​ Crowd funding/resource allocation system.

Discussion started by iterateCGI

Hello community members,
this thread is meant to open a discussion on ideas/proposals about a resource allocation system that is particularly tailored towards the allocation of art assets for use in crowd funded projects.

The idea involves a special crowd funding system (possibly embedded in this platform) that can collect/connect resources (art assets) to crowd funded projects.

Take for example this user case (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/287489203/exoplanet-first-contact) In this case a dedicated team of independent game developers where able to create their own game engine and generate contend (including use of stock media) and made a working proof of concept to finally launch a kickstarter crowd funding campaign.

I know about this team because they purchased some of my stock media items now present in the game. The team has overcome many financial challenges so far (as most indie game developers face).

Creating a good working proof of concept is a challenge on its own and a very expensive part of the game development itself. Additionally purchasing stock media items can add to this cost significantly (potentially reducing the use of it). So imagine we would have a tool to provide this kind of teams with the recourses/assets before they get to a crowd funding round. E.g. a system that was able to connect the recourses to a team and its project, providing a team directly with the materials to make a working proof of concept that is able to be used in a crowd funded initiative.

In theory this would remove financial constraints to use stock media and give extra incentive to form teams/projects (on this kind of platform)and eventually get working concepts faster to crowd funding (making potential client base for stock media contend larger).

So how would this work?
In theory it could play out to something like this; a resource allocation system (possibly connected to CGtraders assets repository) and embedded project management and collaboration platform + a connection to a crowd funding platform, is used to form a team and start a project (can be a game, app, movie, VR experience or whatever). The platform stores a register of every step taken by any participant in the development of the project to prevent misuses of the allocated resource outside of the framework.

The tool tracks all the recourses allocated for the project and tracks the expenses made and so on,
it constantly updates the funds needed to realize the product or working concept (it basically equals shopping with delayed payment). Finally when a team has a working concept and is ready to raise the funds (and is successfully able to do so) the funds get distributed automatically to its contributors.
(Note; the asset provider gets notified for this kinds of deals and can deny participating)

when a fund raising fails, no harm done, no one gets to sell anything and no one gets to get anything to sell. But when it is successful, the artists get his royalty's/license fees + several new opportunities open up.

For example, you are now part of a successful team that is able to develop products that are able to raise funds, so the team could decide to assign you for extra custom jobs for making content or have the means to purchase more stock items from you or others.

The main goal of the tool is project management and team building and providing resources/art assets for building projects before they get to crowd funding (after all the resources are already there sitting in the repository).


So, how do you see this working in your case?
Do you think it can have an impact on how we manage and produce projects?
Do you think it can make working with stock media more attractive?

feel free to leave a comment

Answers

Posted over 8 years ago
0

Sounds like the classic chicken or egg dilemma, need success story's/cases to deliver prove to justify development of a system, also need a working system (before that prove) able to generate such cases. How to get the one before the other?

Also agree many would be reluctant (me included) to having risks of not being paid, that's why the system would need to work so well (for majority of people) so that it can survive unavoidable intrusions or bad intentions (maybe ability's to work whit insurances are possible?).

The thing is, people with bad intentions will always be there, it shouldn't be an argument against creating something. Besides, regarding security, sooner or later things get taken from the servers anyways, just like it happened on Ts , and then it gets on the dark net to collect download fees. Such things are unavoidable, but what keeps standing as a real use and value are services/interfaces that are well designed and give lots of good and easy to use tools for those hoe are willing to develop and build towards the future. It is probably also the best means to get a large and loyal user base of this type of people.

Regarding the market size, the (hypothetical) system would be something that is able to streamline how projects get done, and potentially make market bigger (more projects initiated). There is probably no way to be 100% sure (before testing) how many would make use of such system.

We can however get some statistics on how many CG related projects where launched via crowd funding (e.g. games, short animations, VR applications, apps, etc.) And then draw estimates/conclusions on how many would probably move to a same system including ability's to project manage and collect recourses before getting to the crowd funding round.
The main selling point of the system is this connection to recourses early on, making it more attractive to built projects via this system.

To close off, consider this, all things already exist but the direct links between them are missing. We have crowd funding platforms and online project management systems and large repository's of recourses, however no one has managed to marriage these three things into one good functioning whole.

Posted over 8 years ago
0

Thanks iterateCGI for the interesting idea. The biggest problem is to convince all the sellers to participate in such program. Many may be reluctant to share their assets with risk not being paid for it.

Another question is the market size for such system - we need to be sure there will be enough projects of that kind to make this system economically feasible.

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