Paper or plastic?
Lately I’ve been thinking of publication formats. Riveting, I know…
But seriously, over the past year or two, I’ve noticed a definite change in how and what I purchase. Since I bought my tablet, I’d estimate (with great accuracy and not a drop of hyperbole…) that my paper book purchases have dropped on the order of eleventy-thousand percent. When my wife brought a second tablet home that more or less cinched the deal. We’ve basically become a digital household.
Now, that isn’t to say that we don’t buy any paper books, but we’ve definitely transitioned many of our book purchases to digital formats. And while I’m pretty happy with that decision, I am a bit torn. Read below the fold to find out why (and my laundry list of exceptions).
There and Back Again
I saw the Hobbit this weekend; I liked it more than I thought I would, and I give it 11 of 14 members of Oaken Shield’s party. Originally I worried that the artificial lengthening of it into three parts would result in a diluted experience in the search for more money; I am pleased to say that couldn’t be farther from the truth. To discuss it in any further details would be to deal in spoilers, and we don’t do that here. No, today I wanted to talk about something else, related to my recent theater experience: trailers.
Let’s get into it, shall we?
The Strange Ecology of Kickstarter
Kickstarter, as a marketplace, is constantly changing and evolving. I really believe that. Sure, you get some memes that seem to stick around forever: custom card decks and retro video game remakes for example, but on the whole, new categories and ideas are coming to the crowd from every direction.
Today I found an example of a project that really shows how dynamic the whole scene is: a project that exists so it’s creator can get enough enough money to pay for a reward tier on another active project.
Intrigued? Me too.
Quality Control
Some of my regular readers have started sending me email with links to Kickstarter projects that I might be interested in writing about – a trend I definitely want to encourage; if you see a project that is awesome or terrible, I want to know about it.
This week I have gotten a couple of doozies. In general, I am content to leave bad projects alone, content in the certainty that the crowd will see the same flaws I do, and it will not be funded. I mean, if you want to raise, say – $20,000 to interview thin attractive women and develop a book to encourage young girls not give in to peer pressure and pack on a few pounds, then that’s your right, because “if it just makes it into the hands of ONE little girl who feels like she has to be overweight to fit in with the current 70% of the overweight population of America, and it gives her the strength to know that being healthy isn’t a bad thing.”
Me? I would consider paying her to take that project down, because I find it appalling but she is well within the terms of use, so she gets to use the site just like everyone else. What gets me annoyed is when projects are breaking the rules of the site.
Well, this week there is another one of those – let’s take a look.
I’m a Backer: Meriwether – An American Epic
Kickstarter really does seem to go in streaks. For weeks the only things that catch my eye are board games or comic books. Then one day, by unspoken agreement everyone agrees to take a break from tempting projects in that vein, and move on to area of temptation. As any regular reader of this blog knows, the last couple weeks this area has been video games. Even some of the video games I am opting not to back (because no matter how great Populus was, professional designers don’t need my money) are looking really great.
This week The one hat caught my eye: Meriwether – An American Epic. Anyone who fondly remembers the only educational game worth remembering, Oregon Trail, is definitely going to need to see this. Anyone with a taste for eurogames or RPGs in general is also going to want to take a look.
Into the Shadows
Thanks to the promise of a new online “table top” game with some friends, I’ve been spending some time getting reacquainted with one of my very favorite pen and paper RPGs, Shadowrun. I’vebeen a fan of Shadowrun for a long time. A loooong time. It was the second pen and paper I ever played (what seems like ages ago) and it was extremely influential in shaping what I think is nerd-cool.
With the success of the Shadowrun Returns Kickstarter campaign, the game is back on a lot of people’s radars. I thought I’d use that opportunity to share why its been one of my favorite games for the better part of twenty years.
Delayed Gratification
It finally happened. Kickstarter finally became more than a place where I would send my disposable income to die.
On Friday I got my first physical reward from a project. Up to this point, I have received several digital rewards from projects I have backed, by my sweet sweet swag had yet to cross the line into the real world. At last count I have received three digital novels, four digital comic books, and one video game. Each of these projects was very easy on the pocket book, and as on the whole, very fulfilling. They were still intangible though.
That all changes today, thanks to Fangamer’s Retroware.
This Page Intentionally Left Blank
Do to the overwhelming feedback from last weekend’s post. We will now only be posting on this blog Monday through Friday. This will, of course, give me a chance to relax and enjoy life; I might even stop to smell a rose or two.
Who am I kidding – I’ll almost certainly devote the time I would have spent writing to other constructive tasks (after I finish X-Com of course.) I hope all of you have a great weekend though.
I’ve already got some great ideas for topics I want to talk about next week, but if anyone has any suggestions – I’d love to hear them!
Impulse buying
The funniest thing I’ve ever read about Kickstarter was that it was like QVC for hipsters. Though I don’t think that’s completely true, it is on the mark enough to generate a chuckle or two. Just like an actual shopping network though, it is very easy for you to spend far more money than you ever intended.
It’s like going grocery shopping when you are hungry: you shouldn’t do it.
The other day I found out just how much money I have spent through Kickstarter (thank you Mint.com.) Though I am not yet willing to share that figure, let’s just say that I found it to be surprisingly, but not shockingly large. Backing a few projects a month really adds up after a while, and though I knew I had some impulse buying tendencies, I suppose I should have been more vigilant in this new commercial arena.
Tips on how to check yo’self before you wreck yo’self? Follow me.
Life on the Pacific Rim
I love movies—but more that that, I love getting excited about movies. Some of my fondest, geekiest memories are of hanging out near the front of the line wrapping around the multiplex, waiting to be let into the midnight show. Sitting in that seat when the lights dim and the opening score begins to swell is pretty sweet (and sometimes emotional—I’m talking tears. Like when the John Williams’ resounding fanfare kicked off The Phantom Menace. The tears that flowed two hours later were for a totally different reason. Fucking Jar Jar…)
But the sweetness of being in the seat sometimes pales to the delight of anticipation. The weeks of conversations that preceded each of the Matrix sequels were intense, deep, and hopeful. We’d spin what-ifs and scrutinize every line of dialog for clues to what was sure to happen in the next film. Sometimes a movie delivered, and sometimes the expectations we set were too high to reach (for instance: the damn Matrix sequels). The conversations, though? They always delivered the goods.
Caffeineforge 