Adventure Forums - View Single Post - New Jane Jensen game and Kickstarter campaign

Kurufinwe · 05-19-2012, 08:55 AM

Well, that's it. Over $440,000 (including the Paypal pledges). That may not be as much as DFA, or even Larry, but that's certainly more than (I think) any of us would have expected 3 weeks ago when the project was struggling badly. Yay! And it's really in large part thanks to Jane Jensen, who has been absolutely fantastic throughout.

I don't know how good the two games will turn out to be (I doubt they'll be worth the irrational amount of money I paid for them), but really what has made the whole thing worth it for me has been Jane Jensen's passion. Of all the Sierra writers, she was always the most mysterious to me. I mean, in the Sierra days, the spotlight was mostly on Roberta Williams (I hear that's because she was sleeping with the boss), and since then, most other Sierra designers have given zillions of interviews or maintained an on-line presence — but Jane Jensen has mostly kept quiet, and whenever she would give interviews she would seem very guarded. I think that's just her nature (she's also mentioned how much she hates being on camera).

What's impressive here is that she's been willing to force that nature, not only to give something like a hundred interviews, but also to constantly interact with the community by reading messages and replying to them, taking up suggestions, constantly trying to make the Kickstarter better, and making 31(!) Kickstarter updates. And the best about all of this, is that I think she's come to enjoy it in the end.

That's the best thing about Kickstarter. It's made me not just want to get the two new games, but to also really care about Jane Jensen and to passionately want her to succeed with her new studio — because she's awesome and she deserves to succeed. Which in turn makes me all the more unhappy about the current excessive concentration of gaming Kickstarters, as it makes it impossible to give each project the money and the passion that it might deserve.

(Oh well, I guess there's still about a month to get my batteries — and my wallet! — recharged for Tex Murphy...)

05-19-2012, 08:55 AM	#952
Kurufinwe Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Santa Barbara, CA Posts: 3,038	Well, that's it. Over $440,000 (including the Paypal pledges). That may not be as much as DFA, or even Larry, but that's certainly more than (I think) any of us would have expected 3 weeks ago when the project was struggling badly. Yay! And it's really in large part thanks to Jane Jensen, who has been absolutely fantastic throughout. I don't know how good the two games will turn out to be (I doubt they'll be worth the irrational amount of money I paid for them), but really what has made the whole thing worth it for me has been Jane Jensen's passion. Of all the Sierra writers, she was always the most mysterious to me. I mean, in the Sierra days, the spotlight was mostly on Roberta Williams (I hear that's because she was sleeping with the boss), and since then, most other Sierra designers have given zillions of interviews or maintained an on-line presence — but Jane Jensen has mostly kept quiet, and whenever she would give interviews she would seem very guarded. I think that's just her nature (she's also mentioned how much she hates being on camera). What's impressive here is that she's been willing to force that nature, not only to give something like a hundred interviews, but also to constantly interact with the community by reading messages and replying to them, taking up suggestions, constantly trying to make the Kickstarter better, and making 31(!) Kickstarter updates. And the best about all of this, is that I think she's come to enjoy it in the end. That's the best thing about Kickstarter. It's made me not just want to get the two new games, but to also really care about Jane Jensen and to passionately want her to succeed with her new studio — because she's awesome and she deserves to succeed. Which in turn makes me all the more unhappy about the current excessive concentration of gaming Kickstarters, as it makes it impossible to give each project the money and the passion that it might deserve. (Oh well, I guess there's still about a month to get my batteries — and my wallet! — recharged for Tex Murphy...) __________________ Currently reading: Dune (F. Herbert) Recently finished: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (J. K. Rowling) [++], La Nuit des Temps (R. Barjavel) [+++] Currently playing: Skyrim Recently finished: MCF: Escape from Ravenhearst [+], The Walking Dead, ep. 1 [+++], Gray Matter [++]