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Two things here though;
1) Wouldn't the people who donate to a specific game be exactly the type of people who would be interested in that game regardless? I mean, the people donating to Tim Schafer wouldn't do so if they didn't like his earlier games or if they weren't interested in a Point-and-click adventure. I'd say these guys and gals would also be more likely to overlook certain faults if the rest of the game was good. Only if really everything about the game is completely crap I could see major outcry, but...
2) But wouldn't the developer who uses these kinds of methods be particularly careful to produce a good game? After all, he knows that his money came from his fans and only his fans, so he will make sure that he lives up to that. Besides that, the very fact that he is uses something like Kickstarter means he is passionate about whatever it is he's making, so he's also trying to make a good game for his own sake.
/eternaloptimist
1) Wouldn't the people who donate to a specific game be exactly the type of people who would be interested in that game regardless? I mean, the people donating to Tim Schafer wouldn't do so if they didn't like his earlier games or if they weren't interested in a Point-and-click adventure. I'd say these guys and gals would also be more likely to overlook certain faults if the rest of the game was good. Only if really everything about the game is completely crap I could see major outcry, but...
2) But wouldn't the developer who uses these kinds of methods be particularly careful to produce a good game? After all, he knows that his money came from his fans and only his fans, so he will make sure that he lives up to that. Besides that, the very fact that he is uses something like Kickstarter means he is passionate about whatever it is he's making, so he's also trying to make a good game for his own sake.
/eternaloptimist
To me, what it comes down to is making a good investment. Has this developer proven it can deliver a solid game? How much time and money have they already invested in the project? What are their plans for the project? These are questions people need to ask themselves before dumping cash into a game or any other kickstarter. That asshole on Gizmodo that complained about kickstarter made a lot of bad investments. He put money into stupid stuff like bottle openers and a Robocop statue (which is actually still happening) and had the nerve to blame the platform for his poor choices. You are never guaranteed a game will be good. Supposedly AAA titles release with severe issues all of the time and ask $60. That's madness. I think a lot of the crowd-sourcing projects have more incentive to deliver than the bigger companies. They don't have the same budgets and marketing at their disposal. All they have is their rep and their dream to bring something to light.
I think the kickstarter bubble might burst as soon as some disappointed fan starts thinking he's owed something like he's dealing with EA. Kickstarter is primarily a way to help others, but they offer small goods (like presales) to encourage more donations. Usually the buy-in is very low so I don't see the harm. If people want to avoid disappointment, they need to readjust their expectations and make sure they're making wise investments in the first place.
I think the kickstarter bubble might burst as soon as some disappointed fan starts thinking he's owed something like he's dealing with EA. Kickstarter is primarily a way to help others, but they offer small goods (like presales) to encourage more donations. Usually the buy-in is very low so I don't see the harm. If people want to avoid disappointment, they need to readjust their expectations and make sure they're making wise investments in the first place.
So I won't be using Kickstarter for my Bonerquest book, but I really thought about it.
The idea that kickstarter isn't profit, its all capital bothers me. If I worked on something that I want to sell to people, having the people who would buy it fund it doesn't make any fucking sense.
The idea that kickstarter isn't profit, its all capital bothers me. If I worked on something that I want to sell to people, having the people who would buy it fund it doesn't make any fucking sense.
@Random - yeah, it's a risky move, but when you have no publisher or initial source of funds, kickstarter is an option. Not everyone who would buy the game is going to fund its creation, so once it's finished, there will now be an income without overhead.
Didn't mean to submit the comment so quickly.
As long as the devs stick to their kickstarter budget, once the game is finished, they are already either broke even or are in the green. Any additional funds will be net positive, making it that much more of a successful venture.
As long as the devs stick to their kickstarter budget, once the game is finished, they are already either broke even or are in the green. Any additional funds will be net positive, making it that much more of a successful venture.
You have brought up a good point. In my opinion, they'll be less chance of developers doing a rush job and more chance of a successful product, because they are under pressure to deliver a promise that has funding from a large collective of individuals, rather than a single boardroom greenlight. All it will take is word of mouth of a failed Kickstarter project to make sure that whoever was involved in the project will never get as much funding again for another one. It is easier for developers with a history of putting out good quality work to gather funding, because it earns trust from us.
The other factor to consider is entitlement, of which there is evidence of a lot for a sizable amount of the gaming community. We're hard to please, and quite a few gamers pirate because they simply feel that they shouldn't have to pay, even on Humble Indie Bundles, where prices can be set by the customer. Since Kickstarter asks the consumer to put the money up front first, it scares away anybody who isn't going to pull their weight to contribute to a project, and so it gives a better idea of how much physical product, advertising, etc would be required to at least break even.
Overall, Kickstarter projects are a great idea. Even if one bad project comes out (which I'm sure will happen), people who have funded it will be wary of associating their money with those developers again. The funders will go to projects with promise and good track records instead.
The other factor to consider is entitlement, of which there is evidence of a lot for a sizable amount of the gaming community. We're hard to please, and quite a few gamers pirate because they simply feel that they shouldn't have to pay, even on Humble Indie Bundles, where prices can be set by the customer. Since Kickstarter asks the consumer to put the money up front first, it scares away anybody who isn't going to pull their weight to contribute to a project, and so it gives a better idea of how much physical product, advertising, etc would be required to at least break even.
Overall, Kickstarter projects are a great idea. Even if one bad project comes out (which I'm sure will happen), people who have funded it will be wary of associating their money with those developers again. The funders will go to projects with promise and good track records instead.
I just don't like the idea of Kickstarter for games. The return on games right now is variable, and the costs are high. So if you want to recover costs you have to make a great game. If you start your work knowing that you don't have to recover costs you can just release...whatever. Pressure to create the next big product would give people more reason to work harder and better.
I also feel like it would be ruined if too many people tried it. I feel like investing in a product means I couldn't be as diverse with my money, so there would be maybe five developers who get all the spotlight and the little guys wouldn't get any of the attention.
I also feel like it would be ruined if too many people tried it. I feel like investing in a product means I couldn't be as diverse with my money, so there would be maybe five developers who get all the spotlight and the little guys wouldn't get any of the attention.
