It may not have been apparent five or six years ago, but crowdfunded campaigns today provide developers great and small with exciting new avenues for generating public interest in video game projects. Among their most powerful features are their ability to bring communities of like-minded gamers together to support a common cause, as well as the ability to give gamers a greater sense of being involved with a project’s development as they form close relationships with developers. However, some crowdfunding projects also fall short of their goals and end up disappointing fans. The University of Pennsylvania and Kickstarter collaborated on an independent study earlier this month – titled “The Kickstarter Fulfillment Report” – which delves some of the psychological underpinnings behind what makes backers satisfied on Kickstarter, and why backers feel that many projects fail to deliver what they promise.
