Quote Originally Posted by Bojay1997 View Post
While I think your points are valid, there is just no getting around the fact that there are a number of clear reasons nobody is rushing to pour money into this project. There just isn't much demand for it. As such, rather than simply ignoring all of the well articulated explanations for why people can't or won't support it at this time that have been laid out above, perhaps the OP would be well served to take a step back and see if his plan could be revised to address these concerns. Failing that, perhaps his time and efforts could be put more effectively into updating other aspects of the site that are more critical to the majority of the dwindling audience here and perhaps that could spark new interest and membership.

Kickstarter is an amazing tool, but it should never be used as a means of notifying the vast majority of a potential audience to a project. Discussions should be had before hand to determine whether something is needed or wanted long before a fund drive is put together. Frankly, it also seems very risky to distract energy and funds from the museum effort by launching a second project at exactly the same time. Perhaps someone from the team at DP could do a sticky post in one of the main forums outlining which projects or aspects of the site could use some extra help so that people with relevant skills can volunteer to take them on. I think most active users on here would be happy to contribute, but simply saying repeatedly that there is lots to do is not helpful in directing that energy.
While I understand the points you make here, I hope you'll pardon my amusement at the irony of a forum member who has personally taken the time and effort to not only volunteer his personal time to aide in the maintenance and functionality of the site (which was literally physically failing before he and others worked to help move it, evaluate the problems surrounding bugs/errors/etc. and bring it up to a level of stability) but also with the revision and further proliferation of the DP Guide (in this case bringing it to the realm of smart-phones/apps).

I get that this can easily be scoffed at by many here with the sentiment "we don't want it/we don't need it" (which seems to be a running theme lately when new projects are discussed) ... but what nz17 is doing for the community is relatively epic, even in what some consider to be a low point of on-site community activities or a time of exodus for many forum veterans.

While it may not be particularly appealing/desirable for some who have vocalized it here and elsewhere, to write it off under the assumption that nobody would use it is silly. I'm sure there are an equal number of people who would similarly be disinterested in an analog version of the guide, but that doesn't mean that one shouldn't be compiled/published on a semi-regular basis.

Furthermore, this does appear to be a well thought out project which incidentally specifically includes a level of detail on the budgetary break-down that many criticized Joe for omitting in the Museum project. And, since Kickstart is a risk-free endeavor from a pledging standpoint I see no harm whatsoever in attempting to solicit assistance from the community in this fashion. But, hey, that's just me and that's just my opinion.

And where the concept of bringing in new members in to the "community" is concerned, what's to say that the DP name being exposed to millions who may search the Android/iOS marketplaces for keyword "classic video games" won't help bring new community members into the fold?

I certainly can not argue with the fact that there are many that vocally miss the community-centric topics, contests, and activities that helped DP members bond/grow in the past, but as far as I know those were all volunteer activities/roles/duties in the past and they continue to be in the present.

Would we stand in the way of anybody who wants to run 12 days of Christmas, the Mystery Sound contest or the Zine? I don't think so ... at least I've never seen any such resistance from those who are in the position to say "Go for it!" ... so, why not just let this one play out on its own?

Even failure by way of not attaining a Kickstart funding goal shouldn't be considered a failure on all counts ... I still think that a live-update-friendly digital proliferation of the guide is a goal for the future that should not be ignored.

*shrug* I don't know...I just see somebody going above and beyond and in what seems like a trend, those efforts are questioned at best and scolded at worst by the community that the efforts seek to benefit. That's just my take on it. I'm not saying you're wrong and I'm right ... I just can't help but feel that sometimes this community is its own worst enemy.