Post by Whiterook on Apr 5, 2022 16:46:12 GMT -5
I’m a firm believer and fan of KickStarter!
In todays world of marketing and distribution, game companies have it extremely tough at almost every turn — the cost of production, shipping, storage, and so on, is enough to overwhelm even the biggest companies. I dare say they probably don’t turn a huge profit doing what they do; and they do what they do because they love the hobby. I personally believe that, gone are the days of mega warehouses and tons of stock, if that even ever existed on a large scale in the industry.
KickStarter is probably a dream come true for game companies, because they can access interest through commitments of buys to “pledge” for games; essentially, putting their money where their mouth is when campaigns end! And thereafter, have to money to send games to design proofs, production, and ultimately to production. It’s a Win-Win, in my book!!!
So how does it work? The game company “announces” a potential game by starting “campaign” a KickStarter. The game is explained in detail. Often with video(s) included, and a copy of the draft rulebook. There is another section on the KickStarter page that allows for updates, and even conversations. It keeps track of how many pledges are made, where it attempts to reach a minimum number of orders (pledges) in order to proceed with the project… this is the “campaign”. Everything is very transparent.
A lot of the KickStarter campaigns offer a very cool benefit of “Stretch Goals”, where the pledger will get extra game stuff for free as part of pledging for the campaign. These can be everything from hame expansions, upgrades to the components, charts, cards, dice, etc. all of these extras will cost you if you do not pledge and later decide to buy the game at cost. And talking of money, the KickStarter price is almost almost always at a discounted price!
So is this really as great as I am making it sound? Yes! I have KickStarter gear and swag that when totaled at the MSRP (bought in a store) where I have save $300-500! You need to keep in mind, the price of games today, where a core game costs $100-200 on average, and expansions at around $75. It’s an expensive hobby, folks, and the good stuff costs money! Therefore, being frugal and wise in spending plans is a must, as far as I’m concerned. I’m about as frugal as tiu can get so, trust me.
In todays world of marketing and distribution, game companies have it extremely tough at almost every turn — the cost of production, shipping, storage, and so on, is enough to overwhelm even the biggest companies. I dare say they probably don’t turn a huge profit doing what they do; and they do what they do because they love the hobby. I personally believe that, gone are the days of mega warehouses and tons of stock, if that even ever existed on a large scale in the industry.
KickStarter is probably a dream come true for game companies, because they can access interest through commitments of buys to “pledge” for games; essentially, putting their money where their mouth is when campaigns end! And thereafter, have to money to send games to design proofs, production, and ultimately to production. It’s a Win-Win, in my book!!!
So how does it work? The game company “announces” a potential game by starting “campaign” a KickStarter. The game is explained in detail. Often with video(s) included, and a copy of the draft rulebook. There is another section on the KickStarter page that allows for updates, and even conversations. It keeps track of how many pledges are made, where it attempts to reach a minimum number of orders (pledges) in order to proceed with the project… this is the “campaign”. Everything is very transparent.
A lot of the KickStarter campaigns offer a very cool benefit of “Stretch Goals”, where the pledger will get extra game stuff for free as part of pledging for the campaign. These can be everything from hame expansions, upgrades to the components, charts, cards, dice, etc. all of these extras will cost you if you do not pledge and later decide to buy the game at cost. And talking of money, the KickStarter price is almost almost always at a discounted price!
So is this really as great as I am making it sound? Yes! I have KickStarter gear and swag that when totaled at the MSRP (bought in a store) where I have save $300-500! You need to keep in mind, the price of games today, where a core game costs $100-200 on average, and expansions at around $75. It’s an expensive hobby, folks, and the good stuff costs money! Therefore, being frugal and wise in spending plans is a must, as far as I’m concerned. I’m about as frugal as tiu can get so, trust me.