Kickstarter How does a Kickstarter Bleed Money?

Umbran · Mar 24, 2013

SkidAce said:
I am so silly.

Yes, you are kind of silly. Kickstarter is not like a donation to a charity, where you do it out of the goodness of your heart. It is more like a preordering system. Seems to me, the people paying into kickstarter projects generally expect to get something for themselves.

So, then, how to you get them to pay more than what they'd pay for the book on the shelf? How do you get backers to chip in more than, say, $100? With extras that are actually worth it to them.

SkidAce · Mar 24, 2013

Oh I understand the reality and the motivations. Everything all of you say is true, with various motivations for differing folks. And it works, I was being slightly facetious.

But "charity" aside, I do donate in order to support things I want to see succeed, that's the thing I want for myself...the project to go forward. For "me", that's the big consideration.

Umbran is right though. For many folks, human nature being what it is, the tiered reward system will drive more donations than just a cry out for a "worthy" cause. I acknowledge this.

Dice4Hire · Mar 24, 2013

SkidAce said:
And here I thought Kickstarters were for donating and supporting a cause you wanted to help succeed. With prizes an ancillary bonus.

I am so silly.

Well, if you say so. As with everything, people have different motivations.

Alan Shutko · Mar 24, 2013

Umbran said:
Yes, you are kind of silly. Kickstarter is not like a donation to a charity, where you do it out of the goodness of your heart.

The original kickstarter projects, and a lot of smaller more local projects, are exactly like that. The idea was to help contribute to something you wanted to see in the world, such as an art or music project. The backer rewards were just a side benefit.

The design and game categories are definitely a lot more of a preorder system now, but you can still find charity-type projects in Art, Dance, and some others. E.g. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/touctheorydance/paradise-lost-1?ref=category

delericho · Mar 26, 2013

darrell_uk said:
Could the bubble be bursting?

I wouldn't have thought so, but it does look like the requirements for success may have just gone up: basic competence is now a requirement rather than a "nice to have".

Dannager · Mar 26, 2013

delericho said:
I wouldn't have thought so, but it does look like the requirements for success may have just gone up: basic competence is now a requirement rather than a "nice to have".

Rather than the bubble bursting this strikes me as more of a Wild West to civilization transition. The platform is simply maturing, and that's a good thing.

Super Pony · Mar 26, 2013

I think the backers are beginning to affect more changes on the Kickstarter process, than any observed increase or decrease in successful campaigns due to the behavior of their managers. As backers work through more projects with time they begin to be more educated on the process and are more able to meet the self regulation of caveat emptor. Following that, more people will start taking advantage of the Kickstarter system to their benefit (ie. changing backer levels, dropping entirely, etc), and as mentioned previously people are going to be leery of Kickstarter campaigns that seem overly ambitious or put forward by unknown entities.

I'm mostly curious to see what this animal evolves into over time. For all its potential pitfalls and unknown variables, Kickstarter is a boon to the creative community of hairless apes that grunt along the surface of this world of ours.

SkidAce · Mar 27, 2013

Super Pony said:
...of Kickstarter campaigns that seem overly ambitious or put forward by unknown entities....

I find this to very interesting. Again others perceptions may vary, but this is who I think Kickstarter was/should be ideal for.

Not fond of established companies using it.

But all said and done...it does appear to be overall beneficial to the gaming public at large.

trancejeremy · Mar 27, 2013

I'm not sure the bubble is bursting exactly, but at least in the RPG/boardgame arena, people are becoming more skeptical.

For one, there have been a number of KS projects that were funded many times over, yet the creator never finished the project. And almost all of them are several months to a year late, with only a handful being on time or early.

It doesn't help that many KS people will start a new project before their old one is done.

That Mike Nystul guy did that, and apparently he has spent all the money, so his projects probably won't be coming out.
http://www.tenkarstavern.com/2013/03/the-king-of-wayward-kickstarters-axes.html

For another, while the original intention was to facilitate projects being made in the first place, we've seen companies start to use it more as a pre-ordering system. Which is fine until people start realizing that they are basically paying nearly twice as much for a product as they would if they simply waited for it to go on sale. Like $100 for a big hardcover book as opposed to $60.

I think that's what is hurting the Freeport KS. I don't think there is any doubt GR can produce a quality product on time, but $100 is a lot to swallow, especially when they even admit on the KS they will be selling the books to retail for $55 each (and so discount retailers will probably sell for $65 or so)

Dice4Hire · Mar 27, 2013

I agree that when a kickstarter (a free loan in many ways) has price points equal to the product in stores there is a problem.

Kickstarter How does a Kickstarter Bleed Money?

Umbran

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