That one is an opinion piece of a single person, whereas the other can represent the findings of the institution.
If it were a personal blog, then it would be more dubious (but still not automatically ignorable). But since it is a blog on a newspaper site, then it has at least as much weight as a published editorial. It carries the Economist name and has all the weight of any other piece commissioned for the Economist paper.
Incorrect. Noting that some guy is some guy, and not representative of the entire institute, is a statement of fact. Stating that it's an ad hominem is itself a strawman fallacy.
https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/ad-hominem
Specifically the part about undermining the opponent's case without actually having to engage.
The fact that it is a blog is irrelevant and reductionary. Dismissing the source outright is ridiculous, as it dismisses all qualifications of the author and all arguments they have made. This isn't 2007 anymore. Blogs can be a professional form of journalism. Numerous lettered individuals write blogs that are just as detailed and informed as academic papers.
So you think that someone stating what sort of business they're running isn't a credible statement as to what kind of business they're running? You need to double-check on what a "fallacious argument" is, unless you're trying to demonstrate them by example.
I believe businesses can be vague on what their actual business is, often for various legal and taxation-based reasons.
British guy giving an example
It certainly makes sense that Kickstarter would say they're not a store. That's a super important disclaimer for people who don't know how Kickstarter works and that projects are not guaranteed. That there is a risk of products failing. And certainly not every use of the Kickstarter service qualifies remotely as a "store".
But saying Kickstarter is never a store is a semantic argument. It's like saying Costco isn't a store because it's a "membership-only warehouse club".
And yet they say otherwise, but please, tell us how you know what Kickstarter is better than Kickstarter itself.
Okay. Let's really peel back the layers on this Kickstarter debate. Let's get serious, let's get... essayist! (Or at least as close as I can get in the middle of NaNoWriMo.)
The real question is: does Kickstarter have a negative impact on retail game stores?
The primary counterpoint to this is that Kickstarter is NOT a store. They say so
themselves. There have been a number of opinion pieces and articles countering this
one,
two,
three,
four.
But let's get deeper and look at what Kickstarter is. It allows the exchange of money to a creator or project. It's a service. It can be a low-return investment. A form of charitable donation. Patronage to creative individuals. And a method of exchanging money for forthcoming products.
So it's cleaner to say that Kickstarter is not always a store. Or that Kickstarter can be a store. It's not a store and it's certainly not always a store, but it can function as a store.Given we're discussing gaming products as a particular subset of the broader use of Kickstarter, we can effectively ignore the broader uses of Kickstarter.
As examples of the gaming uses of Kickstarter, most RPG publishers no longer do pre-orders for books from their store. They simply run Kickstarters. Frog God Games was doing pre-orders to subsidize unpublished books as recently as 2011. It's easier as people already have Kickstarter or Facebook accounts and the financial security of Amazon is good.
There is the added functionality that no one is charged if the project does not reach a pre-set goal (i.e. does not sell a set number of copies), but it is not unheard of for publishers to cancel books and refund preorders due to a lack of interest. So, in this instance, Kickstarter functions identically to a publisher's web-store.
While not every Kickstarter offers "the product" as a backer reward, it is generally unheard of for gaming Kickstarters to not offer the game product. While you are actually backing the project, you are in effect purchasing the product. The result is the same. Many Kickstarters have even dropped the token unrelated backer rewards that amount to donations. The Necromancer games
5e Kickstarter,
Shadow of the Demon Lord, and Kobold Press'
Tome of Beasts all have no generic reward, and all backers receive *some* product.
As an example of the token reward, the two
Primeval Thrule Kickstarters were backed by 822 and 870 for a total of 1692 backers. Only 38 opted to get the $1 token reward, representing 2.24% of backers. The vast, vast majority of backers were not interested in anything but the product.
Some publishers do not even operate a regular webstore, and rely on Kickstarters to sell directly with customers. Alderac Entertainment (partnered with Studio 2 Publishing for sales and publishing) does not sell directly in North America and their books and Amazon are sold through secondary vendors. They openly say the best way to get their books is to either buy them at GenCon or back one of the Kickstarters.
For the above reasons, we can safely ignore Kickstarter's disclaimers that they are not a store.
In this instance.
Now, the follow-up topic is does Kickstarter compete with retail stores?
There are two types of competition:
direct and
indirect.
Do Kickstarters supply different types of product that satisfy the same need and/or offer essentially the same good or service?
In this instance, the goods are undeniably the same. Whether you buy a board game, game book, or miniature product on Kickstarter or at a game store you end up with the product. However, there is a delay with Kickstarter. The time between backing and receiving the goods is lengthy, often upwards of a year. So the service is different.
Therefore, Kickstarter are game stores are only in indirect competition. But competition nevertheless.
Expanding on this, does this competition favour Kickstarter or game stores?
Game stores have the advantage of immediate gratification: you go to the store and buy the product. The convenience of this does depend if the product is in stock and the distance of the store.
Kickstarter has the advantage that products are shipped to your location, you can "shop" from home or your phone, and the price is generally cheaper. Plus there are often Kickstarter exclusives or small perks that increase the value, especially for collectors.
When choosing to buy the same product via a Kickstarter over a game store, the delay of Kickstarter ceases to matter. If you really want a board game seen on Kickstarter, then you wait the same time. Arguably, the Kickstarter is faster, since they tend to prioritize getting content to the backers before selling elsewhere. And the cost of the product can be spread out over a longer period rather than required all at once.
If buying a comparable but not identical product, the delay does make game stores more appealing. It is a case of immediate gratification over instant gratification.
The cheaper price of Kickstarters is worth examining. Kickstarters can be cheaper than selling in stores, since you are buying from the publisher, and are paying neither a distributor nor a store which increases the price (which normally account for 3/5ths of the price).
I'll compare Kickstarters that I've backed, because I have links handy and these are ones that MSRP can be compared.
Ultimate Psionic was available for $50 if Kickstarted or $70 after.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/197021008/ultimate-psionics-hardcover/description
http://paizo.com/products/btpy91t5?Ultimate-Psionics
Advanced Bestiary sells for $50 vs $45, but KS includes PDF which is another $20, so the Kickstarter was cheaper.
http://paizo.com/products/btpy99vj?Advanced-Bestiary
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1780208966/advanced-bestiary-for-the-pathfinder-rpg/description
While I cannot find retail prices for Reaper's Bones sets (I have seen them before and they were significantly more), individual add-ons can be prices.
Khanjira the World Breaker has a MSRP of $49.99 and sells for that on the Reaper store, but during the Kickstarter it was a $25 add-on.
https://www.reapermini.com/OnlineStore/world breaker/sku-down/77380
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1513061270/reaper-miniatures-bones-ii-the-return-of-mr-bones
I'm still eagerly awaiting my copy of the Ghostbusters Board Game, which Kickstarted for $80 vs $85
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cze/ghostbusters-the-board-game/description
http://www.amazon.com/Ghostbusters-The-Board-Game/dp/B00ZF09VLY
Now, you *can* get it cheaper on Amazon, but the discussion is about how Kickstarters compete with game stores not Amazon, so I'm using the MSRP. And there are the stretch goals, which may not be included in the Base game.
The BIG variable is shipping. Some Kickstarters have free shipping, some do not. For those Kickstarters with added shipping, the value versus a store depends on where you live and the value of add-on components.
There are a few other advantageous factors for Kickstarter.
Kickstarter can be an effective advertising tool. It features photographs and videos, giving more information than just packaging. There is a greater sales pitch. And news of a Kickstarter can virally spread throughout the community, with cool projects attracting attention. This is easy as the KS link can be easily and instantly shared. When you see a cool Kickstarter you are always in a position to share it.
Game stores lack the same advertising. Store owners can perform some sales, but only for products they are familiar with, and often with less enthusiasm than the creators of the game. And if you do find a cool game, it's harder to instantly share it with the world. There's less sense of discovery.
You also less likely to go into a game store just to browse. There's typically a purpose for the visit. It's rarer to find a gem of a game because you're looking for another product. If you do find a neat game it becomes a product you think about buying later rather than now, as games are seldom cheap enough to be good impulse purchases. (And you're already likely spending money.)
Kickstarter is easier as you can change your mind quickly and there's a delay before funding (and paying off your credit card), plus the option of cancellation.So it's easier to purchase as an impulse.
Stores are easier to browse. And there's the sunk cost effect, where you've already made the trip to the store and don't want to leave empty handed if what you want is not in stock.
There's also a few psychological benefits to Kickstarter over a regular purchase.
Backing a project and watching the stretch goals add up and backer count increase is exciting. The updates and goals make you feel a part of something larger. That's fun.
There's also the anticipation. You paid and are waiting for something for weeks or months. And it's just fun getting packages in the mail. When it arrives it's like Christmas. The purchase is more satisfying. (Or, potentially, more disappointing if the project is poor.)
It's also easier to forget paying. As document on
Dork Tower. You "buy" and sometime a couple weeks later you pay, but this cost is long forgotten when the package arrives, so the product feels free.
Summarizing, while Kickstarter is not a e-store, it serves as a store, allowing gaming Kickstarters to indirectly compete with gaming stores by offering comparable products at better value with greater convenience if you are willing to wait. With exclusive perks and some positive reinforcement due to offset payment and anticipation.
Some game Kickstarters even seem to be taking retailers into account. It's not uncommon to see "retailer incentive" levels with multiple rewards, designed to be purchased and resold at a profit. Kickstarter even changed its policy to allow for bulk purchasing.
This seems to acknowledge that Kickstarter competes with stores and is offering an alternative to vendors. (Interestingly, in this instance it's making Kickstarter fill the role of distributor instead of store).
Now, onto the semi-related topic of Wizards of the Coast doing a Kickstarter...
It would be a decent way to gauge potential interest, but they have enough sales data that it wouldn't likely tell them anything they don't already know. And they don't need to raise awareness like a smaller publisher. There would be a large segment of the market that is uninterested in buying from Kickstarter, so there'd still be some demand in stores.
However, WotC does not deal directly with customers. Even with DDI they didn't take money and used a 3rd Party to collect subscriptions. They would be poor at giving updates, and shipping would be awkward. While they would likely make more money per sale (not paying stores), they would likely have to contract a fulfilment company and someone to manage the money, which cuts into profits.
Also, the rate of releases from WotC is more due to staffing than money. WotC has more than enough money to invest in projects.
WotC doesn't gain anything from the Kickstarter.
They are also encouraging people to buy in stores, hence allowing WPN stores to get the books a couple weeks early. While WotC does not block online or box store sales, they really incentivize supporting game stores. And Kickstarter works against this policy. It would infuriate Kickstarter backers if stores got the books before them.
