6 ms·

I don't mind putting a bit of cash towards projects where those involved really don't have the resources to pull it off otherwise, but does Neal Stephenson real

I don't mind putting a bit of cash towards projects where those involved really don't have the resources to pull it off otherwise, but does Neal Stephenson really not have enough cash to bootstrap this himself?

ArmstrongRSBC 14y ago
Looks like a PR stunt to me. Not that that's a bad thing. The production alone on that video $$$
- mehulkar 14y ago
  Interesting how Kickstarter can be used both for PR and actual fundraising.
  - dfc 14y ago
    I always thought PR was a component of fund-raising.
- mbreese 14y ago
  It also helps to establish your market and discover what the audience really wants. It's great market research where you can have your potential customers give you feedback throughout the process.
Cushman 14y ago
Kickstarter is being used a lot for preorders rather than fundraising. There are a lot of obvious reasons someone might want to do this despite technically not needing financing.
vidarh 14y ago
There are tons of things I would like to do, that I could afford to do, but that I still won't do if I have to bear the whole financial risk myself. I'm sure that's true for a lot of people.
- Camillo 14y ago
  If I had to bear your financial risk, I would expect a return: if I'm an investor give me shares, if I'm loaning you money give me interest. Why do I not deserve the same rewards as any other investor? I find the entire proposition offensive.
  - ncarlson 14y ago
    The reward is a successful project. Would you chip in $50 bucks to help someone build some interesting widget that otherwise wouldn't get built?
    - Camillo 14y ago
      That question is not germane to this kickstarter. Considering their level of funding and the large amount of time and money that they have already sunk into the project, it's patently obvious that it's going to get made anyway. They're just trying to collect some free money from suckers because hey, why not?
  - jes5199 14y ago
    Giving $25 is not bearing financial risk! It's an optimistic pre-order, it's a statement of support, it's a donation to The Arts, it's patronage. And it's less money than it costs out for dinner in San Francisco. It offends and infuriates me that you don't see any value in the creation of new technology other than "give me interest". Your species of cynical profiteering is the reason we have freewheeling boom and bust cycles with no significant social benefit.
    - Camillo 14y ago
      It's none of these things. We're talking about financing a commercial enterprise by people far wealthier than myself. What we have here are rich people trying to set up a system where they are rewarded for their part of the investment, but the little guys are not. That is cynical profiteering. I'm saving my $25 donation for a worthy non-profit cause, thank you very much.
dasil003 14y ago
Stephenson is no doubt an extremely successful writer, but that doesn't confer the type of resources that being an extremely successful entrepreneur does. And game development doesn't come cheap either, especially not innovative game development.
- Camillo 14y ago
  He already has wealthy game entrepreneurs on board. Did you notice the big guy smithing a crowbar? That's Gabe Newell, with a personal net worth of 1.5 billion dollars. His company, Valve, is thanked on the Kickstarter page, as well as Bungie. These people already have the resources and industry support to do what they want to do (the exquisitely produced videos are themselves a testament to their resources!), but for some reason, they're asking the man on the street to carry a share of the financial risk in exchange for no share of the returns. As interesting as the idea is, if you contribute to this Kickstarter you're a chump.
PostOnce 14y ago
I thought it might be to gauge demand. Why spend a million dollars on an unannounced project only to find out no-one wants it? And if people really want it, they'll put up a few dollars, perhaps.
- keithpeter 14y ago
  Especially as the future development of decent controllers will mean players paying out for specialised hardware.
pavedwalden 14y ago
Sounds like they're not looking to bootstrap a business that would produce a return on investment. Instead of making a commercially viable game, they're talking about founding a platform and cultivating a market for sword fighting games.

ArmstrongRSBC 14y ago

Looks like a PR stunt to me. Not that that's a bad thing. The production alone on that video $$$

mehulkar 14y ago
Interesting how Kickstarter can be used both for PR and actual fundraising.
- dfc 14y ago
  I always thought PR was a component of fund-raising.
mbreese 14y ago
It also helps to establish your market and discover what the audience really wants. It's great market research where you can have your potential customers give you feedback throughout the process.

Cushman 14y ago

Kickstarter is being used a lot for preorders rather than fundraising. There are a lot of obvious reasons someone might want to do this despite technically not needing financing.

vidarh 14y ago

There are tons of things I would like to do, that I could afford to do, but that I still won't do if I have to bear the whole financial risk myself. I'm sure that's true for a lot of people.

Camillo 14y ago
If I had to bear your financial risk, I would expect a return: if I'm an investor give me shares, if I'm loaning you money give me interest. Why do I not deserve the same rewards as any other investor? I find the entire proposition offensive.
- ncarlson 14y ago
  The reward is a successful project. Would you chip in $50 bucks to help someone build some interesting widget that otherwise wouldn't get built?
  - Camillo 14y ago
    That question is not germane to this kickstarter. Considering their level of funding and the large amount of time and money that they have already sunk into the project, it's patently obvious that it's going to get made anyway. They're just trying to collect some free money from suckers because hey, why not?
- jes5199 14y ago
  Giving $25 is not bearing financial risk! It's an optimistic pre-order, it's a statement of support, it's a donation to The Arts, it's patronage. And it's less money than it costs out for dinner in San Francisco. It offends and infuriates me that you don't see any value in the creation of new technology other than "give me interest". Your species of cynical profiteering is the reason we have freewheeling boom and bust cycles with no significant social benefit.
  - Camillo 14y ago
    It's none of these things. We're talking about financing a commercial enterprise by people far wealthier than myself. What we have here are rich people trying to set up a system where they are rewarded for their part of the investment, but the little guys are not. That is cynical profiteering. I'm saving my $25 donation for a worthy non-profit cause, thank you very much.

dasil003 14y ago

Stephenson is no doubt an extremely successful writer, but that doesn't confer the type of resources that being an extremely successful entrepreneur does. And game development doesn't come cheap either, especially not innovative game development.

Camillo 14y ago
He already has wealthy game entrepreneurs on board. Did you notice the big guy smithing a crowbar? That's Gabe Newell, with a personal net worth of 1.5 billion dollars. His company, Valve, is thanked on the Kickstarter page, as well as Bungie. These people already have the resources and industry support to do what they want to do (the exquisitely produced videos are themselves a testament to their resources!), but for some reason, they're asking the man on the street to carry a share of the financial risk in exchange for no share of the returns. As interesting as the idea is, if you contribute to this Kickstarter you're a chump.

PostOnce 14y ago

I thought it might be to gauge demand. Why spend a million dollars on an unannounced project only to find out no-one wants it? And if people really want it, they'll put up a few dollars, perhaps.

keithpeter 14y ago
Especially as the future development of decent controllers will mean players paying out for specialised hardware.

pavedwalden 14y ago

Sounds like they're not looking to bootstrap a business that would produce a return on investment. Instead of making a commercially viable game, they're talking about founding a platform and cultivating a market for sword fighting games.