Everyone Kickstart Yo!

[papillon]

If I ever *did* try to make that fullscale yuri eroge I would almost certainly have to kickstart it... however, the skillset for running a successful kickstarter is not quite the same as that for actually selling games I've made, so it might simply result in disappointment and disaster. Meh.

[Carassaurat]

Question(ish). In a traditional funding model, the risks and rewards are linked; whether it's funded by investors, publishers or self funded, the people who pay the money for development also make most money in return. What happens with Kickstarter is that the backers take all the risk, but if the project succeeds it's the developer that reaps the reward. A system in which one party gets paid regardless and can potentially grow rich if the result is good, and the other party takes all the risk but never gets more than a predetermined product regardless of how valuable his or her contribution was in the end doesn't seem fair to me. It can often be beneficial for both parties, but I don't see how it can ever be fair.

[jack_norton]

If I ever *did* try to make that fullscale yuri eroge I would almost certainly have to kickstart it... however, the skillset for running a successful kickstarter is not quite the same as that for actually selling games I've made, so it might simply result in disappointment and disaster. Meh.

But can you post such kind of a project on kickstarter ? I mean erotic stuff ? I'm not sure...

Regarding the topic, don't be fooled thinking that is easy money. Sure there are many games that were funded and I wondered myself HOW they got funded, but it's still lot of effort if you aim at some serious money (like over $10k) and don't underestimate the pressure you'll have after you got the money (which is subject to kickstarter's cut and taxation by the way, so is much less than what posted on the site) and you must finish the project you posted

Still a good way for people just starting to build their ideas, but I don't see it as a "long term business model" myself.

[papillon]

Under the right circumstances and with the ero content being optional, yes. It's not like I'm going for wall-to-wall porn, the number of H-scenes in the plan is only about four.

[Blue Lemma]

@papillon: Kickstarter really is all about marketing. You know, even more than the traditional methods Thing is, being a good marketer doesn't mean being a good creator, but in Kickstarter-world, you would think it did, given the money that's tossed around for certain things.

@Carassaurat: Yeah, that kind of bothers me.

@jack_norton: True, but funding a project yourself is also very high-pressure and difficult (as I'm sure you know ^^)

[TrickWithAKnife]

A system in which one party gets paid regardless and can potentially grow rich if the result is good, and the other party takes all the risk but never gets more than a predetermined product regardless of how valuable his or her contribution was in the end doesn't seem fair to me. It can often be beneficial for both parties, but I don't see how it can ever be fair.

There are ways to make it a little fairer. For example, backers get free updates, or the next game at 75% off, or something like that. Of course it doesn't counteract the risk, but at least the campaigners are showing their appreciation towards the backers for taking a chance on them. Especially if they announce this AFTER the funding is successful.

[jack_norton]

@jack_norton: True, but funding a project yourself is also very high-pressure and difficult (as I'm sure you know ^^)

Yes, but I'm not taking people's money if I fund it myself, so even if somehow the project gets canceled I've nobody to answer to/justify myself. Much less pressure, at least the way I'm made
That said if was available here, probably I'd have tried it with a smaller project.

[Blue Lemma]

I'll share part of what I sent Obscura, as she was referring to:

I really have nothing personal against people who Kickstart. I'm really just more blown away by the general concept of the model and how it is literally selling hype. As someone who has invested his own personal savings in a game project, only to be knocked around, it is (I'll be totally honest) infuriating and dismaying that people will throw money at some of the projects I've seen - projects that are cliche and led by someone who has never done a project.

That said, there are very good Kickstart candidates out there. I think they fall into the "this is something new" category and/or the "these project leaders are reputable and should be able to make something cool" category.

[jack_norton]

I understand and I've had my good amount of failures too, and I understand how you feel (I find it funny more than infuriating, but I agree that for SOME project people might as well as throw the money in the toilet ).

But in any case, if they fail a project or release a crappy game, building up a bad reputation, they're screwed and can't repeat it endlessly. So in the end you need to do a good game, no matter how you choose to fund it

[Cabriolean]

I might feel tempted to run a KickStarter if I had something that was nearly finished (which I thought was amazingly good), but I wouldn't be comfortable putting up a project that was still missing a lot of things....

[papillon]

I might feel tempted to run a KickStarter if I had something that was nearly finished (which I thought was amazingly good), but I wouldn't be comfortable putting up a project that was still missing a lot of things....

Isn't that completely against the spirit of what Kickstarter is supposed to be for, though?

It's not meant to be preorders for your almost-completed project, it's meant to be fundraising for projects you otherwise can't make.

(Now, if your project is almost completed but you want to raise funds to create an animated opening for it, that makes a bit more sense.)

[Greeny]

I think that Kickstarter isn't so much about transferring the financial risk from the developer to the consumer, but about spreading out that risk, so that many people are burdened with only a minor risk, rather than the major risk developers would otherwise take.

Besides, the developer should not run less risk than the consumer in this equation: I believe that, before you run your kickstarter, you should still invest some money in concepts and preliminary assets, to show people that you're dedicated and know how to get stuff done.

[Sapphi]

I really have nothing personal against people who Kickstart. I'm really just more blown away by the general concept of the model and how it is literally selling hype. As someone who has invested his own personal savings in a game project, only to be knocked around, it is (I'll be totally honest) infuriating and dismaying that people will throw money at some of the projects I've seen - projects that are cliche and led by someone who has never done a project.

That's how I feel too... I'm kind of surprised by some of the things that get funded. It sort of makes me tempted to try my luck with it, just because it looks like it would be so easy to find people who will throw money at my project... but I don't think the weight of accountability and the amount of stress I would feel would even be worth it.

(That's only if I was the one doing most of the work, however. If I was just the "ideas guy" and hired a bunch of people with KS money to realize my vision, I think that would be a different story... it's just that my silly pride as a creator won't allow me to do this... but maybe I'll think differently when I'm unemployed and living on the street )

[Samu-kun]

Kickstarter sounds like a good idea now, but I got the feeling it's going to collapse within a few years, at least for games. If I give $50, get promised a free game, and then the devs quit, does this mean I can sue the game creators for breach of contract? Does this mean that potentially all 500 people who paid $50 and get promised a free game can sue? Imagine if 50 000 people donated to your game. Does this mean potentially 50 000 lawsuits against the devs?

I don't really think a visual novel will be what sparks it, but Kickstarter is asking for trouble. People get angry when they give a lot of money to something, and the devs spend it, but still don't release a game.

Also, money is when the fun stops.

[mugenjohncel]

Also, money is when the fun stops.

This is where I agree with Samu-Chan...

I could have easily gone commercial "years" ago if I really wanted to but then again... going commercial will mean doing something and bending to what the market demands and chances are it's not what I wanted and stress builds up leading to a plethora of illnesses. You can only have either monetary gain or personal satisfaction... that's the way the world works... you cannot "fully" have both. Will you buy a game featuring me UNCLE MUGEN as the protagonist of a harem VN with no bad endings?... Chances are it will be a "no"... but I sure will have one hell of a blast making that game

But then again... didn't KickStarter have policies in place to prevent such things from happening like exempting them from lawsuits via some really technical rules and loopholes somewhere in the terms and conditions?...

"POOF" (Disappears)