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Video game developer, online players raise money for bushfire recovery effort

By Donal Sheil
A screenshot of a 2D game called Bushfire Rescue Tactics.
Jez Kabanov's upbringing in the Blue Mountains inspired them to create the game.(

Supplied: Jez Kabanov


A video game created by a developer in one of New South Wales' most fire-prone regions is raising money and awareness for Australia's devastated wildlife.

When Jez Kabanov was growing up in the Blue Mountains village of Springwood, they (Jez uses non-binary pronouns) can vividly recall bushfires creeping close to their backyard.

"We were surrounded by bush in one of the little valleys," Jez said.

"A strong memory for me was the 1994 fires — we had big fires coming into our backyard.

"Fortunately they didn't get our house — there's always a fear of that happening."

When Jez witnessed the catastrophic impact the ongoing bushfire crisis was having on Australia's wildlife, they were galvanised to put their unique skill set to work.

Jez, who is now an independent game developer based in Sydney, spent their summer holiday creating Bushfire Rescue Tactics, a short video game aimed at raising funds and awareness for NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES).


"I just started to focus on the wildlife rescue side of things, because that's something that I care about a lot," Jez said.

'Cute, light' and deadly serious

In Bushfire Rescue Tactics players control a collection of native wildlife, each with unique abilities, which navigate a randomly generated 2D map to search for survivors, save homes, and attempt to fight back against the approaching inferno.

Independent game developer Jez Kabanov
Jez spent their summer holidays creating Bushfire Rescue Tactics.(

Supplied: Jez Kabanov


Cockatoos and kookaburras can fly long distances, kangaroos can jump over obstacles, and echidnas can roll up and become defensive barricades against the growing fire.

Random environmental factors such as thunderstorms, heat waves, and strong winds challenge the player to adapt their strategy while managing dwindling water supplies that can be refilled from surrounding dams.

Created in less than a week, Jez said it was important to give the game a light cartoon style in order to broaden its appeal to as many people and age groups as possible.

"I wanted to make it a little bit cuter and lighter than the topic might otherwise be," they said.


"It's just trying to get the attention of people who might not otherwise be involved in or notice stuff like this.

"But I'm a game developer, so I'll try and make a game and raise some funds for something that's important."

Gamers raise funds for recovery

The Australian gaming community has already raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the bushfire recovery effort.

Last week a trio of gamers from Australian collective Click Crew raised $320,000 during a marathon 36-hour charity live stream.


GamerAid is one of the main charities facilitating fundraising live streams for the bushfire crisis.

Co-founder Aiden Hiko said the idea for GamerAid came to him while he was lying in bed in November last year, pondering how he could leverage Australia's active online community into charity.

"I sort of wanted to focus on gaming and esports as a whole because it gets quite a bad wrap, and people think 'oh they're gamers, they're lazy, they don't care about the real world problems,'" he said.

After forming GamerAid with fellow co-founder Joshua Swift, the charity raised over $30,000 via GoFundMe for the Salvation Army Disaster Relief Fund and Victorian, NSW and Queensland fire services.

Brisbane Lions midfielder and esports player Mitch Robinson recently teamed up with the charity for a 24-hour live stream, pulling in $15,000.


Likening a charity live stream to a celebrity telethon, Mr Hiko said the interaction fans have with personalities or sports stars is a big drawcard for viewers.

"Twitch and streaming platforms provide that interaction and that direct access for the community," he said.

"So we saw people coming in, having a chat about AFL, they're watching a bit of the cricket, of course playing games together, and most importantly raising money for a good cause.

Mr Hiko said the sudden success of GamerAid was surprising, and will soon be a fully-registered charity with even bigger ambitions for future fundraising.

"I really couldn't have predicted it, honestly — it's been such a heart-warming experience just seeing the response and the support from my friends and the community," he said.

"Online we've got lots of games that we play, so online we've got lots of homes.

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