I don't know if this was ever brought up, but when a person donates money to a kick starter for a game, and not enough money is collected to developed the game. Then the game is a wash, what happens to the money that people already donated?

Do they get that money back?

The only reason I am asking this is years ago I never seen all these kickstarters for games in development. Is this just an Indie thing that has recently started?

Darleen03,

According to Kickstarter : "Funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing. No one will be charged for a pledge towards a project unless it reaches its funding goal. This way, creators always have the budget they scoped out before moving forward."

You've got to remember, though, that you're still taking a risk.
You're not buying a game, you're investing in the making of one and a copy of the game is your reward once it's done, IF the game gets made.
Reaching the funding goal does not mean the game will ever see the light of day.
Worst case, the dev could get what he asked for then just take off for parts unknown, in which case, no, you won't get your money back.

So it's a good idea to read Kickstarter's advice on what backers should do before investing unless you're darned sure you can trust whoever's making the game.

Edit: Yeah, it's a relatively new thing; depends on what you call new.
Two years ago, about, I invested in Broken Age.
I haven't seen a complete game yet.
Just saying.

Gil.

Thanks, Traveler..

I was reading up about a lot of Kick starter scams. Its a concern to me that through the past couple of years I am seeing a lot of developers asking for money to make a game. I have never seen this years ago.

Well, Dar, I think a lot of it has to do with Indies who would never get anywhere pitching a game to one of the big game publishers.
They want to make games but they can't get the funding that way, so they've started going to us, the end users.

Jan Kavan and his partner, Lukas Medek, were so royally worked over by Lace Mamba...as I recall, their game was published but they never saw a nickel for it...that trust for the big publishers, already not high, went right in the toilet when he had the guts to come out about it publicly.

Thanks to - not Kickstarter but IndieGoGo - Jan is just about to release the much upgraded, completely new and enhanced version of J.U.L.I.A, which he and Lukas have been slaving over, keeping the faith with their backers.
Somehow, I knew they would.
(The game looks fantastic!)
So they're not all jerks and scammers; you just have to be careful.

Gil.

I have seen a lot of kickstarter games on here...That say game is canceled, not enough funding. This really concerns me.... Too many Indie Developers has been going around to web sites asking for money to promote their games.

It very hard for the game player to know what is legitimate,and what is a scam.

I am wondering if Gameboomers checks this out before posting a kickstarter here?

Just a Thought... More should be investigated.

Darleen, GameBoomers reports the news, it is your job to figure out what you want to do with your money. As Gil already answered to you, if the Kickstarter or IndieGoGo campaign does not reach its funding, they do not get a dime. It's all or nothing. If you are concerned, don't do it. Plain and simple.

Good point !!!!

That's why I will never donate money to a kick starter. Too many games that I liked are cancelled it says...

I guess they put time limits on kick starters it seems.

You have to decide for yourself whether to trust a developer or not, Dar.
In the end, you may decide to wait for the game to be made before you part with your money if you don't feel comfortable investing or if you're just not sure.

GB can't read minds or intentions or foresee calamities no one could predict that might bring a game's production to a screeching halt.
If the game that's proposed looks good and as if it might interest gamers there's no reason not to post info about it.

Gil.

The person starting the Kickstarter chooses the time they want it to run. Read the Kickstarter Basics in the link that Gil gave you. It answers all your questions.

Thank You Gil, and Ana...

I just don't like the fact that developers are asking for money to make a game, when the consumer doesn't have a guarantee it will be published. Its like throwing your money into pot luck.

Then if the game does make it to the publisher your still going to pay to buy the game... Talk about a Catch 22...

Dar,

If the game is made and you backed it at a level that allows you to get a copy of the game...the usual low level for that is $15...you get the game.
You do not pay a second time.
Any time you invest in anything, Dar, you take a risk, whether it's a game or a big corporation that could go bust.

This has nothing to do with 'going to a publisher'.
The whole reason for Kickstarter and IndieGoGo is to bypass publishers, to avoid them.
The developer provides the game directly to you and if he doesn't do it directly, he provides it through a site like Humble Bundle or Steam.
If you want it "direct", make sure you find out how you'll get the game before you plunk down your money for making the game.

Tesla Effect was made with Kickstarter investments.
So was Broken Sword 5.
J.U.L.I.A went through IndieGoGo to get funding.
Everyone who backed them gets (or got) the game if they pledged at a high enough level.
As I said, the usual investment level you have to meet is $15 for a digital download.

Gil.

I've used Kickstarter to back several games and for all of those that attracted the funding level required the "projected" game was made and I did receive my copy

It's not my favourite way of obtaining a game and I can't afford to back every project that I fancy - but it IS a way for some games to see the light of day that otherwise wouldn't

I'm bumping this thread because I just found an excellent talk by Totalbiscuit on the difference between pre-orders and Kickstarter.
You can find it here if you're interested.
I can't help but agree with everything he says.

Pay no attention to the game he's playing; I guess it's just for something to show on the screen.

Gil.

Thanks, Gil

This guy makes some very good points ..

I also agree that there will be class action suits in the future for dishonest developers, but like he said.... try, and collect.