作者：Chelsea Larson-Andrews

除非你过去几个月隐居山林，否则你定听说过最近的Kickstarter现象，Tim Schafer携手其Double Fine团队及2 Player Productions推出的《Double Fine Adventure》项目。我非常幸运，能够同GDC 2012 IGDA学者一同在旧金山采访Double Fine的Tim Schafer。Tim大方谈论《Adventure》项目及成功秘诀——宣传内容。

Tim Schafer xerox from gamasutra.com

在谈论宣传秘诀前，先来看看项目的相关背景知识。Double Fine和2 Player Productions通过Kickstarter给工作室的一款传统点击游戏《Adventure》及记录游戏开发过程的视频系列筹集资金。他们清楚自己无法从发行商那获得《Adventure》项目融资，Tim表示，“所以我们直接投靠粉丝”。

Tim接着表示称，“我们的目标是融资40万美元。30万美元用于开发游戏，10万美元用于制作记录片。我们第一天晚上就达到自己的目标。”他们不仅达到自己的目标，还在第一天就筹得100万美元。他们最终给项目筹得333.6371万美元资金，成为Kickstarter迄今最为成功的融资项目。

Funding from gamasutra.com

他们如何筹得高出预期目标300万美元的开发资金？他们通过发动冒险游戏粉丝乐于参与的活动。通过在Kickstarter宣传造势，他们说服用户项目不仅会真正落实到位，还将立即付诸实践。通过宣传内容，他们说服用户Double Fine和2 Player Productions是唯一专注于该游戏开发的团队。他们还告知用户这不只是个项目，还是个聚集粉丝的活动，粉丝需要成为其中的一份子。

宣传材料中的内容

Tim表示，“就如大家经常说的，优秀的宣传内容就是个动人的故事。”最终，能否成功获得游戏融资（游戏邦注：或通过发行商，或通过大众集资）归根到底取决于是否叙述动人故事，赢得玩家支持。从Tim的谈话中我发现，制作优秀的宣传材料存在5个要诀。他表示，“具备所有这些要素后，游戏就只剩最终的开发工作。你是否想要协助项目，给其提供资金？就是诸如此类的宣传文字。”

那制作高效宣传材料的5点要诀是什么？

1. 陈述制作游戏的理由

无论你的项目构思是什么，向潜在支持者清晰陈述项目如何填补空白及值得他们进行投资非常重要。

《Adventure》就是个非常典型的例子。Tim在宣传视频中表示，多年来粉丝一直希望Double Fine能够推出一款冒险游戏。需求已经形成。此外，记录片的视角非常独特。没有人制作过完整呈现游戏制作过程的公开纪录片（“片子记录整个开发过程，包括其中的热情追逐、趣事和辛酸”）。对游戏爱好者来说，记录片角度非常吸引眼球。

Tim承认，“若我现在立即投奔发行商，寻求资金援助，他们定会当面嘲笑我。”所以他们想，“不妨通过Kickstarter筹集游戏资金。”这不是随便的一款游戏，而是粉丝能够在开发过程中直接查看，进行“协作”的冒险游戏。落实这一项目的直接方式是从粉丝那筹资，Tim表示“所以这是个非常不错的故事”。这是向粉丝呈现期望内容，让他们成为其中一份子的绝佳机会。这也带来完美故事风潮。

2. 证明为什么游戏需要按照特定方式进行制作

你将如何制作游戏，什么促使你的方式别具一格？

就《Adventure》项目来说，合作元素给游戏的开发过程创造独特视角。《Adventure》Kickstarter页面显示，“将成立专门的在线支持者社区，供他们谈论项目开发工作，提交有关游戏内容和方向的想法和感受，有时甚至是投票决定开发团队无法决定的内容。”这不仅是个项目，而且是个能够让你参与至项目之中的活动，而历险类游戏粉丝此前从未享有过这样的机会，未来也很难再有这样的机会。这是非常独特的想法。

3. 证明团队是唯一能够制作出这款游戏的人员

你将呈现什么内容？你们为什么是能够将自己的想法以前所未有的方式落实到位的唯一团队？

这点《Adventure》就表现得非常明显，因为冒险游戏题材的创始人Ron Gilbert是Double Fine团队的一员。再者，整个Double Fine团队技术实力雄厚，是由业内若干杰出美工、设计师和程序员组成的。他们不会让粉丝失望。他们是整个项目的制胜法宝。

4. 证明为什么游戏现在投入制作非常重要

为什么你的项目此时需要获得融资，宣传内容是否有突出紧迫感？你需要把握适当角度，将其体现在宣传内容中。换而言之，要积极呼吁大家采取行动。

在宣传视频中，Tim表示，“冒险游戏是遭到忽略的艺术形式。”Kickstarter文本通过下列言语进一步突出复兴这一题材的紧迫性：“爱好冒险游戏的粉丝们，现在是你们向世人说明这一令我们倍受启发的游戏题材依然存在市场的绝佳机会。”虽然语言颇为委婉，但其无疑传递出立即制作这款游戏的紧迫性。此外，纪录片的角度独特，和以往的宣传视频截然不同——让我们制作这款游戏，立即投入制作中。

5. 证明这不仅只是款游戏，这是个颇具意义的活动，粉丝需要参与其中

你能够向粉丝呈现什么，回馈他们的时间和资金支持？这必须是有价值的东西（游戏邦注：或有形，或抽象）。

在《Adventure》项目中，这无疑是最深刻的元素。开发者许诺的奖品非常不错，很玩家都支持项目，将此当做是预先购买《Adventure》成品。但参与的包容性是项目的特色所在——一个让粉丝成为其中一份子的活动。“加入Tim成为创新冒险游戏体验的一份子”是宣传视频的综合概括。让支持者观看每月更新视频系列及在游戏开发中进行合作，在冒险游戏粉丝看来是意义非凡的奖励。

此外，有形奖品也颇具个性化色彩。Kickstarter页面显示，“对于那些想要多多贡献自身力量的粉丝，我们提供系列付费奖品选择，小到特色海报，大到原始概念创作图，甚至还有游戏美工给粉丝绘制的迷你画像。”

Concept Art Prize Examples from gamasutra.com

就如页面所述，“这是款瞄准冒险游戏粉丝的游戏，游戏由他们资助，由他们完成。”这无疑是个非常特别的活动，而不仅仅是个需要资金的游戏项目。

历史重演

Tim Schafer Money from gamasutra.com

那么Tim，你觉得这一成功能否再现？或者更进一步，你觉得若独立团队不像Double Fine那样颇具名气，能否在大众集资平台获得类似成绩？完全可以，他表示。Tim表示，“我觉得这完全具有可能性。”这和名气无关，重点在于要在恰当时机呈现适当构思——需要体现上述所有要素。最重要的是，你可以通过宣传资料传递这些内容。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

Tim Schafer’s Top 5 Pitch Tips for Kickstarter Success

by Chelsea Larson-Andrews

Unless you’ve been living under a rock the last couple of months, you’ve probably heard about the recent Kickstarter phenomenon, the Adventure project, launched by Tim Schafer and his Double Fine team along with 2 Player Productions. I was lucky enough to attend an exclusive presentation and Q&A with Tim Schafer at the Double Fine studio in San Francisco along with the GDC 2012 IGDA Scholars. It was there we listened to Tim candidly discuss the Adventure Kickstarter project and the special ingredient to its success, the pitch.

Before I jump into his pitch advice, here’s a little background on the project (in case you do, in fact, live under a rock). Double Fine and 2 Player Productions turned to Kickstarter to fund a point-and-click old-school Adventure game, as well as a video series that documents every step of the development process. They knew they couldn’t get publishers to fund the Adventure project, “so we went directly to the fans,” says Tim.

“We asked for $400,000. $300,000 for the game and $100,000 for the documentary,” Tim continues to note. “We ended up hitting our goal in the first night.” Not only did they hit their goal, they reached $1,000,000 in backer support the first day. They closed out the project receiving a total of $3,336,371, making Kickstarter history as the most well-funded project ever.

How did they exceed their goal by nearly $3,000,000? They did it by creating an event, a movement that all adventure game fans wanted to be a part of. Through the Kickstarter pitch they convinced people that this project must not only be made, but it must be made NOW. Through the pitch they convinced people that Double Fine and 2 Player Productions were the ONLY teams for the job. They also convinced people that if this was not just a project, but an event that called upon the fans – fans NEEDED to be a part of this.

What’s In A Pitch?

“Like they always say, a good pitch is a good story,” explains Tim. In the end, the success of getting your game funded, either through a publisher or through crowdfunding, boils down to telling a great story to inspire support. As I listened to Tim talk it became clear that there are 5 key tips, or “forces” as he referred to them, to crafting the perfect pitch. “All of these forces come together and this game just has to be made,” he states. “Do you want to be the people that benefit it and pay for it? A pitch is like that,” Tim concludes.

So, what are the 5 forces to creating an effective pitch? Without further adieu, here is advice for creating the perfect pitch, courtesy of Tim Schafer:

1. Prove why the game has to be made.

No matter what your project idea is, you need to make sure it’s clear to potential backers why your project fills a void and is significant enough for them to fund it.

The Adventure example is an easy one to examine within this context. Tim explains in the pitch video that for years fans have been asking Double Fine to make an adventure game. Demand is proven. Further, the documentary aspect is a unique angle. No one has ever created a fully transparent documentary that shows the game development process “from start to finish, with all the passion, humor, and heartbreak that happens along the way.” For game lovers, the documentary angle is really compelling.

Tim admits that “If I were to go to a publisher right now and ask for funding they’d laugh in my face.” So they thought, “let’s just use Kickstarter to fund the game!” Not just any game, but an adventure game where the fans can literally view and “collaborate” throughout the development process. The only way to bring this project into existence was to have the fans fund it, “so it was a good story” says Tim. It was the perfect opportunity to give the fans something they wanted AND allow them the chance to be a integral part in it. It was the perfect storm for a perfect story.

2. Prove why the game has to be made in a certain way.

How are you going to make the game and what makes your approach unique?

For the Adventure project, the collaboration aspect adds an extremely unique angle to the game’s development process. The Adventure Kickstarter page explains that “There will be a private online community set up for the backers to discuss the project with the devs and submit their thoughts and feelings about the game’s content and direction, sometimes even voting on decisions when the dev team can’t decide.” This is not just a project, but an event in which you can participate in a way that never has, and may never again, be available to adventure fans. This is something unique.

3. Prove why your team is the one-and-only team to make it.

What do you bring to the table? Why are you the unique team to bring your vision to life in a way that no one else can?

This is easily exemplified by the Adventure project because the man that invented the Adventure game genre, Ron Gilbert (Maniac Mansion, The Secret of Monkey Island), is part of the Double Fine team. To boot, the entire Double Fine team is extremely skilled, comprised of some of the most talented artists, designers and programmers in the industry. They will not let fans down. They’re an ace in the hole for this project.

4. Prove why it’s critical the game is made now.

Is there a sense of urgency in why your project needs to get funded right now? You need to determine that angle and play it up in your pitch. In other words, develop a strong call-to-action.

In the pitch video Tim explains that “adventure games are a bit of a lost art form.” The Kickstarter text further illustrates the urgency of resurrecting the genre by stating “For fans of adventure games, this is a chance to prove that there is still a large demand out there for a unique medium that inspired so many of us.” Albeit subtle, the pitch definitely relays a sense of urgency in creating this game now. Additionally, the documentary bolsters the angle as it suggests nothing like this has ever been documented before – let’s do this and let’s do it now!

5. Prove that it’s more than game, it’s a significant event and fans need to be a part of it.

What can you offer to fans in return for their time and monetary support? It needs to be something of significant value, either tangible or abstract.

For the Adventure project, this is perhaps the most profound element. The pledge prizes are awesome and a lot of people probably backed the project just as a way to pre-pay for the finished Adventure game. The inclusiveness of participating however, really made the project special – a movement fans were called upon to be a part of. “Join Tim on his revolutionary adventure and become part of the experience” is the text that concludes the pitch video. The ability for backers to watch the monthly update video series and collaborate in the development of the game are priceless prizes in the eyes of many adventure fans.

The tangible prizes are also personalized. The Kickstarter page explains that “For anyone who wants to contribute above and beyond the call, we have a selection of premium rewards ranging from…unique posters, to original concept art, and even a mini painting of yourself done by the game’s artist!”

As the page describes, it’s an “adventure game for adventure fans, funded by adventure fans, developed by adventure fans.” There’s no denying this is a unique event happening, not just a game that needs a hand out.

History Repeating

So Tim, do you think this mega success can be repeated? Further, do you think indie teams without the fame of Double Fine can have as much success on crowdfunding platforms? Yes, he does. “I definitely think it can be done again,” states Tim. It’s not all about fame, it’s about having the right idea at the right time – all of the forces need to come together. Most importantly, you need to communicate this through your pitch. May the five forces be with you.（Source：gamasutra）