Tuesday, August 28, 2012

The Dark Side of Kickstarter Coverage

Posted By on Tue, Aug 28, 2012 at 11:30 AM

Personally, I love Kickstarter—it and its crowdfunding brethren (IndieGoGo, RocketShare, GoFundMe, et. al.) are a fantastic way for worthwhile projects (such as those featured on The Range) to get off the ground while allowing for donors/backers/investors to feel as if they're part of the company's growth without mortgaging their lives.

But this story from Ben Kuchera at the Penny Arcade Report, a video gaming-centric blog, reveals a more cynical side to crowdfunding.

Eli Hodapp is the editor in chief of Touch Arcade, and he expressed skepticism of the viability of the Republique Kickstarter. This turned into a Twitter conversation with some heated arguments on both sides, and some rather snide comments from everyone involved, which led to a thread being opened on the NeoGAF gaming forum. Soon, things began to get ugly.

. . .

He claimed his personal information was shared on the site, and the harassment began in earnest. He said that his parents would come home to threatening messages on their voice mail. “Just calling to let you know your son is a fucking faggot,” one particularly pleasant message stated. There was an organized attempt to have him fired from TouchArcade.

“This guy better watch himself - he is starting to piss some people off that actually post here & enjoy NeoGaf whom are a part of the development community - myself included,” one poster stated. “That is not a professional way to demonstrate your thoughts on a project and dismiss readers publicly on twitter of the website. Might want to watch out for some people here that know who really control Touch Arcade’s fate and advertising revenue…"

For more, including the author's story on being offered what he felt was a bribe in exchange for media coverage, click on through to the Penny Arcade Report.

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