I donated $5 to a black lives matter fundraiser on Itch.io a few months ago when it was just a few dozen random games of varying quality. Then I watched as the bundle grew…. and grew… and by the end I had gotten over 1000 games, game making assets, tools, and just random things for my $5. Granted they aren’t all spectacular but as I’ve sifted through them I’m gaining an appreciation for what I’ve gotten. So I’m gonna talk about some of the stuff I got and provide links where possible.
First off, as my folks and one of my friends already know, I was very amused by the idea of a mail-based game called Shipwrights. It’s a simple concept, you make a paper boat, you decorate a small bit of the paper and sign and date it somewhere subtle, then you mail it to someone else. They add a bit, and mail it to someone else or back to you. Then eventually, the boat gets full and you make copies to send everyone and start over. Or the boat gets lost at sea and you send another out to look for it. It’s a nice way to keep in touch and supports the post office so bonus. I have two boats out at sea right now, one on a longer journey to family, and one just back and forth between me and my best friend from college.
The second game I want to cover this week is a solo game. It’s all about mindfulness and I’ve been trying to play it to help me sort through the chaos and problems going on right now. It’s called Tiny God, and it’s basically making an imaginary friend therapist. The basic idea is you design a tiny god, talk about what they’re like, where they have their domain, their name. Then whenever you see a printable card related to the game (by choice or on accident), your tiny god appears and asks you a question. Could be about some bit of tech you’re using, could be about what you’re doing, could be what’s bothering you. Then you try to explain it to them. It took me a bit to figure out how to explain a wireless mouse the first time. The second time I played was explaining why I was upset at work (scheduling overload). My tiny god is named Humboldt, by the way. He’s grumpy but caring and always smells like hot herbal tea, and his domain is a weird hunk of wood on the back patio table. It’s a lot cheaper and easier than finding a therapist when all you need is to talk for a minute. Also it’s a good way to stop being bored. I mean, how do you explain an optical mouse to a tiny creature that doesn’t understand lasers or electricity? Let alone what wireless means or why that’s important.
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