The Life Flashes By funding deadline has now passed, and 54 backers have pledged $1,357 to help me turn this fanciful little idea of mine into something real and (hopefully) better than anything else I’ve created up until now. I’m quite pleased with this outcome; sure, a part of me wonders if I could have tried for a higher goal amount and/or timed the funding period better so that it didn’t fall smack in the middle of a busy period at work and a just-as-busy holiday break, but for the scope of this project, I’m satisfied by what I did manage to achieve. As I’ve said before, this is the first time I’ve attempted anything quite like this, and while my project is a labour of love first and foremost and not a means to make a profit, part of that love is the ability to communicate with an audience, and so far, this Kickstarter experiment has helped with that in a way more significant than I could have anticipated otherwise.
So, what happens next? Well, right now, I’ve recruited two artists to work with me: one doing background art, and one doing UI and promotional materials. I won’t say who just yet, but will say that if you’ve been following my stuff for a while, you might recognise one or both of them. I’ve also had several people volunteer to be voice actors, who I’ll be sure to audition and put to work once I have enough of the script ready. As for me, well, I still have to wrap up the work I’m doing on DeathSpank before I can really do much else other than plot and scheme and daydream. But definitely stay tuned for more updates of both the Exclusive Video™ and the plain old text variety in the coming months!
Until then, thanks to everyone for coming along for the ride, and very special thanks to my backers — I’d give you all a big hug if I could. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for another great indie game project at which to throw your wads of moolah, may I suggest former Telltale designer Heather Logas’s “Dreamtime” game? Her project is similarly interactive story-like to mine, though interestingly different at the same time, and she’s still got a ways to go before she meets her goal and only 11 days to do so.