Play for Peru bundle helps flood victims

Torrential rains have caused deadly flooding in Bolivia, Chile, and Peru over the past few weeks, damaging housing, causing mud slides, and killing at least 20 people in Peru alone, according to Reuters.

Missouri-based independent game developer Nathan Ranney has family living in the Peruvian capital, Lima, and he's put together a way to help: The Play For Peru bundle on itch.io, a pay-what-you-want collection of indie games from 12 creators. Proceeds from the bundle will be used by his family to buy food and supplies for people in nearby Ica, which has been devastated by the floods.

"These are people that did not have much to begin with and now have lost it all," writes Ranney. "Most are living on their roofs with no shelter from the elements. Their homes have been filled with mud or washed away and so their food and water is also gone."

The funds won't go through an established charity, but Ranney says that all revenue will be used directly for aid. I've followed Ranney and the development of his game, Kerfuffle, on Twitter for at least a couple years, and have learned from him the identity of his family in Peru and their history of charitable work. Ranney also tells me that proof of the aid purchased will be provided. He will be visiting Peru himself later this year.

The bundle is available until February 10th.

Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the '80s and '90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that's right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.