The wildfires that raged across parts of California are now fully contained, but caused billions of dollars in damages and left behind devastation that will take years to recover from. To aid in the effort, Itch.io is offering a new California Fire Relief Bundle containing hundreds of games, plus digital comics, books, and other content, for a minimum purchase price of just $10.
Itch.io is an indie-focused storefront and a lot of these games are, well, a little on the obscure side. But there are some well-known titles in here too: A handful that jump out at me include Tunic, an action-exploration game about a fox on an adventure; Skatebird, about birds on boards who are trying their best; Octodad: Dadliest Catch, the tale of a dad who is secretly an octopus; Catlateral Damage: Remeowstered, a game about being a bad kitty; and Depth of Extinction, which is kind of like XCOM but with fewer pixels and more submarines.
Mostly, though, the bundle is an opportunity to get a mountain of games at a really cheap price, which you can then poke through at your leisure when you're in the mood for something new and different. And, of course, to help out people in California whose lives have been upended by the fires. An NBC report says at least 29 people have been confirmed killed, and more are missing; more than 18,000 structures were damaged or destroyed, and tens of thousands of people were forced to evacuate.
The California Fire Relief Bundle can be had for $10, but you're welcome to kick in more if you like. The average donation currently stands at $13.44, with a top contribution of $250; the bundle has thus far raised around $8,200 on a $100,000 goal, all of which (minus processing fees) will go to CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort), an LA-based organization founded in 2010 offering "direct monetary support to survivors of the fires, and supports projects for fire resilience in affected areas (and potential disaster zones)." The bundle is available for purchase until March 13.
