This is a guest post by Marina of Kicktops.com, “A Hand-picked Selection Of The Best Kickstarter Products.”
This is the first of a series of lists discussing Kickstarter projects that have been funded in 5 days or less. The idea is only to choose the most-quickly-funded ones that I find most interesting, and bring them to you.
At first, it may seem redundant to promote the over-promoted or to discuss the popular, successful projects, that — you would think — don’t need more help. This is not what’s going on here. We’re here to give you a glimpse of what is currently popular on Kickstarter, both inspire you and motivate you to get up off your butt, stop kicking around those project ideas in your head, and take some action!
Whether it’s playing cards, comics, video games, or technological innovations, you can take advantage of this new crowdfunding revolution, where anyone can raise funds and build up a following. You just need to be willing to work hard and relentlessly pursue the continual refinement and improvement of your project idea.
We’re here to give you a snapshot of what is currently trending on Kickstarter. These creators are ordinary individuals, just like you and me, some with full-time jobs and families. If they can juggle responsibilities, set deadlines, execute on their goals, and succeed, so can you!
Check out our list below, leave a comment letting us know what you think, and don’t forget to read through our thoughts on the state of Kickstarter at the end of this list.
10. A History of the Great Empires of Eve Online [Books > Journalism]
Creator: Andrew Groen
I’m impressed at this feat every time I think about it. Eve Online is a MMO sci-fi RPG that has been going on for more than ten years. And, for more than ten years, players have been developing and creating the history of that imaginary universe. This book, seeks to compile all the history, economy, culture of that fictional universe, as if it were some-place real. The project was funded in less than 8 hours.
9. Pocket Odyssey [Games > Tabletop Games]
Creator: Anthony Sato
This micro-RPG can (as you may have already suspected) fits in your pocket. It is a hybrid between an old school role-playing game and a board game, with heroes versus monsters, quests, and one player being the story teller. But mostly, it’s light and uncomplicated, for all kinds of players—not only RPG fans. And don’t let the size fool you, it has 90-120 minutes of playime! It hit its funding goal within the first two days.
8. Codemancer [Games > Video Games]
Creator: Robert Lockhart
Funded in its first 3 days, this is a video game about making video games. Although it is designed for 9-14 year olds, it could be a nice useful way for anybody to learn coding. Set in a fantasy world with food and evil wizards, the players control Aurora in her quest to find her father. However, instead of spells, you will use so-called runes, which are nothing else than Python and Javascript orders.
7. Baman Piderman [Film & Video > Animation]
Creators: Lindsay and Alex Small-Butera
In their own words, “a unique animated labor of love that has been weirding people out since 2008”. They achieved their 50k goal in less than two days. The webseries about two best friends — eponymous Baman and Piderman. The series got cut off during the second season and this campaign asked for funding for the last 5 episodes. Apart from great fans, they also have some really nice merchandising.
6. SUPERHOT [Games > Video Games]
Creator: SUPERHOT Team
You to have seen this, because it’s been on the Kickstater homepage since it came out (more or less), and it was funded in the first day. The key to its success, I think, is that I simply can’t imagine how great it must be to play it — and therefore, I really want to try it! That’s originality for you. A first-person shooter with really simple (but cool) aesthetics of which its whole premise is based on the idea that time stops when you stop.
5. LIX [Technology > 3D Printing]
Creator: LIX
The smallest 3D pen ever, that does not even require paper. The pen lets you doodle in the air and create 3D objects. We would have never believed that this could be possible, say, 10 years ago. Most of its backers seemed to be backing it out of curiosity (as I would), but there’s also some professional uses you could give to it, including: fashion accessories, home decor, prototypes, sculptures…
4. The Goonies Bicycle Playing Cards [Games > Playing Cards]
The thing with The Goonies is not only that it’s a really good and entreating cult film, but that so many people relate it to their own lives and their own childhoods. It’s probably my generation who is backing this playing deck of cards on KS, because it comes with a really nice sense of nostalgia. The cards themselves, though, are very cool, and the illustrations are great. Plus, playing cards are one of the most popular projects in KS. A combination of all this is why it got funded in less than 6 hours.
3. Cuttings: A Johnny Wander Collection [Comics]
Creator: Johnny Wander
Johnny Wander is not a person (I think not), but a website. This anthology collects all the comics published there. The comics are the work of two artists and they’re both amazingly good. Their stories touch all kinds of subjects as well, so it’s not surprising they got funded in a day. (Can’t wait to have it on my hands.)
2. Thebes [Games > Tabletop Games]
Creator: Queen Games
Kickstarter has revived in me the love for tabletop games, and it is games like this one that make you want to spend, first your money, and then your afternoons invested in this game. There is strategy, resource-management, and some really nice competition in a game that expands for 2-3 years on the lives of treasure-hunting archaeologists. Not only that, but the game comes with a supplementary card game. It is really a bargain. And yep, funded within the same day as launch.
1. SCiO: Your Sixth Sense [Technology > Hardware]
Creator: Consumer Physics, Inc.
This is one of those projects that changes everything. I’m not sure how I would use it (not sure I would stop using it either), but I cannot help but admire it and want it nonetheless. As if extracted from a sci-fi film, SCiO is a really small device that can scan anything and deliver the data to your phone. What kind of data? Well, from the nutritional facts of a food, to the chemical elements of a medicine, to the well-being of your plants. And they’re in their way of reaching 2 million dollars also, in case you weren’t impressed.
Our Thoughts
There are, I would argue, three main types of really-really (like really-really) successful projects.
First, we have the technological innovations. It says something of the current state of our society / economy that some of the most creative, most original, technological advances are being crowfunded on Kickstarter—instead of by big corporations. (Looking forward to the day crowdfunding brings us medical research and pharmacology.) These kind of projects aim big, have the press on their side, and usually make it to the general public.
Second, we have projects that make it fast because they’re realists, or maybe even pessimists. That’s because creators set goals that they think they can reach — because either they do, or they don’t get any money at all. Not only that, but some projects are not really that expensive to produce — and the goal of many of their creators is not to make a profit, but to produce something they’re passionate about. And I think that’s beautiful, and quite nice when they get more than what they asked for.
Third, there are the niche market projects. There are some hugely-popular trends on the internet that go unnoticed to the rest of the public, aren’t there? You may have never heard of X, but its fans are a legion and are crazy about it. That’s what goes on with these projects. Sure, 95% of Kickstarter users see a project like that and go “huh?”, but the other 5% will back $20, $100, and give away their first born child to see the campaign funded. That could also include, of course, not-so-nice but extremely fan-based projects, that are not all that unknown, but that do survive thanks to a very specific sector of the public (see Veronica Mars).
We look forward to covering more projects on Kickstarter that experience remarkable growth and invite you to leave your thoughts and comments below.
This article was written by Marina of Kicktops.com, “A Hand-picked Selection Of The Best Kickstarter Products.”
