Last week we launched our new game Whotchilli on Kickstarter and we’ve been asking followers on social media to support us but so many people in the UK have said that they don’t know what Kickstarter is or how it works so I thought I’d give you the basics:-
Who are Kickstarter?
Kickstarter is a global crowdfunding platform based in the USA and they state that they “help people bring their creative ideas to life”. They started in the US and the big success stories have all come from the USA – wouldn’t it be great if we had a few UK ones to match?
What do Kickstarter do?
Basically they feature creative projects – games, music, art etc and they ask ordinary people to back these ideas to try and raise the finance (a funding goal) to physically complete the project and get it launched. In our case – our project is our brand new spicy card game Whotchilli – can you beat the heat? and we’re trying to raise £10,000 to launch the new game.
What are Backers?
Backers are folks who pledge money to help bring these specific projects to life. The majority of initial funding usually comes from the fans and friends of each project. If they like it, they’ll hopefully spread the word to their friends, and so on. Millions of people visit Kickstarter every week – mostly in the US but we’re hoping that friends and fans of our existing games PLYT and NumBugz, worldwide will support us 🙂
Why do people back projects?
Many backers are rallying around their friends’ projects. Some are supporting a new effort from someone they’ve long admired. Some are just inspired by a new idea, while others are motivated to pledge by a project’s rewards.
What do Backers get in return?
Backers that support a project on Kickstarter help that project come to life and they also get to choose from a variety of unique rewards offered by the project creator. The Whotchilli rewards are a our chance to share a piece of our new game with our fabulous backers. So for example you can pledge for one of the first ever copies of Whotchilli, a signed copy or even a unique game (Hotaboo) that is only available through Kickstarter and is played with PLYT and Whotchilli. Our backers will always get something back from their pledge IF the funding goal is reached – it’s not a case of money for nothing!
Is it safe to back a project on Kickstarter?
Make sure that you are happy with the creators of the project and checkout their credentials/website etc – our past record of producing games that are tested, endorsed and award winning hopefully gives you confidence in PLYT. Ian and I will honestly produce this game to the highest standards possible – just because we’re a bit passionate about providing quality family games that last a lifetime. However there are some projects that have failed to deliver so always make sure you’re happy with the creators.
How do I back a project?
To pledge to a project, first you’ll need to create and/or log into your Kickstarter account. Then just click the green “Back This Project” button on the campaign page. Hopefully on the Whotchilli page!
Next, select the reward you’d like to receive and your pledge amount will automatically populate.
If you don’t want a certain reward, select “No thanks, I just want to help the project” and enter your desired pledge amount.
After selecting “Continue,” you’ll move on to confirm your payment details – you’ll need to enter your credit card details manually to be able to pledge.
Lastly, click the “Pledge” button and you’ll be all set! You should receive a confirmation email within moments of completing your pledge.
How secure is it to pledge on Kickstarter?
Kickstarter have recently partnered with Stripe to make launching and backing projects easier. Stripe meets and exceeds the most stringent industry standards for security. Kickstarter does not store full credit card numbers, but instead, only the last four digits and expiration date. Saving your payment details for future use is entirely optional.
When is my card charged?
If the project you’re backing is successfully funded within its timeframe, your card will be charged when the project reaches its funding deadline. If the project does not reach its funding goal, your card is never charged.
So you will not be charged for your pledge to Whotchilli unless we meet our £10,000 target – fingers crossed!
Is my pledge amount publicly displayed?
No. The amount of your pledge and the reward selected are never publicly displayed.
OK so how do I back Whotchilli?
Just go onto our Kickstarter Whotchilli project here , sign up, choose your reward and pledge your support.
