on the CCBF’s website, money that is currently being donated is going to bail out those who have been arrested in Chicago during the Black Lives Matter protests. But, as also stated on the CCBF’s website, if the money they receive is no longer needed to specifically bail out political protesters, the money will go back into their general revolving fund to bail out other community members who desperately need it.
During the stream we played three different games by Black and People of Color creators. We wanted the games we selected to show the breadth of content made by Black people and People of Color.
The first game the team played was a demo version of the game She Dreams Elsewhere, by Studio Zevere’s Davionne Gooden, which is coming out some time in 2020. She Dreams Elsewhere is a wonderfully trippy RPG-style game that manages to feel both nostalgic and futuristic. The familiar RPG mechanics set against the backdrop of vaporware inspired visuals and music makes for a truly unique and captivating experience. After playing this demo on stream, She Dreams Elsewhere quickly shot to the top of our list for our most anticipated video games of 2020.
Next, Mary and Rachel played the visual novel The Shadows that Run Alongside Our Car, by Lox Rain. We thought this was a wonderful opportunity to highlight the need for intersectionality both in the fight for social justice and in game design. From what we could glean from the Lox Rain websites and twitter profiles, Shadows was made by three creators: a white woman, Vietnamese-American woman, and a creator who describes themselves as a “queer, mixed race person of wibbly gender.” Shadows was made in four days and features two characters as they ride together through a zombie apocalypse. The phenomenal graphics and dialogue makes this two-hour game stay with you long after it’s over. You can also play the game from both characters’ points of view, expanding the experience even further.
Finally, Rachel was joined by Spring to play the opening scenes of Aurion: Legacy of Kori-Odan. Aurion is a 2D action-RPG made by Kiro’o Games—Cameroon’s first video game development studio. This action-packed titled follows the story of prince Enzo as he fights alongside his wife Erine to take back control of their lost kingdom. Aurion puts a much needed spotlight on the Africa’s complex myths and traditions. The combat in Aurion is incredibly smooth and ties in beautifully with the hand-drawn backgrounds and rich dialogue.
We were all truly taken aback by the outpouring of support that our community showed for the cause. We are so thankful to have a community that stands with us on such important issues like ending the use of monetary bond.
If you would like to watch the recording of the stream, you can find it here.