How’d you like to pick which projects and events occur before they make it off the launch pad? I think that’s a dandy idea. It’s one of the perks of crowdfunding. Another is the ease with which more fringe and eccentric concepts can find their audiences. Kickstarter is rife with campaigns that a very slim portion of the world will be interested in, regardless of quality, but a small portion of several billion people is a lot of people. The trouble is conducting that interest to the right spot. Here are some of those strange projects who just might see the light of day if their niches find them.
The Deer God
A hunter becomes what he preyed upon. The Deer God is a game of survival with no express goal. You do deer things – things like eat, mate, be afraid of guns, die, and reincarnate. All this is presented with a mystical reverence for the animal. Elder deer and ancient deer statues hold valuable power and wisdom. Pausing for a moment results in your behooved avatar beaming shining white eyes at the screen. It’s a game that will “challenge your religion” as you “become one of the most beautiful animals on planet earth.” Grab a deer god love mug for $50 USD!
The O.C.B Goes to Germany
In the tiny town of Beavercreek, Oregon, Dave Ulmer created what would become a self sustaining global treasure hunt. Geocaching is a game where participants bury a container full of items and publish its coordinates online. Others then haul a tribute item to the site and exchange it for a single other object within. Ulmer’s cache contained, amongst other things, a can of black-eyed peas. This “Original Can of Beans”, allegedly the last surviving relic of the original collection, is now in the hands of Jeff Holliday of Team 360, and for $3,500 USD he’ll send it to the Giga Geocaching event in Germany. Just $10 USD will earn you the right to have your picture taken with the can.
Kinbaku, the BDSM Card Game (Safe For Work)
Unsurprisingly, this one is intended for adults only. Assume the role of a dominant and outplay your rival masters. Kinbaku, named for a type of Japanese rope activity, might never have existed had the creator’s friend not said it couldn’t be done. You’ve got your choice of two starter decks full of terms I don’t understand, and I’m afraid I’ve little idea how this will play. But she’s figuring it out, even if this campaign falls short. One lucky (and wealthy) contributor could buy a £1000 evening of dinner and BDSM card games with the creator. Oh la la.
Splash Mob Flash Mob 2014
Now for something decidedly more clean. Austin, Texas is a bastion of culture largely distinct from the rest of its state. It’s the sort of place where somebody could request funding for a large-scale public water fight and get away with it. Check out this previous participant’s video of the 2012 event. “Keep Austin Weird” indeed. $3 USD will see picture proof of your name scrawled on some of the ordinance.
Catlateral Damage
Catlateral DamageContrary to popular belief, cats aren’t malign creatures hell-bent on destroying their captors’ property. Knocking things over isn’t an effort to spite you, disarray is simply in their nature. The production of mess is an extension of their being and something to be celebrated. Naturally, then, procedurally generated and object-riddled homesteads to lose the animals in is a brilliant idea, right? Well, don’t take the developer’s word for it; try it for yourself. $50 USD will immortalize your cat ($51 USD for dogs) as a puntable picture in the game.
