10 Manipulative Gaming Tactics You Fall For Every Time

Though it would be unfair to tar all crowdfunded and "early access" games with the same brush, the sheer abundance of unrealised or unsatisfying games to emerge from these development models speaks for itself.

Crowdfunding in particular, where games won't necessarily go into production until they reach a certain financial milestone, has often resulted in desperate fans throwing money at developers who, in the end, fail to produce a satisfactory product.

Perhaps the most infamous example is Mega Man's highly anticipated spiritual successor Mighty No. 9, which after receiving $4 million in crowdfunding released to a whimper of a response from fans and critics alike.

Watching the game's strained development was a slow-motion car crash for anyone with sufficient critical distance from it, while many fans conversely exhibited increasing denial that the game might be poor, and even once it was released hoped it would be hammered into shape post-launch. Spoiler: it wasn't.

And so, while crowdfunding can lead to great games, it's often simply an avenue for developers to cynically exploit their fanbase, asking them to hand over cash before the game's even been made.

Though the whole Kickstarter boom has died down in recent years, the fact that Star Citzien passed $300 million in crowdfunding over the summer - that's basically the budget of your average Avengers movie - indicates many are still willing to throw cash at unrealised projects.