Do donation to causes belong here?

[Rubypoker]

[Edited by Koub] The devs have taken official position on this war and the thread specifically created to discuss on this matter is here : viewtopic.php?f=38&t=101750

[Koub]

I'm not in favor of anything totally unrelated to Factorio on Factorio's forums.
However, if the dev team states it otherwise, we'll find an appropriate place for that.

[wobbycarly]

As a regular reader, and sometimes contributor, to this forum, I think it is a very polite and subtle way to provide the information without preaching. Over here in Australia, I would have no idea how to provide any financial assistance to people in Europe.

[corgski]

Yes. I have friends who've (thankfully) made it to Poland as their homes are being destroyed by the invaders. They've lost everything but their lives and it's important to support them and all the other refugees.

[Rubypoker]

I hope anyone that support this would be 100% equally supportive if they choose another cause to support like Canadian truckers, or lgbt organisations. Or something that would still be extremely controversial today. Your a hypocrite if you would not feel the same if it was a cause you disliked or did not support.

My concern is that companies that want profit will choose safely and not take risks by supporting controversial causes. They will only support causes that is safe and mainstream to support. I would be more conferable if they would support something that will make them loose revenue.

[corgski]

If you see humanitarian aid organizations for refugees fleeing war as controversial and political there is something sick in your head.

Also here's a game developer acquaintance of mine posting on exactly this subject:

https://twitter.com/chhopsky/status/1497280369342570497

if you want your brand to be 'frightened and weak-willed' then do nothing or go ahead with the safe [option]

[Rubypoker]

If you see humanitarian aid organizations for refugees fleeing war as controversial and political there is something sick in your head.

Also here's a game developer acquaintance of mine posting on exactly this subject:

https://twitter.com/chhopsky/status/1497280369342570497

if you want your brand to be 'frightened and weak-willed' then do nothing or go ahead with the safe [option]

That is what they did, the safe option.

[corgski]

Clearly not since you're here being a priss about it.

[Koub]

The debate here is the very reason why I think it wouldn't be the right thing to do. This is not the first humanitarian crisis since this forum exists, why choose helping people from Ukraine more than anybody else who equally needs it ? If I need to know how to help a humanitarian cause, I can just google it : "how to help humanitarian aid [whatever cause you want to help]". There will be a ton of material.

I think a game dev studio does not have to take public position for anything beyond its games and their scope. I know we're in times where any entity with minimal visibility is expected to take public stances about everything and anything, which allows a whole bunch of interest groups to get offended, cancel, and whatnot the aforementioned entity who took position.

But I'm old, and old-school, and not contaminated with this trend of thought, the need to do things publicly, and take selfies of me doing it, and post it on Instagram and you see what I'm saying. And what OP suggest is - in my opinion - in the same train of thought, just one step less obvious.

Nobody prevents one who is personally concerned about those poor people, victims of a war they haven't asked for, to help. Nobody needs Factorio forum or the support from Wube for that. There is Internet to get informed, and if one thinks it's still not enough, finding resource on how to get in place to help in person is easy.

I wrote this wall of text as the person-me, but could have written it as the moderator-me too, both have the same opinion. And that's why the moderator-me will lock this thread.

[Koub] Thread locked.

[doryjoge]

I saw the banner on the top of this forum stating that Factorio Forums support the Ukrainian Red Cross. I think you just don't know that this awful organization opened near the RUSSIAN border. Here's a link to a news report. It's outrageous. Such organizations shouldn't support a terrorist country.

UPD: Perhaps it's better to donate to Ukrainian volunteers directly?