This local dev-made game will keep your kids occupied — and proceeds go toward feeding families

Local technologist (and dad of two) Ben Garvey noticed that a game he made years ago for his preschool-aged kids had picked up in sales in the last few weeks.

Garvey, currently a senior engineering manager at Betterment, developed the Kids Dungeon Adventure when his now 13-year-old daughter was 4 years old. All parents need are blocks, a creative story and the game printout for $5.99.

In the last nine years, the game has sold 1,030 copies, Collingswood-based Garvey said on Twitter. But in the last few days, as more parents are working from home and handling childcare, sales have increased, he said.

So, he’d make the game available for free (with coupon code COVID19), and if folks still wanted to purchase, all proceeds would be donated to charity, he said. Garvey announced this on Twitter on March 18, and since then, has raised $521.

So I have this role playing game for pre-school age kids I've been selling for 9 (!) years now and I noticed my sales have gone up a bit. Here's a code to get https://t.co/mDi8egpy3W for free until we get a vaccine:
COVID19

And any sales from now until then will be donated.

— Ben Garvey (@bengarvey) March 18, 2020

“People shared my tweet and sales went way up but hardly anyone used the code,” he said. “We made our first donation of $500 on Saturday to the Food Bank of South Jersey. They do contact-less delivery of food to people in need.”

DONE. This is amazing everyone, thank you! Coupon code COVID19 still available until we're through this and all sales will be donated, but I'm kind of blown away we're able to make this donation already. pic.twitter.com/0nuVagK2CD

— Ben Garvey (@bengarvey) March 28, 2020

Garvey’s also developed a game called Kids Morning Adventure, a role-playing game that gamifies getting ready and out the door in the morning.

He said he intends to keep the coupon code available and continue to donate all proceeds from the game until there’s a COVID-19 vaccine.

“I’m very lucky to have a job where I can work from home indefinitely,” Garvey said via Twitter DM. “So it didn’t feel right to profit from this awful virus.”