#indigenous devs

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[I.D.: A gifset containing five gifs of the educational Minecraft game Manito Ahbee Aki: The place where the Creator sits.

Gif 1 shows three panning environmental shots. One shot shows bison in the forest. Another shot sweeps over an aerial view of a teepee community in the forest. Another shot shows a large field of wheat.

Gif 2 shows a first person view of the player hunting in a forest with a bow and arrow.

Gif 3 has two scenes. One scene shows the player paddling in a canoe through a river. The next scene switches to a first person view from the canoe as the player approaches the shore where three teepees stand.

Gif 4 shows a line of bison running through a grassy field together.

Gif 5 shows the player talking to the NPC Grandmother Chickadee. A text box with her dialogue appears, saying “Semaa (Tobacco) is a connection to our creator and ancestors. Semaa allows us to communicate with our ancestors to ask for guidance. Semaa is a gift of reciprocity. We give semaa to recieve knowledge and healing. Prior to recieving knowloedge and/or healing from a Knowledge Keeper you must offer semma.”

end I.D.]

Manito Ahbee Aki: The place where the Creator sits is an Indigenous teaching resource built in the world of Minecraft! Travel back in time to Manito Ahbee, a site located in Manitoba’s western Whiteshell area, and experience Anishinaabe culture, community, teachings, and their way of life before European contact. Explore three distinct lessons to understand the Anishinaabe Worldview by learning from Knowledge Keepers!

For free on Windows, Windows, Chromebook, and the iPAD through Minecraft: Education Edition.

Developed by the Louis Riel School Division’s Indigenous Education Team which included their Indigenous Council of Grandmothers and Grandfathers (ICGG). The ICGG works with students and teachers to share Indigenous knowledge across classrooms. 

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“Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna)” is a puzzle platformer adventure game about discovering the origins of a world-threatening blizzard! Play as Nuna and Fox in a story drawn from the culture of the Indigenous Iñupiat people of Alaska. Brave the freezing blizzard, explore mysterious forests, and much more with the aid of the Helping Spirits! 

For Windows, Mac, Linux, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox One, iOS, and Android.

Developed by Upper One Games in collaboration with Ishmael Hope, an Iñupiaq and Tlingit storyteller. The Cook Inlet Tribal Council, a non-profit organization for Alaska’s urban areas, also partnered with the game.

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[I.D.: A gifset containing four gifs of the upcoming game Tchia.

Gif 1 shows cutscenes of the player character, Tchia, in various gameplay activities such as crafting, sliding down a slope, and running. One shot includes a close up of Tchia’s eye with magical green lights around it.

Gif 2 shows Tchia riding a boat to the shore of a beach.

Gif 3 shows Tchia’s special ability of Soul Jumping to take control of a flying bird.

Gif 4 shows Tchia playing the ukulele before switching to another shot of her running and jumping onto a bird to ride it.

end I.D.]

Tchia is a game inspired by New Caledonian cultures! Play as Tchia, and embark on a heartfelt adventure in a physics-driven, open-world sandbox island. Take control of over 30 animals or objects, jam on your fully playable ukulele, meet a diverse cast of characters, and customize your style!

Set to release Spring 2022 for PS4, PS5, and Windows.

Developed by Awaceb, whose name derives from New Caledonian slang translating to "It's all good" or "No worries.” Their team includes work from global devs such as Technical Artist Abey Miranda and Character Artist Alice Jaunet. Collaborations were also made with local Kanak (indigenous Melanesian inhabitants) talent for the game’s soundtrack.

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[I.D.: A photoset containing four screenshots from the visual novel game Love on the Peacock Express: A Short Mystery MILF Dating Game. 

Image 1 shows the game’s title card with its main characters beneath it. The romance options Iris, Cassandra, and Vic stand together next to another character, the train conductor.

Image 2 shows Cassandra with her dialogue reading, “Do your investigations usually require this much gawking?”

Image 3 shows Vic, who is described as “Salt-and-Pepper Butch” by the player character. Vic is saying, “Looks like we’ll be locked in this little room together for a while. Why don’t you come in and take a load off?”

Image 4 shows Iris with her dialogue saying, “They treated me like a queen. It’s one of the happiest memories of my life.”

end I.D.]

Love on the Peacock Express: A Short Mystery MILF Dating Game is a visual novel about solving mysteries and kissing hot older women! Play as a private investigator and solve one of three mysteries tied to three different women: Iris, a trans diva and singer; Vic, a blue-collar butch grifter; and Cassandra, a CEO with power and influence. Piece together clues and flirt your way through one of three romance routes with two unique endings!

For free on Windows, Mac, and Linux. 

Developed by a wide team of lgbt+ developers (listed in the game’s Itch.io page) who are donating all proceeds from the game to Planned Parenthood and the María Fund, a grassroots organization that aims to help the people of Puerto Rico. The dev team made this game to highlight older women in romantic media, and the game also has an official Twitter.

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[ID: A giftset of four gifs showing gameplay footage for the educational game Inuit Uppirijatuqangit. Any text in the game is written in English as well as the Inuktitut language.

Gif 1 shows a menu to select one of four regions: Town, Land, Seaside, and Night. It also switches to a shot of buildings in the town region.

Gif 2 shows an animation of an Inuk person stealing from a seagull to visualize the message “If you steal a sea gull’s eggs, they will puke on your face.”

Gif 3 shows an animation of an Inuk person with a crying baby to visualize the message “Babies who are inconsolable want to be named after a recently deceased relative.”

Gif 4 shows the seaside region populated with numerous animations of Inuit people performing various actions and tasks.

end ID]

Inuit Uppirijatuqangit is a hidden object game set in an Inuit community! Uncover Inuit Myths by exploring the area, all while learning real Inuit mythology and lessons that have been passed down by elders for generations. Uncover and reflect on themes about spirituality, discipline, respect, and prosperity!

For Windows.

Developed by Talia Metuq of Pangnirtung, Nunavut with music and art from Inuk throat-singer Kathleen Ivaluarjuk Merritt. This game was published by Pinnguaq, a not-for-profit organization that works alongside rural and remote Indigenous communities to promote STEM skills. 

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[I.D.: A photoset containing four screenshots from the educational platformer Growing Up Ojibwe: The Game.

Image 1 shows the character Nookomis, greeting the player by saying, “Boozhoo. I have a mission for you. Many people today have forgotten important knowledge. Will you learn from the spirit helpers and knowledge holders and teach others what you have learned?”

Image 2 shows the player character Tommy standing by a tree as he collects sap from it.

Image 3 shows Tommy speaking to someone quizzing him on his historical knowledge. The question being asked reads, “Why did the tribes challenge the state’s ability to enforce state law on off reservation hunting, fishing, and gathering?” The two answer options are “Their existing treaty rights were not being respected” and “they wanted additional rights.”

Image 4 shows the player character Annie in a boat being steered by another person as she tries to spearfish.

end I.D.]

Growing Up Ojibwe: The Game is an educational platformer about learning forgotten knowledge! Play as Tommy or Annie Sky as asemaa is offered to spirit helpers while exploring northern Wisconsin. Learn about Ojibwe treaty rights, collect sugar maple sap, learn the history of spearfishing, harvest wild rice, and experience Ojibwe language components! 

For free on Android and as a browser game.

Developed by Eleanore Falck (of the Oneida Nation) during her internship with the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. This game is to serve as an introduction to Ojibwe history and culture in any classroom setting while also reinforcing Ojibwe beliefs in sustainability and caring for the environment. 

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[I.D.: A gifset containing four gifs of the cooking game Lost Recipes.

Gif 1 cycles through images of the cultural dishes that can be prepared in the game. 

Gif 2 shows two scenes. The first scene has the player pouring water from a teapot into a tea cup. The next scene shows the player lifting the door off of a clay oven. 

Gif 3 shows the player chopping an onion on a wooden table. Other food ingredients sit nearby.

Gif 4 shows two scenes of the player cooking. In one scene, the player turns over skewered meat over a fire. In the next scene, the player sprinkles cacao  to roast them.  

end I.D.]

Lost Recipes is a relaxing VR game about cooking cultural dishes! Play as a Ghost Chef in training as you prepare traditional meals from ancient Greek, Chinese, and Maya civilizations. With authentic recipes and narration, travel through three authentic kitchens in Athens, the Song Dynasty, and the Yucatan Peninsula to learn about ingredients and cultures surrounding food!

For Meta Quest.

Developed by Schell Games, a company set out to create educational encounters. They partnered with Subject Matter Consultants to ensure each culture, kitchen, and voice was represented accurately, respectfully, and appropriately. 

A free recipe book for the game also details its dishes: mulled wine, barley pita bread, marinated olives, loukoumades, souvlaki, tanghulu, oolong tea, steamed fish, dongpo pork, mushrooms and bok choy, xec jicama and citrus salad, xocolatl, mukbil pollo, and corn tortillas. 

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[I.D.: A photoset containing four screenshots of the Twine text game Child of Light.

Image 1 is of the game’s cover. It presents a scratchy drawing of a feminine figure reaching up to the sky as beams of white light shine from the form. The figure appears to be overlayed on top of a land mass surrounded by water, with clouds surrounding her body.

Image 2 is of white text from the game against a black background. The text reads, “Invaders. Encroachers wanting the land: the cave, the resources, the women. We are too few to fight these distant cousins. We will go to another place.” Blue text of a link within the game then reads, “Come along! hurry, before they come.”

Image 3 shows italicized white text against a black background. The text says, “Nona’s mother’s tribe had crept nearer after hearing the screams of the doomed, finding a young woman who’d not reacted to their approach. One of the warriors had thought to take her as his own until he saw the dead baby she carried.” Two options for the player, both presented as links with blue text, read “Stay in the cave and fantasize” and “Approach the old woman again.”

Image 4 shows white dialogue text against a black background that says, “We’ve been waiting for you. We’ve all been waiting for you. We are all here now, all the Children of Light. Welcome home.”

end I.D.]

Child of Light is a short text-based game about a fantasy world set in the ancient past. Play as a young girl as she survives by making hard choices. But no matter how dark the consequences may be, there is always a ray of light. 

For free as a browser game.

Developed by Red Haircrow, a writer; educator; psychologist; and filmmaker who is of Chiricahua Apache, Cherokee, and African American descent. They are based in Berlin, Germany and their research is centered around the intergenerational trauma of marginalized groups. Their consultation company is Flying With Red Haircrow Productions.