Kickstarter J-RPG

[HikkiPanda]

... That's not how it works. You're charged when the project reaches its funding deadline. Then they take the money and are supposed to go make the product with it.

If they don't, there's nothing you can do about it.

woah ... that's so conveniently scammy o.o;

[LateWhiteRabbit]

... That's not how it works. You're charged when the project reaches its funding deadline. Then they take the money and are supposed to go make the product with it.

If they don't, there's nothing you can do about it.

woah ... that's so conveniently scammy o.o;

Yeah, that's why most people predict a major scam or fraud on Kickstarter some time in the future. The ability to collect (massive amounts of) money from a song and dance routine and pretty pictures is like a scammer's dream come true. All you'd have to do is A) Steal someone's identity B) Put together a convincing pitch C) Collect thousands of dollars D) Disappear, leaving your identity victim on the hook as the criminal.

When you get right down to it, Kickstarter is essentially upscale pan-handling with a classier veneer.

[PyTom]

Yeah, that's why most people predict a major scam or fraud on Kickstarter some time in the future.

The future is now.

More seriously, I suspect a wave of disappointment to ensure, as a bunch of fraudsters take over kickstarter in the wake of a number of big successes. And then I expect - fairly quickly - people will wise up and become a lot more sophisticated about due diligence - because humans are actually pretty clever, as a species.

I suspect that we'll see a lot less of the "idea thread" kickstarters getting funded, and "here's a prototype, here's a plan for finishing it, here's a demo" becoming more of a minimum for entry. Basically, the creators will need to put more skin in the game to get funded.

[mugenjohncel]

OK I have a pretty nasty idea (inspired by DaFool... ) that just might work... call me evil but what if...

I'll make a full game behind the shadows as in a complete and functioning game. Then I make promotional materials for it and beg for crowd sourcing and pretend it's still a WIP... and to push the potential profit... I'll promise that anyone who pledges $20 and above will receive an advance copy a week before anyone else does...

Hmm... why didn't I thought of it before?...

Edit:
I did a quick feasibility study and found out it's more profitable in the long run to produce and fund your own games and sell them directly... Pfft!

"POOF" (Disappears with a on my face)

"POOF" (No Profit)

[LateWhiteRabbit]

And we have a WINNER! The first scam using Kickstarter to fund a "game" that doesn't exist has been discovered! Check out the Kickstarter page - so impressively fake.

How many others are there out there than haven't been discovered yet . . .?

[DaFool]

"Elite Team of Experts"
AAA quality at $80,000.

The public is just ignorant how much effort and money it takes to produce a game. The producer of Amnesia: The Dark Descent once said somebody thought their game was expensive with production cost of $25,000. He replied, try $500,000.

[Razz]

Thread pretty much said how I feel whenever I see projects from this site.

I've seen projects getting thousands of dollars when the creator doesn't even do anything. They don't freaking write,draw,or even develop. It's like watching some fanfiction writer go on about her dreams to get an anime and then seeing people throw a wads of cash at her.

[Sapphi]

>MYTHIC Book Bag



Oh my, that brightened up my night.
But yeah, call me cynical, but my brain shuts off the minute I hear the "Pledge this and get that" routine. (Probably because as a kid I sat through hours of PBS trying to get me to "Call now and pledge this much money and you'll get this wonderful Arthur doll!" during their fundraising months, but that's besides the point.) I mean, if you're trying to raise money, isn't the logical thing to SAVE THE MONEY YOU RAISE FOR YOUR GAME, not divert it into lots of promotional goodies? I'm only speculating, but it seems like stuff like that would be more effective when there was already an established fanbase and a sequel or expansion was coming out.

Oh yeah, and allowing people to pay you $5k to star in your game is pretty dumb IMO. That would be like if I was writing a book, and I let people pay me various sums of money to write them in as a Mary Sue.

[fischer22]

It´s clear that Kickstarter has a clear challenge ahead to monitor their projects, cancel or erase the ones that are scams, etc. It´s not going to be easy, but I hope they manage to do it right.

At the same time, I think everyone should be aware that this type of thing has its risks. (Maybe coming from a country where everyday scams are rather common made me a bit more aware of this).
I, for one, have invested in 5 different projects, and I know that they present different level of risk (concerning getting the reward that I´m IMAGINING I will get).

It´s not the same to trust Tim Schafer than to trust John Smith. (Of course Tim Shafer COULD fail to comply with your expectations... but the risk is much lower than with a total stranger).

What I mean is: I believe Kickstarter is an amazing tool for crowdfunding... but nobody should trust blindly in what they see. We´re all adults here. Do some research, analyze what they´re offering, etc. and accept (or not) the risk involved in the operation.

[fischer22]

I mean, if you're trying to raise money, isn't the logical thing to SAVE THE MONEY YOU RAISE FOR YOUR GAME, not divert it into lots of promotional goodies?

The idea is that you charge your backers or fans with a greater amount than your cost.
For example (a silly example), you promise a teddy bear with a special badge/logo if someone pledges $15, and you know you can get that same bear AND pay for transportation/delivery with only $10.
So, the remaining $5 could go to develop the game, and the backer receives a nice teddy bear.

[PyTom]

The NPR model (pledge $100 and get a "free" tote bag) is pretty time-honored, and it does work - especially if you want to encourage people to donate more than the minimum. Also, realize that for some of this swag, the wholesale price is a lot less than the retail price. (A teddy bear might sell for $10 retail, but I can get 1000 of them for $2000, as an example. So each one only costs me $2 + shipping.)

I'm waiting for a kickstarter-like site where the reward is stock in the game. In exchange for money, I get .001% of the profits from the game. US law* just changed to make that possible, so I expect to see sites supporting that model popping up in the next few months.

* You know, I always answer in terms of US law. Partially, that's because I'm American - but I also think that it's because Europe has so many distinct legal systems, it's hard to answer for a majority of them.

[papillon]

I've heard of one being discussed, but it sounds like an administrative nightmare to me.

Of course, we have yet to see what happens if someone decides kickstarter's Buyer Beware policy is insufficient and decides to sue, but I'd expect it to be a much bigger problem in a situation where people are expecting returns, and all demanding to see the bookkeeping...

[LateWhiteRabbit]

Of course, we have yet to see what happens if someone decides kickstarter's Buyer Beware policy is insufficient and decides to sue, but I'd expect it to be a much bigger problem in a situation where people are expecting returns, and all demanding to see the bookkeeping...

That is actually why prizes and swag are "awarded" at different price tiers and participants are "backers" instead of "investors". It is all a bit of legal mumbo jumbo, but it means people can't expect a return on their money, and are really buying the price tier prize with their money instead of an investment chunk in the game or project.

[Argeus_the_Paladin]

Kickstarter sounds, to me, like a company selling its stock at a price irrelevant to their realistic future cash flow. And yet it still works out somehow, most of the time.

The internet age sure has ways to baffle the academics of economics and finance.

[Applegate]

Well, Kickstarter does work well, considering the quality of projects funded. Feels like you could slap together a hasty RPGMaker game, ask for $500 to produce it, then stick that money elsewhere and create a very basic RPGMaker game.

(judging from the screenshots, the quality of this Unemployment Quest! isn't high either... most is default graphics.)