Crowdfunding--Is it Good or Bad for Games?

Just a few hours ago, Jamin from PBS's "GameShow" released a video with his thoughts about crowdfunding.

Crowdfunding has become a popular way to support your favorite artists, games, or other causes.  It's pretty amazing that people are willing to spend money to help sponsor the creation of something and that a lot of people giving a little bit can help something really amazing come together.  I recently ventured into the waters of the crowdfunding game by ponying up some cash for the next game in the Shadowrun series.  Shadowrun:  Hong Kong is the next game in this brilliant turn-based Cyber Punk adventure by Harebraind Schemes.  Everything I've seen looks really great so I am pretty confident that everything will come together in a great game.

I'm not saying I would be willing to give up my hard earned money for anything that comes along.  As someone who was new to crowdfuning I was a little hesitant--I had heard the many stories about promising games that raked in hundreds of thousands or even millions of crowdfunding dollars and then never panned out.  Would I be throwing my money away?  I was encouraged by some of Kickstarters policies that suggested that if a project didn't pan out that I would get my money back.

Overall, I think crowdfunding is risky.  There are no guarantees that whatever project you are backing will actually come to fruition.  I would be skeptical to give money to any individual or company that doesn't seem reliable.  I have been encouraged by the way that Harebrained Schemes has sent out frequent updates about how Shadowrun:  Hong Kong is progressing.  They have released videos showing production and also some pretty nifty backer perks.  This has helped reassure me that they are putting my money to good use.  I think the moral of the crowdfunding story is that you should be cautious about how you spend your money.

The finished Shadowrun:  Hong Kong is supposed to be released in August of this year.  I am hopeful that it will be even better than Shadowrun:  Dragonfall.  I also have realistic expectations and know that there will most likely be delays in production.  I try to be patient when it comes to release dates and generally do a good job, but I think there are a lot of people out there who expect games to be released EXACTLY when it's originally stated that it would be released.  What's more infuriating...a game that's released on schedule but that is filled with bugs (sometimes game breaking) or one that is released later but which plays smoothly?  I would much rather wait and have a high-quality game than a broken one that will have to be patched multiple times.