It sounds like it would be a good model even without piracy.
Joel Send a noteboard - 21/02/2012 04:15:21 PM
Note that the availability of one option does NOT mean other legitimate options should not enjoy full legal protection. 
I notice that the MINIMUM reward is a free copy of the game, plus a lot of bonus content that would not normally be available on copies purchased in stores or probably even online, all for $15. That is a win for everyone but the very big game companies they are consciously excluding from the process: Their sponsors get the game plus a lot of extras for no more (and probably much less) than it would cost in stores; a clear win. Meanwhile, the game creators need not deal with shipping, merchandising, promotion, licensing and all that other fun expensive stuff, so they get to keep any and all profits for themselves. Best of all, they need not commit to the projects time, effort and expense until donations have guaranteed the full cost of production will be met. Unless they badly miscalculate that cost, they literally cannot lose money.
Big Media and retailers can only watch in horror as the critical actors (content producers and consumers) make out like bandits cutting all middlemen out of the loop.
steam has been doing similar promotions for quite some time and are quite clearly the #1 online gaming repository because of it. this KS project is mostly about getting to have a small say in the production as it's being produced, which you can't really buy any place else ...yet
To be fair, at this point it does not look THAT different from selling stock except in scale, and that donating does not grant any actual ownership of the company. What is interesting is that no large financiers or stock exchanges are necessary, and that the "venture" aspect of venture capitalism is diminished thanks to the fact production does not begin until costs are met.
As far as having a say in production itself it does not seem so different from other examples of investing in companies and products people like. That could change if input in production were proportionate to sponsorship, particularly if there is much initiative from the other direction: People posting online offering of significant sums for someone else to bring their pet project to life.
The possibilities are certainly interesting; time will tell whether it truly creates fundamental change in how production is done.
They wanted 400k to make a new game independent of major studios and set up a Kickstarter and within 48hrs they went miles past it and are currently at about 5 times their initial target and still have nearly a month to go.
I notice that the MINIMUM reward is a free copy of the game, plus a lot of bonus content that would not normally be available on copies purchased in stores or probably even online, all for $15. That is a win for everyone but the very big game companies they are consciously excluding from the process: Their sponsors get the game plus a lot of extras for no more (and probably much less) than it would cost in stores; a clear win. Meanwhile, the game creators need not deal with shipping, merchandising, promotion, licensing and all that other fun expensive stuff, so they get to keep any and all profits for themselves. Best of all, they need not commit to the projects time, effort and expense until donations have guaranteed the full cost of production will be met. Unless they badly miscalculate that cost, they literally cannot lose money.
Big Media and retailers can only watch in horror as the critical actors (content producers and consumers) make out like bandits cutting all middlemen out of the loop.
steam has been doing similar promotions for quite some time and are quite clearly the #1 online gaming repository because of it. this KS project is mostly about getting to have a small say in the production as it's being produced, which you can't really buy any place else ...yet
To be fair, at this point it does not look THAT different from selling stock except in scale, and that donating does not grant any actual ownership of the company. What is interesting is that no large financiers or stock exchanges are necessary, and that the "venture" aspect of venture capitalism is diminished thanks to the fact production does not begin until costs are met.
As far as having a say in production itself it does not seem so different from other examples of investing in companies and products people like. That could change if input in production were proportionate to sponsorship, particularly if there is much initiative from the other direction: People posting online offering of significant sums for someone else to bring their pet project to life.
The possibilities are certainly interesting; time will tell whether it truly creates fundamental change in how production is done.
Honorbound and honored to be Bonded to Mahtaliel Sedai
Last First in wotmania Chat
Slightly better than chocolate.
Love still can't be coerced.
Please Don't Eat the Newbies!
LoL. Be well, RAFOlk.
Last First in wotmania Chat
Slightly better than chocolate.
Love still can't be coerced.
Please Don't Eat the Newbies!
LoL. Be well, RAFOlk.
The Order of the Stick webcomic raises over $1million in 30 days on kickstarter! 
- 20/02/2012 01:07:37 AM
1025 Views
- 20/02/2012 01:07:37 AM
1025 Views
I always marvel at the fact that some people donate thousands of dollars to these things
- 20/02/2012 03:05:27 AM
752 Views
PBS drives make sense as they are tax deductible
- 20/02/2012 03:01:22 PM
694 Views
The real moral here may be that PBS should offer greater icentives.
- 20/02/2012 09:03:13 PM
711 Views
I am unsure whether to be impressed or appalled.
- 20/02/2012 07:41:31 AM
755 Views
The actors of Friends were making 1 million per episode in season 9 and 10
- 20/02/2012 02:41:24 PM
720 Views
Yeah, but they were not being paid by their (probably far less numerous) viewers.
- 20/02/2012 08:26:16 PM
734 Views
Its like the Double Fine story from a few days days ago
- 20/02/2012 05:59:31 PM
815 Views
That is very interesting in the context of the recent and ongoing piracy debates.
- 20/02/2012 08:47:35 PM
765 Views
you just described the steam/valve business model
- 21/02/2012 06:24:01 AM
702 Views
It sounds like it would be a good model even without piracy.
- 21/02/2012 04:15:21 PM
604 Views
except double fine is more of a technical project than a creative one
- 21/02/2012 06:22:32 AM
661 Views
Not really- the reason people kickstarted Double Fine is BECAUSE of the creative part
- 21/02/2012 03:51:17 PM
698 Views
my point is that it appeals to the tech crowd, which is typically better when it comes to $$$
- 22/02/2012 03:06:13 AM
626 Views
I helped 
- 21/02/2012 06:13:31 AM
841 Views
- 21/02/2012 06:13:31 AM
841 Views
I did try singing the praise of Kickstarter here not long ago. *NM*
- 23/02/2012 11:25:24 PM
318 Views