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Kickstarter does NOTHING to protect backers of MMO.
Kiyoris
Member RarePosts: 2,130
Loko posted this. But it belong in the MMO forums.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/595964448/pirates-onlineworking-title
-This person has been allowed to ask $120,000
-He has nothing to show for. Doesn't use his full name, just "Tom".
-He STOLE the picture from someone else.
-It's been up for 20 days, in that time, Kickstarer has done nothing.
People have asked Kickstarter to take this project down, they have done didly squat.
This is why I never back Kickstarter projects. As long as backers get no protection, this site is a scam.
Some people might say "Oh but he hasn't made any money yet". That doesn't make it any less of a scam, the mere fact Kickstarter doesn't do anything to stop this, doesn't check at all who is on their site and does nothing to protect their backers, speaks volumes about how horrible that site is.
Comments
Are you saying it's ok to scam people and steal someone else's picture because he hasn't made any money yet?
Are you saying Kickstarter has no obligation to protect people before they hand over money?
This project should have never been allowed to be posted in the first place.
It is the 200th example of Kickstarter not protecting backers.
Let me use that example and use it for a costlier object like a car.
You go to a car dealer, you buy a $40,000 car.
The car dealership never gives you the car.
You go to the cops...instead of the cops doing something about it......the cops tell you....
"I prefer to live in a society where we're given the freedom to choose for ourselves whether make those decisions. "
You're telling me that is a good society?
Research anything you put money in before, it is just that simple.
And heck, in some cases it might be worth the dream to put $10 into something too good to be true (yeah, things that sounds to good to be true usually are).
If a kickstarter game have zero programmers with any experience at all it will fail. If someone you know is competent it might be worth a donation.
And if Brad MqQuaid is involved, check so someone else is managing the money. And preferably that he have a good lead programmer as well. Brad is great with ideas but suck on managing cash, if SIGIL had someone good with money managing the economy and a good lead programmer then Vanguard would have been huge.
There is actually a fun South park episode about kickstarter and not so serious projects.
More news at 11.
I thought everyone knew this by now, crowdfunding is essentially a donation, not even an investment. If you got burned, there isn't much you can do.
Yes it is a good society to let the people have the freedom to do what they want. Maybe some people are dumb and they spend all their money on kickstarters and get burned, they become homeless and never have kids. Humanity progresses.
Kickstarter is not buying a product, if you donate money to a car dealership they are under no obligation to give you a car for your donation.
I worded this very poorly and I apologize.
Waiting for:
The Repopulation
Albion Online
Oh boy, I have read some stupid stuff over the years on the internet.
But I've never seen anyone protect scammers by claiming people who get scammed and become "homeless" have only themselves to blame.
Claiming scamming people "progresses humanity" is just icing on the cake.
No, but here we are talking about voluntary donations and people do know there are some risk involved. For every Occulus there are a 99 projects that will fail.
If you research the people involved will help you calcute the risk down a lot, Carmack is a better person to bet money on than "Tom" and that is why he got more than he wanted within a day while Tom gets zero.
Sure, kickstarter should filter away the worst ones but you really should be careful with your money anyways.
Because poor people tend to have less kids than well educated people?
Sorry, I don't follow your logic there.
We live in a society where greed and bad behavior are not only rewarded, but it is something to aspire to. They hope to be and defend the people doing the screwing, but you can bet they'll be the first to whine when they inevitably become the screwed.
Being homeless isn't a joke nor does human suffering progress humanity.
You can't have individual responsibility if every individual isn't held responsible. I have never understood the false logic that it's only the giver's fault and not the taker's.
Whereas I do agree Kickstarter should do some amount of looking into the legitimacy of projects, the people whom are deciding to put money toward those potential projects, should also know enough to look into them. The benefit of Kickstarter is the millions of people it allows, the legitimate entrepreneurs with legitimate projects, to market to and gain support from. It is kind of a catch twenty two on one side of it, but it is also a very new service concept, relatively speaking. In the coming years and even decades, it will be refined.
This is almost the same as United States government members making negative statements about the United Nations as a general concept over a decade ago. Whereas it would have been fine to question the individuals and even the formalities involved, the concept in general of the United Nations is an ultimate must have in a civilization. I happen to live in the United States myself, in case anyone wanted to try and jump on that.
Ultimately, the overall concept of Kickstarter is a must have also, but the individuals and-or formalities likely need refining.
Your original post was just as dumb, perhaps howbad was trying to fight stupid with stupid? :P
How to participate in a Kickstarter:
1. Consider how much you wish to invest.
2. Withdraw said amount from a cash machine.
3. Stack up the bills in a tidy stack and wrap with a rubber band or equivalent device.
4. Get a hand held cigarette lighter.
5. Light the stack of bills on fire.
6. Watch as the bills slowly turn to ashes.
7. Rinse and repeat.
If you are okay with the above, you are qualified to donate money to a Kickstarter. If you are not okay with the above, you are not qualified to donate money to a Kickstarter. In other words, never donate anything you can't afford to lose. Have zero expectations once you have made a donation. It is after all, a donation, not a loan. You gave your money away. No one hijacked your car, kidnapped your dog, or threatened to put nude photos of you on Facebook.
Did you ever think of maybe not putting money into a game (pre alpha/Kickstarter/an idea for a game/early alpha/early access or whatever else they want to call it) until it was finished?
I know... ancient concept and hard to imagine. Wait for the game to launch before you put money into it or.... let others do what they want with their money.
The best item I have backed on Kickstarter is the Crabby Wallet.. The best darn wallet ever created.
Another example of a poor kickstarter.. The Stomping Ground received 144k. The guy released a " game " so kickstarter cant do anything AND it was also on Steam Early Access where it sold even more copies ( I havent even looked if it was still there. I think it isnt ) only for the dev to go dark and run off with the money no doubt a millionaire now.
"About this project
I am need of funds to pay for a team that will develop this game."
Think those lines alone already "protect" the consumer simply because of the fact the is no info on the project...
People are just throwing around different concepts that have nothing to do with this. These aren't donations, they're not going to a charitable cause.
It's an investment in a game, and as many articles have rightly pointed out, the problem with Kickstarter is that the investor is far too vulnerable and doesn't have the right resources and means to protect themselves because Kickstarter puts all the risks onto the investor.
Banks work exactly the other way around, the bank protects itself when they lend people money, they will use legal means to come after you if you don't give a return on their loan.
Thats not even a valid example.
The fact is he is asking 120k. If someone donates 10 dollars. And thats all that gets put in, then the guy didnt lose 10 dollars. It only gets paid if he reaches the 120k. The protection comes form people making smart choices with their money. If a bunch a people get to that kickstart and think "Hey this is awesome" and donate 120k, ill be surprised. Regardless, kickstarter is a medium for people to post ideas in a centralized locale. If people donate 120k to this guy, thats not kickstarters fault, thats your fault. It even states it in the FAQs. Which in my experience people dont read. I mean how stupid can a person get to not read things on a website your trying to get involved with.
"Kickstarter does not guarantee projects or investigate a creator's ability to complete their project. On Kickstarter, backers (you!) ultimately decide the validity and worthiness of a project by whether they decide to fund it. "
BAM right there. Easy to read. Easy to find.
By its nature, Kickstarter isn't a guarantee of anything. Inherently you have to believe the person has the intent of delivering on it's promise. As a general rule, these aren't large, well established companies. They are mostly indi type people/companies who have big dreams.
To think otherwise is naive. If you don't accept the risk, you shouldn't get involved. No difference with stocks.
The only thing you can do, is do as much research as you can and make an informed decision.
I self identify as a monkey.
I don't think Kickstarter as a whole and as an idea is bad, but if the company does not take the time to sift through the people posting false claims and make them responsible for what they are posting then the quality will dwindle and the amount of people willing to back anything on the site will drop drastically.
I personally have not found much that I was willing to support through the site. I feel if you want me to take the place of actual investors then I should also have an opportunity to reap rewards for investing in the project. I really don't care about virtual in game items.... show me the money.
You are too late, he already kickstarted Godus...released it on mobile and recently told PC players to screw it.
Saying that, on Kickstarter are not pre-orders, unlike what some people are thinking. If you don't think the project will come to light, do not risk your money.