Kickstarter

[Smegma]

I'm having a very disturbing feeling regarding Kickstarter with regards to game development projects.

First, there is no real accountability. Kickstarter quite specifically states that it does not police for anti-fraud. All you need is a slick marketing campaign, and you can take the cash and run. Unless one of the backers actually goes after you, there's very little risk of having to answer pointed questions about how and where you spent the money. Given that Kickstarter relies on community feedback to identify fraudulent projects and the lack of programmers that actually comment and openly question the likelihood of a project's success - it's seems to me to be a source of easy cash from credulous backers.

Second, Kickstarter doesn't seem to actually publish numbers for it's success/failure by project type. Game development is bundled in with the numbers for songs and t-shirts. So when people see the "success rate" - what they're seeing is an overall number - and has little or nothing to do with software development.

Crowd-funding seems to be a perfect environment for scam-artists and fraudsters.

Thoughts?

reference:
liability - http://www.polygon.com/gaming/2012/6/27/3099051/backers-rights-what-kickstarter-funders-can-expect-when-they-pledge
success rates - http://www.appsblogger.com/behind-kickstarter-crowdfunding-stats/

 

[ohnoitsabear]

The thing with fraudulent kickstarters is that the only way they can really work is if you're doing a relatively small campaign (as in, around $5,000 or less). If a larger campaign is a scam, it either doesn't make enough money to be even close to successful, or enough people see it that somebody spots that it's a scam.

My feelings are that, if you're backing kickstarter projects, it's your responsibility to decide if you feel they're going to be able to make the thing. If you don't think they'd be able to do it with the money, don't back, it's really that simple.

 

[DustyDrB]

1) The risk for an individual is likely to fall between $5-30.
2) Projects that are abandoned or just don't live up to the promises of the campaign will severely damage the reputation of the people behind them, and will severely damage their ability to work in gaming again. I know I'd be wary of a project, either crowd-funded or publisher-backed, that is led by someone who took advantage of their backers in such a way.
BUT
3) You're right. Swindlers could and actually have [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/273246798/mythic-the-story-of-gods-and-men] come in to take advantage of the opportunity. The example I cited there was exposed, but that doesn't mean others couldn't be more savvy. But if you use Kickstarter, you're aware of the risk. Just be wise about how you spend. Look into the background of the people behind the project. If, instead of RPG vets like Avellone and Cain, some rookie pitched Project Eternity to me, I would likely not back it. If Peter Molyneaux, the master of broken promises, pitched a Kickstarter project (oh, wait...), I wouldn't back it. Just think before backing.

So yeah, what you're saying could potentially happen. I wouldn't be surprised if it did. But when we seeing a resurgence of entire genres thanks to Kickstarter, I really think it's well worth the risk.

 

[Smegma]

I'm quite pleased with the resurgence of what publishers consider niche genres - especially since publishers seem to treat games of these sort like lepers at a bikini contest. There's no end of developers who bemoan the risk-averse nature of publishers.

But - and all credit to Kickstarter - they don't seem to be willing to make even a token gesture to prevent fraudsters and scam artists from posting slick, well marketed campaigns and run off with the cash. Projects are proposed by developers promising the moon - but whom have never even written a line of commercial code. These seem credible to the casual user browsing to Kickstarter and doesn't have the knowledge or experience to realize just how absurd the claims sound to a professional.

Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.