The No ICE in Minnesota itch.io bundle raises $450,000 for legal aid for immigrants
And the number is still rising.
With the escalating violence wrought by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minnesota, Jes Wade wanted to extend her support for the Minnesotan community as an experienced fundraiser. To this end, they created the No ICE in Minnesota bundle, featuring games and other contributions from 651 creators. “I was motivated into action by a feeling of helplessness that I knew wasn’t real,” said Wade in an email to Rascal. “Fighting against fascism is important to me and I know it is important to others as well. I know a lot of folks want to do something but don’t always know what to do, so whether they are involved through donating their game or purchasing the bundle, they are making a difference.”
Having put together the No ICE in California bundle last year, Wade shared that the No ICE in Minnesota bundle was created in just 33 days, while admitting that the process has been more efficient than usual. Wade has also used Tiltify for previous fundraising efforts, including charity auctions and streams, but pointed out that itch.io has simplified creating such bundles for games, specifically. “Marketing, collecting games, etc. are all ten-fold easier to do on itch.io than on Tiltify,” they said. According to their post on charity bundles on itch.io, the first — and perhaps the most vital step — is to contact the charity you want to raise funds for. The beneficiary for No ICE in Minnesota bundle is the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM), a nonprofit that Wade pointed out has the highest rating on Charity Navigator, a charity assessment organization. “ILCM provides services based on capacity and has a generally high demand for services. The more we can fundraise, the more people the organization will be able to assist,” they said.
What astounded Wade in particular is the sheer amount of support the bundle has garnered, with it already raising $464,164.74 by 30,246 contributors at time of publication — and still with 23 more days to go. In contrast, the No ICE in California bundle gathered approximately $100,000 from 7,015 contributors. “I knew that folks were going to be supportive of this bundle after the support of the No ICE in California Charity Bundle I organized last summer, however I didn’t realize its impact was going to be so much more intense this time,” Wade explained. “I have seen folks comment on my short form videos promoting the bundle in places like the Netherlands, Iran, Australia, Germany, and beyond. I know that there are folks from Italy who donated their games too. Folks outside of the U.S. want to help us fight against the atrocities happening here.”
Among Wade’s favourite RPGs in the bundle are Thieves of the Tome, in which you cast spells using actual books from your bookshelves; the short storytelling experience Movie Night; the anti-fascist sci-fi game Rebel Scum; FIST, in which you conduct espionage as paranormal mercenaries in an alternate Cold War; and Mystery Business, a spooky, Scooby Doo-like mystery about unearthing clues and unmasking villains. There are also several games of the video variety such as Baba Is You, EXTREME MEATPUNKS FOREVER, and a nifty little game called Ice Throw, which lets you throw snowballs at figures who look like roaming ICE agents.
Fortunately, the immigration crackdown may be seeing another turning point, with the Trump administration announcing that it’ll reduce the number of ICE agents in Minnesota. That said, you still have time to toss a donation while fighting fascism. The No ICE in Minnesota bundle is currently live until Friday, March 13 at 11:59 pm PT.
