January 26 in Australia is officially called Australia Day, a public holiday meant to celebrate the arrival of the British First Fleet in 1788. It’s the date that British sovereignty was declared, and as such it’s also a day of mourning for many indigenous Australians, as it marks the beginning of British rule and a period of history where numerous atrocities were committed. Reparations have never been provided, and land rights were never ceded.
In the wake of January 26, 2020, one Australian developer has pledged to take part in the “Pay The Rent” initiative, which asks people to pledge a portion of their income to indigenous groups on a regular basis. House House, the developer of Untitled Goose Game and Push Me, Pull You, will give “at least 1%” of all their earnings going forward to indigenous groups.
Our videogames are made on stolen Wurundjeri land. We at House House will be paying at least 1% of our income to Indigenous groups, in perpetuity, as part of the Pay the Rent movement. We’d encourage others to do the same:https://t.co/lMTNdOvTsS
— House House (@house_house_) January 29, 2020
As a start, we’re giving to the Wurundjeri Tribe Council, Warriors of Aboriginal Resistance, and @SeedMob.
If you’re a settler living and working on Aboriginal land, like we are, please consider paying the rent: https://t.co/qSh7l3CXlA— House House (@house_house_) January 29, 2020
“Our videogames are made on stolen Wurundjeri land,” their announcement acknowledges. The land of the Wurundjeri tribe covers what is now known as the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria. Prior to colonization, there were around 300 unique Indigenous nations.
To date, Untitled Goose Game has sold over one million copies–if it continues to sell well in 2020, 1% a month could be a substantial contribution. The goose terrorized the Game Awards in 2019, and might get its own Lego set.
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