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Camelot Unchained prepares to cross $3M in fundraising
As of the writing of this post, Camelot Unchained is on the verge of hitting $3M in fundraising donations at $2,952,875. City State Entertainment said that when that already-impressive sum climbs to $3,025,000, the team will sign on a sound engineer to kick the game's audio up a notch. "Part of this goal will cover licensing the Audiokinetic Wwise engine and technical support for it, as well as some great plug-ins, while the rest will go toward the salary and expenses of the sound engineer," CSE posted. To help prompt more of those donation dollars, Camelot Unchained began selling unveiled lifetime subscriptions today at the builder's level.
Teenager builds browser plugin to show you where politicians get their funding
The murky world of lobby groups bankrolling politicians is garnering more attention, but is there a way to find out which representatives are in the pocket without a lot of tedious research? A 16-year-old programmer has developed a browser plugin that, when you mouse-over the name of a US lawmaker, will serve up a list of which parties have donated to their campaign funds, and the quantities. Greenhouse (geddit?) is currently available for Chrome, Firefox and Safari -- although our lawyers have (probably) asked us to point out that the data is from the 2012 elections, so they may not be entirely up to date.
Twitter pledges $1 million to help poor SF families learn tech skills
Twitter has just announced that it will set up a technology learning center for homeless San Francisco families called the "Twitter Neighborhood Nest." The company told the SF Chronicle that it will partner with the Compass Family Services non-profit organization, and donate north of $1 million over several years. It's currently looking for space near its home base on Market Street for the project and has already donated 81 computers along with tech support to Compass. Aided by Twitter employees who will donate their time, the center will teach students how to seek jobs online and other basic computer skills. However, as the Chronicle noted, Twitter's motivations aren't strictly altruistic.
AbleGamers Foundation raised over $100k in 2013
The AbleGamers Foundation, a nonprofit charity that helps makes gaming accessible for those with disabilities, raised more than $100,000 in 2013. AbleGamers told GamePolitics that the funds were gathered during events like Minethon and PAX East and were pooled with donations from businesses and livestreamers. In a look toward what's to come, AbleGamers COO and Outreach Chair Steve Spohn said the foundation has "really cool projects coming up this year." These will include partnerships, launching new technology, establishing new facilities for caretakers and other efforts to be unveiled in 2014. In addition to funding those projects, donations made in 2014 will help support AbleGamers' year-round grant program, which involved the Summer of Fun grant last June. You can find more information about AbleGamers' cause at its website, including examples of what your donations would make possible.
Gaming for Good raises over $10m for Save the Children
Gaming for Good, a charity organization headed up by Internet personality Bachir Boumaaza (aka Athene), has successfully raised over $10 million for global youth advocacy group Save the Children as of this week. Gaming for Good offers up dozens of downloadable PC games that can be purchased using points earned from charitable donations. A number of publishers and indie studios have joined the campaign and offered their games up as free donation incentives, including Square Enix, Remedy Entertainment, The Fullbright Company, and Cellar Door Games. Donations processed through Gaming for Good and its fundraisers are matched by the United States Agency for International Development and multiplied by a factor of 13. Previously, Boumaaza partnered with Razer and DC Entertainment to raise over $1 million for African hunger relief.
EVE Online's PLEX for GOOD drive raised over $190K to aid The Philippines
EVE Online players aren't all about intrigues and blowing each other up in New Eden, they are about helping others in this world. The community banded together in the recent Plex for GOOD drive and raised $190,890, all of which goes to the Icelandic Red Cross to help The Philippines recover from Typhoon Haiyan. CCP's development staff offers a very heartfelt thanks to its players for their generosity. The drive, which included dozens of unique player-run efforts and culminated in a CCP telethon that lasted over eight hours, brought in 12,726 PLEX (equaling approximately 1060 years of playtime). The livestreamed telethon featured EVE Online devs who pledged things like head-shaving and sparring with a Tae Kwon Do champion when certain fundraising milestones were hit. Perhaps the most painful dev pledge was getting shot with one paintball for every $2,000 donated! Sprinkled throughout the telethon were other tidbits including a dev cooking competition, Q&A sessions, and more. You can watch the follow through with the paintball pledge below, and catch the telethon in its entirety on YouTube. [Source: CCP press release]
CCP turns PLEX for Good program toward typhoon relief
CCP announced today that EVE Online players who wish to help relief efforts in the wake of the typhoon that devastated parts of the Philippines can do so through the company's PLEX for Good program. For every PLEX donated between today and December 17th, CCP will contribute $15 to the Icelandic Red Cross. CCP will also award donating players with one in-game Sisters of EVE shirt as a thank-you gesture. In the world of EVE, PLEX is a tradeable item worth 30 days of game time. PLEX can be purchased with real money directly from CCP or with ISK inside EVE's incredibly complex marketplace. CCP has fired up PLEX for Good in the past; EVE players using the program have raised over $150,000 for disaster relief since it was debuted in the wake of the 2004 tsunami that struck Indonesia. To donate PLEX, contract the item/s directly to the CCP PLEX For GOOD character on a 14-day item exchange contract.
Wayback Machine web archive survives destructive fire but needs help to recover
If you're one of the many people who've relied on the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine recently, for example when government websites were taken offline during the shut down, then the non-profit organization is now calling for your help in return. A fire broke out at its main scanning center in San Francisco yesterday, causing an estimated $600,000-worth of damage. No one was hurt and no digital data was lost, since the Wayback Machine uses multiple server centers around the world. However, it sounds like the fire destroyed some books and other materials that were in the process of being scanned. The Internet Archive is calling for assistance in two forms: cash donations and fresh scanning projects from anyone who has physical collections they want to preserve, because the group has a second scanning center and needs to keep its employees busy. Follow the source link to find out more.
MechWarrior Online launches Sarah's Jenner in honor of 5-year-old cancer victim
Five-year-old Sarah Parries loved the Jenner in MechWarrior Online. She and her father would sit and play the game, with Sarah loving the streak SRM variant so that she could lock on and move quickly. Unfortunately, Sarah was a victim of cancer, but her story made an impact on the developers of MechWarrior Online and led to the creation of a new champion 'Mech crafted in her image, the appropriately named Sarah's Jenner. Sarah's Jenner will set you back $10, but the team at Piranha Games won't be seeing a nickel of it. Minus sales tax, all of the proceeds from the sale of this 'Mech will be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society, supporting others suffering from the same ailment as the girl who inspired this decor. You can take a look at the machine in action just past the break, and if you're an experienced 'Mech pilot you should consider picking up a special machine to honor an unfortunate victim. [Source: Piranha Games press release]
Wargaming.net offers special packages for National Veteran Appreciation Month
It's nearly May, and that means that World of Tanks developer Wargaming.net is keeping up a tradition that's run since the game first became playable. May is National Veteran Appreciation Month, and every year the studio offers package deals to players offering a variety of in-game benefits at a discounted price while donating some of the proceeds to veteran support groups. This year features two bundles. The first offers 2,000 gold and 2 million credits for $23.39; the second offers 10,000 gold, 1.2 million credits, 90 days of premium account status, and a special T-34 tank and garage slot for $115.99. 10% of each sale will be donated to Homes For Our Troops, AMVETS, and the Military Families Fund. So if you want to trundle along in a semi-historical military playground while supporting the brave individuals that made that possible, you can pick yourself up some nice toys in the process. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
The Daily Grind: Would you pay to interview a developer?
Earlier this week, we reported on one of the stranger interview setups we've seen in a while. A player of Mortal Online who goes by the handle Aralis was given the chance to interview Star Vault CEO Henrik Nystrom about the state of the game. There was just oooooone little itty-bitty catch: Aralis landed the interview only because he'd been the top donator to the game in January. In fact, he'd ponied up $1000. The interview is fraught with a few other issues, such as the fact that Nystrom dodges some of the player's questions and smooths over others, which'd probably annoy me if I had just effectively spent $1000 for the privilege of emailing a few questions off to a dev I admired (but then again, I'm pretty used to getting my questions ignored for free). Readers also pointed out the weirdness of "donating" to an MMO in an era of free-to-play. But let's stick to basics. What do you guys think? Would you pay any amount of money just to snag a sit-down with your favorite developer? How much, and what would you expect, exactly, in return? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Mortal Online CEO interviewed by top contributing player
Each month, Mortal Online developer Star Vault rewards its top donation contributor with certain rewards for aiding development. In January, the top contributor was a player by the name of Aralis who was granted a custom "Champion of Nave" title showing that he donated $1,000 and was also given the opportunity to interview the development studio's CEO, Henrik Nystrom, in a one-on-one interview. Some interesting points from the interview focus on future development, and Aralis pulls no punches when asking about a development timeline and the absence of promised content. Check out the entire interview over at the Mortal Online forums, and let us know what you think about the Q&A.
Humble THQ Bundle ends, earns $5 million from 885,000 bundles
The Humble Indie Bundle's first decidedly non-indie bundle, the THQ Bundle, has come to its anticipated end. All told, says the organization, the bundle raised $5 million, split as buyers chose between THQ, charity donations, and the Humble Bundle group itself.The whole project seems to have been a rousing success: 885,251 bundles went out the door, and THQ added a few big games into the pack during the sale. The average price for all titles sold was $5.76, and the top contributor to the cause was THQ's president Jason Rubin, who at the end had contributed a total of $10,000 to the proceedings.In fact, considering THQ's financial battles lately, this might be one of the company's biggest successes this year. Wonder what else they've got over there to bundle up and sell out the door?
Galcon 2 gets a Kickstarter
Phil Hassey is a very talented iOS developer who we've covered before. Probably his biggest game is Galcon, a sort of streamlined real-time strategy game that he's seen a lot of success with on iOS. He's actually made Galcon a few times before and released it on a number of other platforms since. It's actually based on an old game called Galactic Conquest, which itself was based on a game called Stellar Invasion. Game design, as you can tell, tends to be very iterative. Hassey is planning to make Galcon 2, and this time, he's aiming to get funding together before release. There's a Kickstarter project for the title up now. The goal is set at a strange total of $23,099, and there are a number of various prizes to earn for funding, including fridge magnets with the game's graphics, some cool iPhone cases and a "Galconicorn horn" for the person who donates at the very top of the pile. The game itself is actually going to be free-to-play, with in-app purchases for monetization, though Hassey has a number of other big ideas for it, including clan support, online multiplayer rankings and a few other features. Almost $24,000 is a sizable amount, but Hassey's a great game maker, so hopefully he'll get the funding he's looking for. If you're interested in the game and want to support him, you can donate through Kickstarter right now.
YouTube Campaigns lets nonprofits draw our interest without the telethons
Trying to launch a concerted nonprofit video campaign can feel like tilting at windmills: you might have one moment of undivided attention from viewers before they're off to watch cats and Nigerian pygmy goats. Google wants to make the most of that time through its YouTube Campaigns initiative. The strategy brings on-video overlays and channel sections that show viewers both a progress meter for the campaign as well as a handy links to explore and share what they've found. If all goes well, charities and like-minded organizations get more donations and YouTube views, while we in the general public are reminded that there's more to life than K-pop videos. It certainly beats manning the phones for a celebrity fundraiser.
Romo the iPhone robot is back, Kickstarting version 2
Romo is a little iPhone-powered robot that showed up on Kickstarter around this time last year. It was successfully funded and distributed out into the world, making everyone happy by cycling itself around with the buzz and whirr of tiny mechanics. But as is usual with these things, the team behind Romo had even more ideas and other thoughts about how to make Romo work even better, and do even more things. So they did what worked before: They're back on Kickstarter, this time trying to put together $100,000 to remake a next-generation Romo. In addition to a redesigned circuit board and a friendlier base, this robot will have advanced functionality in terms of moving around and navigating the world. Plus, the team wants to work on some really advanced procedures, doing things like facial recognition, two-way telepresence (so you could see what the robot sees and show up on the screen yourself), and other features. The production line for this robot is already set up, says the team -- it's the software that they are Kickstarting for, as well as the actual product costs, obviously. There is one big drawback, and it's that this new Romo won't work with an iPhone 5 -- the production line that's set up currently works with the old dock connector, not the new Lightning connector. That could be an issue, since lots of early adopters will probably already have moved on to the new dock format. But the Romo team says the next robot is set to work with the iPhone 5 (and be female, by the way), so the hookup is coming, at least. At any rate, if you like the project and want to support this once-successful team yet again, the Kickstarter page is open right now. [via Engadget]
Sword of Fargoal 2 crosses the Kickstarter finish line
Sword of Fargoal was one of the earliest great games on the iPhone (after making the transition over from the Commodore 64 version a long time ago), and as we reported previously, the developers behind the game recently took to Kickstarter to try and pick up funding for a sequel. They held a livestream of interviews all this past Friday and Saturday (which they kindly asked me to join for a little bit), and as of early Saturday morning, the drive was still about $10,000 behind. But that money was made up in the last few hours, because Sword of Fargoal 2 reached its Kickstarter goal of $50,000. Congrats to the whole team over there -- that's very impressive for a mobile game on Kickstarter. The good news for all of us is that the game can finally get production underway, and it should be set for the expected release sometime next May. Backers of the Kickstarter project (above the lowest level) will all get copies of the game when it arrives, and the rest of us will have to look for it in the iOS and Mac App Stores later on next year.
Free LOVE for all!
Eskil Steenberg's solo MMO project is taking the next step of its journey, as LOVE is dropping all costs and going completely free. "After countless iterations, innovations, and experiments I think I have created something special," he wrote on LOVE's website. "LOVE has become a game unlike any other. Now I really think you should play it." Steenberg developed LOVE under his own steam and without funding, and he admits that both the creation of the game and its operation are costing him. To help cover the costs of this now-free title, he's asking fans to consider donations in exchange for a perked-up character. More than anything, he just hopes that players will give his creation a try: "If you take the time and have an open mind, you will find out why this is a labour of love."
GIMP now (finally) available as a native Mac app
This is something that's been a long time coming, and it's finally here. GIMP is an excellent Photoshop-esque open source photo editor. While it's been available on Mac for a long time, it has required the X11 Window environment, which itself needs a separate (and somewhat messy) installation. For a long time, the programmers working on GIMP have been promising to eventually take it native, but it hasn't happened until just recently. As of version 2.8.2, you can now simply go grab the GIMP .dmg file from the main website, and then install and run on your Mac as needed. That's good news for those of us who appreciate a powerful photo editor like this but don't necessarily have the cash for big-name apps like Photoshop or Pixelmator. Congrats to everyone who's worked on GIMP in the past. If you like the app and want to support great open sourced work, they could probably use a donation or two. [via LifeHacker]
'Retake Mass Effect 3' donations remained largely with Child's Play, 'a handful' requested refunds
When thousands of people took to a Facebook group rallying Mass Effect 3 players to "demand a better ending," their efforts were represented by a "donation protest." The protest raised just over $80,000 in donations to Penny Arcade's "Child's Play" charity, and arguably contributed to BioWare's decision to respond with an upcoming addition to Mass Effect 3: "Extended Cut."Regardless of the group's success, Penny Arcade co-founder Jerry "Tycho" Holkins halted the fundraiser. "Child's Play cannot be a tool to draw attention to a cause. Child's Play must be the Cause," Holkins said of hypothetical future efforts. He also cited Child's Play project manager Jamie Dillion as "buried under mail" from donors who didn't clearly understand exactly what they were giving money to."Apparently some of the people giving to the cause seemed to think that they were paying for a new ending to Mass Effect. She's been asked what the goal is, and how much they need to raise in order to get the ending produced," Holkins wrote. "We've also been contacted by PayPal due to a high number of people asking for their donations back. This is in addition to readers who simply couldn't understand how this was connected to Child's Play's mission. We were dealing with a lot of very confused people, more every day, and that told us we had a problem."That doesn't mean, however, that all of those folks were demanding refunds. "Essentially, there were a handful of people who requested their donation returned, which we did. The large majority of the funds were not returned and will be distributed to the hospitals as normal. If anyone feels that they would like their donation back, we are happy to do so," Dillion told us in a recent email.
