Someone who’s been a friend of mine for a few years came to me the other day and told me that he was writing an article about the internet and its effect on gaming companies. He asked me to write him a few sentences about what Kickstarter means to Shades of Vengeance in particular.
Me being me, I was not able to write only a few sentences and I thought that some of my thoughts might be interesting to you guys!
Kickstarter provides a unique level of communication with groups of people who are specifically looking for things that are new and different. If you have a unique product that you show off in the right way, you are virtually guaranteed some backers.
More importantly, it gives you that reassurance that people are actually interested in your game, and some level of measure as to how interested. If people flock to your game in the thousands (something I still hope might happen to me someday!), you’re virtually guaranteed that the game is going to sell. If you get 10 backers who are loyal but no-one else is biting, you should be looking at your game critically and figuring out what it is that isn’t right or isn’t coming across right.
Kickstarter is all about presentation. (Well, that and becoming a Staff Pick, but we’ll talk about that in another blog entry!) If people think your game looks good, they’re more likely to back it. So invest in an advance printed copy so you can send photos of it out, invest in an experienced graphic designer who can make your Kickstarter look good.
Kickstarter can mean life to a project that would otherwise never happen or it can be great indicator that maybe that’s not the way you want to go. I know that Shades of Vengeance wouldn’t be here without it and the people who have supported our work.
– Ed
