Kickstarter, to me, is in a lot of ways exactly what I have been hoping for for years.
For so long now, I've felt that all I was doing was shouting into the wind my hopes & wishes for games, because the things I wanted weren't deemed 'money makers' by major gaming companies. Then along comes Kickstarter, with games being made that I REALLY WANT, and with none of those walls that are placed between consumers and creators. Finally, I can put my money where my mouth is.
I don't do this impulsively. I look into Kickstarter projects and seriously debate every single pledge I make. I have pledged to 20 projects, all being projects I am truly excited about. 19 are PC games. 4 are MMOs. While I hope to receive a game for each of these pledges, I'll still consider my pledge to have been worth it even if something happens and the project fails, because finally I am able to actually stand up and say, "This. This is what I want," and actually be heard and noticed. I consider that worth my pledge, better than continuing to sit in my computer chair - or shout into the wind- and continuing to remain unexcitedyear after year after year at the games being made. I am so tired of being unexcited.
As to what makes me pledge to Kickstarter? The game itself, because I really only care about the game. If I'm interested in the game, after I've already decided that I will be pledging, I'll then look to see if anything in the reward tiers really speaks to me. Typically it's not alpha or beta or even most of the 'phat lewt'. Stories/novellas/lore books will pique my interest if there are any in the tiers, but those aren't often found in tiers for an MMO.
I backed a lot of Kickstarter projects (with small sums, though usually more than I pay for games), but the only MMO I recall backing is Shadowrun Online. If Heroes & Villains goes on Kickstarter I might back it.
Originally posted by Livnthedream
Because many of the highest grossing titles had no need to go to Kickstarter. Do you honestly believe that Torment, or Project Eternity or Shroud of the Avatar actually needed crowdfunding? Do you honestly believe that they just could not get enough outside support? Seriously?
Some of them wouldn't have gotten the support. All of them would have gotten far less money which would have made them worse games. A publisher or investor wouldn't have put $4m into a game that's estimated to cost $900k to make, but fans do, and that makes a real difference.
Double Fine's Adventure is obviously the best example of a game that wouldn't have been made without Kickstarter, but I believe that all the early big Kickstarter projects have been projects their creators wanted to make for years and couldn't find anyone to back.
Crowd funding a game is similar to a group putting together money to commission a statue. They know what they want it to look and feel like but they need an artist to build it. Some will be great, and some will be taken apart and used as doorstops next year.
Going back to the original questions (except what I backed which I already mentioned - Shadowrun Online):
I don't expect to get anything special from pledging. I pledge because I want a project to happen. The rewards are things that the game can do to entice me to pledge more. Things like art books, novellas and insights into development can entice me to pay more, while others like soundtracks, wallpapers or backer specific game features don't.
What reward tiers exist and their prices serves as an additional means to form an opinion about the project creators.
When it comes to MMO's, I think it depends. I said I would pledge to Heroes & Villains because I think Golden Girl and her crew chose a good way to get an MMO done with limited resources. They picked an engine that cost just $99 up front and is already built for MMO, and they jumped into development. In my eyes they proved that they are serious and capable. That doesn't mean that the end result will be great, but I'll be willing to give them a little bit of money on the assumption that this money will be well spent.
I think that would prove to be an example that an MMO doesn't really need many millions in funds to develop. Then again I don't have that much experience in MMO development to be sure of it.
Comments
Kickstarter, to me, is in a lot of ways exactly what I have been hoping for for years.
For so long now, I've felt that all I was doing was shouting into the wind my hopes & wishes for games, because the things I wanted weren't deemed 'money makers' by major gaming companies. Then along comes Kickstarter, with games being made that I REALLY WANT, and with none of those walls that are placed between consumers and creators. Finally, I can put my money where my mouth is.
I don't do this impulsively. I look into Kickstarter projects and seriously debate every single pledge I make. I have pledged to 20 projects, all being projects I am truly excited about. 19 are PC games. 4 are MMOs. While I hope to receive a game for each of these pledges, I'll still consider my pledge to have been worth it even if something happens and the project fails, because finally I am able to actually stand up and say, "This. This is what I want," and actually be heard and noticed. I consider that worth my pledge, better than continuing to sit in my computer chair - or shout into the wind- and continuing to remain unexcited year after year after year at the games being made. I am so tired of being unexcited.
As to what makes me pledge to Kickstarter? The game itself, because I really only care about the game. If I'm interested in the game, after I've already decided that I will be pledging, I'll then look to see if anything in the reward tiers really speaks to me. Typically it's not alpha or beta or even most of the 'phat lewt'. Stories/novellas/lore books will pique my interest if there are any in the tiers, but those aren't often found in tiers for an MMO.
Some of them wouldn't have gotten the support. All of them would have gotten far less money which would have made them worse games. A publisher or investor wouldn't have put $4m into a game that's estimated to cost $900k to make, but fans do, and that makes a real difference.
Double Fine's Adventure is obviously the best example of a game that wouldn't have been made without Kickstarter, but I believe that all the early big Kickstarter projects have been projects their creators wanted to make for years and couldn't find anyone to back.
It's getting tiresome honestly..
So many do it, and they almost never deliver on their promises or "vision" ..
Starting to become a joke almost..
Certainly not my experience. What are you basing this on?
Going back to the original questions (except what I backed which I already mentioned - Shadowrun Online):
I don't expect to get anything special from pledging. I pledge because I want a project to happen. The rewards are things that the game can do to entice me to pledge more. Things like art books, novellas and insights into development can entice me to pay more, while others like soundtracks, wallpapers or backer specific game features don't.
What reward tiers exist and their prices serves as an additional means to form an opinion about the project creators.
When it comes to MMO's, I think it depends. I said I would pledge to Heroes & Villains because I think Golden Girl and her crew chose a good way to get an MMO done with limited resources. They picked an engine that cost just $99 up front and is already built for MMO, and they jumped into development. In my eyes they proved that they are serious and capable. That doesn't mean that the end result will be great, but I'll be willing to give them a little bit of money on the assumption that this money will be well spent.
I think that would prove to be an example that an MMO doesn't really need many millions in funds to develop. Then again I don't have that much experience in MMO development to be sure of it.