Show Me the Money: Progress Report for Stonemaier Games BIPOC Support – Stonemaier Games

Show Me the Money: Progress Report for Stonemaier Games BIPOC Support

So far in 2020, Stonemaier Games has contributed $41,296 to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) creators via payments to independent contractors, sponsorships, and donations (financial and products).

Why am I sharing this? Two reasons. One is that an integral part of the Black Lives Matter Statement and Declaration of Action we made in early June is public accountability. We structured our commitment as a long-term, ongoing goal to actively include BIPOC people in our work, our industry, and our community. So as I also did in July and August, today I’ve updated the progress for each section of that goal in the image on this post.

Two is a recent insight I heard secondhand, and it struck a chord with me. The source is a BIPOC creator who was talking about their number 1 way that people can actually make a positive impact on racial and socioeconomic inequality: Show me the money. Hire a BIPOC person for a job or a contract. Make a donation a BIPOC-supporting nonprofit. Sponsor or pay for advertising from a BIPOC content creator. Buy something you want from a BIPOC-owned store.

I like how the “show me the money” strategy is mutually beneficial, as it presents win-win situations like these:

  • I win when I get an awesome, innovative game on Kickstarter like Factions Battlegrounds, Hoop Godz, or Village War, and the creator wins because they have money to make the thing they’re passionate about.
  • I win when I get to watch, read, or listen to insightful commentary about tabletop games from channels like Black Board Gaming, Beans and Dice, and The Lobby of Hobbies, and the content creator wins because they can use our sponsorship to upgrade their equipment and/or they have access to more review copies.
  • I win when I get great art for our games from Lamaro Smith, Miles Bensky, Natalia Rojas, and Ana Maria Martinez or excellent photography from Tim Chuon, and the artist wins because they’re making money doing the thing they love.
  • I win when kids (the designers and gamers of the future) grow up playing games like My Little Scythe and Between Two Castles instead of Monopoly and Sorry, and organizations like School on Wheels, New Life Centers, and Day One Tech PDX win because they new have hundreds of copies of those games to share with their beneficiaries.
  • I win when Black, Indigenous, and People of Color have the same opportunities, the same protected rights, and the same liberties that I’m privileged to have, hence why we matched the winning bids of our annual charity auction for a $7,161 donation to ArchCity Defenders (I didn’t include the other winning bids in the $41,296 total I stated at the top of this post, though several of them did go to related organizations like the NAACP).

I appreciate the opportunity to remain publicly accountable to you as Stonemaier Games continues on this journey. While this is about our accountability, the comments are open if you’re compelled to share how you have “shown the money” to uplift others this year in any of the above categories or beyond.

Here is our BIPOC support form.

7 Comments on “Show Me the Money: Progress Report for Stonemaier Games BIPOC Support

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  1. When you made the initial post over the summer, I thought it was really cool because your words were a) more actionable and b) more heartfelt than the performative posts by many companies. These accountability reports further show that your words were not empty. I like the games your company makes, but I feel a connection to your company on a personal level because of how important I can tell this is to you.

  2. Thank you so much Jamie and Stonemaier Games. This is putting words and vision into action to benefit those who need it and it so powerful to see. It gives people hope that their voice can be heard and valued.

    As a black game designer, I am awed and thank you. I greatly appreciate you mentioning Factions: Battlegrounds. Any opportunity to have our mission heard (giving creators of color and opportunity to create) by others is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

  3. Awesome work Jamie! The is one of the main reasons I continue to support your company…also, the great games help!

  4. First time hearing about this! Thanks for the various links to other channels / games. Will check them all out :)

  5. It’s awesome to see how you guys have followed through with this. Thank you for doing work that matters and for keeping your promises.

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