A Guide to Kickstarting Games

1.What is Kickstarter?

This is Kickstarter.

Kickstarter is an online platform that allows you to pledge money for products and projects that needs the fund for various reasons.
Usually there is pledge levels offering you  some products when the project is completed or some kind of return on investment.

2.What do you benefit from kickstarting a game?



In one accronym: C.H.E.A.P.

CHEAP-You usually pay cheaper than MSRP. If low costs attracts you, you'll probably be a kickstarter addict in no time.

HELP-you will help a company pay for the necessary equipment to start a real business...In case of big companies (and small ones too), this will instead help them to see if there's a real demand for the product.

EARLY-You'll have the game before anybody else (that didn't kickstart this). Imagine the source of pride! By kickstarting something popular, you are sure to get your copy and not run into one of these annoying ''sold out everywhere'' situations that happens with popular boardgames.

ACHIEVEMENTS-Curiosity might push you to pledge to unlock more and more stock, making some pledges really worth it value-wise.

PROMOS-Usually, good kickstarters will have extra promotional/exclusive items that you won't be able to get anywhere else (or at conventions).


Now, take one minute and think about all the traps and shopping tricks that kickstarter is trying to lure you into...
Because, yes, there IS a dark side to kickstarting a project and it is a somewhat risky operation for your wallet...


3.Things to know about a kickstarting project:

aka Dark side of things:

COST-Kickstarter is all about helping a company pay the starting cost to be in business, but what about these companies that already are in business?
As I said earlier, they might use kickstarter as a ''survey'' to find out if the product will have a real demand but there's also a nastier truth...
What if they were using Kickstarter to cut on the retail chain altogether?? They would just have to pay their 10% to kickstarter, pay their production costs and they would still be able to make profit, offer you deals and make you pay less than the MSRP they decided.
I'd like to think that no 'major' gaming company has kickstarted yet...(but Wyrd, my #1 favorite company did it with their RPG.)
One could argue that having a webstore is better for a company than a kickstarter, yes definitely profit-wise, but read the next point. (a webstore can rarely do that...although truth is, they should and could.)
---Also: what is the difference between kickstarting price and MSRP?? add shipping to the equation, is it still worth it? Is it worth NOT supporting your local gaming store?

HOURS-If the best well managed webstore and the deity of marketing made love, their child would probably be Kickstarter. Kickstarter makes A LOT of money off the ''scarcity effect'' (some of this is related to Promos). Humans will be strongly attracted to products they feel won't be available soon. It is a ''now or never'' situation created by the very nature of kickstarter.
Why ''hours''? Have you noticed how when there's 2-3 days left the countdown for a project suddenly switches to hours? It is a subtle yet very clever trick to pressure you more and create the scarcity effect. Almost as subtle as the '' .99'' prices (except that these prices don't induce scarcity).

EARLY-for "early adopters'', the segment of population that buys new concepts before those same concepts become popular with the rest of the population...or something like that, wikipedia that. (not to be mistaken with hipsters: <<a segment of populations we won't be talking about in 5 years>> ;))
So yeah, people like you and me that get into games before average Joe...Well I'm a little affraid for FLGS (Friendly Local Gaming Stores). Why? Because I feel that most early adopters like you and me are  using the internet frequently to keep ourselves up to date with the gaming industry and as such, we'll sooner or later get to know about these nice juicy kickstarters and probably will pledge.
While having customers that can demo a game before its official release in your store is not bad and can build hype, it is that many customers that actually won't buy the game at their store when it comes out.

ACHIEVEMENTS-Okay, let me be clear: if you increase your pledge by buying things you don't need/wanted in the first place just to unlock kickstarter achievements, you are a sad being.
Achievements and ''unlocks'' play on a common human flaw: curiosity.
While 99% of us won't pledge more 'just to unlock achievements', they have this extremely interesting effect of...hooking you up! Yep! They will make you follow avidly the kickstarter to make sure you are not missing an incredible deal or a super exclusive promo you really wanted.
Some of us might even become 'brand ambassadors' and start talking about this kickstarter to our friends just to increase the overall amount pledged and unlock more goodies.
Instead of a ''pledge and never come back'' achievements have managed to transform a project into a ''Pledge.  Come back. Check our updates. Like anything? Increase your pledge and be sure to check us tomorrow because we might unlock that 1M$ achievements with people like you.''.

PROMOS-Well, here's my kryptonite. I cannot resist ''exclusive items''...But how ''exclusive'' exactly will they be? the ''available at conventions'' is bothering me a little because it only really means the item will just not be available online...or to your favorite retailer. But still, it'll be available.
Look for ''kickstarter ONLY'' promos.
Also it is the 'scarcity effect' created with a 'I'm only available now*'' item.

Kickstarting has two costs, one is a monetary one, the other is a choice you make to eschew your retailer for the mountain of goodies a promising company will throw at you.

last note: be extremely careful!!!! Kickstarter is money you don't get to see the color and products you don't get to put your hands on until you receive it, in other words: it is like high-fructose corn sirup in food, your brain doesnt realize how much money you are spending (it is only numbers).

4. Reasons to Kickstart, Alternatives.

--Maybe your retailer won't be carrying the game even when it is released...Then there's no point waiting for him. If he doesn't want to support the company, you'll do it (and pay less in the process).

BUT

You could ask your retailer to pledge at a retailer level (if there's one available) = you support him by paying price but might get access to exclusives and promos. Everyone is happy!

--You hate your retailers, you wish they died. Well folks, that probably won't happen but kickstarting and shopping online is that much money you won't give them. I just feel sorry that they let you down. (In other words, move in Montreal)

-You are like me:You really like your retailers, but lured by the lower costs and the ton of promos you can't resist and the impulsive buyer presses the button.
(I might be an hypocrit)

5. I think you are ready to kickstart!

Kickstarter creates a ''christmas after christmas'' effect where you receive all these cool toys during random days of the year. Just try and forget how much you spent ;)

Here's a nice looking one to end up this article:

Cool Kickstarter: Rivet Wars

I hope you like your retailer though!


UPDATE:
-Read the comments and carefully read every section of the kickstarter!
Unless you know the company very well (and saw on their website they are part of the kickstarter), it might be a scam.
A good example: Kickstarter Scam

Check for any unrealistic claims and ask in the comments (I believe that's why there's a 1$ pledge option). It doesnt hurt to quickly look on the internet if the product offered already exists or not.
If you know it is a scam but people didn't notice it, post a comment: after all you won't be charged your 1$ if the project is cancelled.
You can also report the Kickstarter.

Good kickstarting and kickstart safely!