While at VidCon, I attended a panel called “How to ask for support from your Audience.” The panel was a discussion led by Greg Miller, one of the founding members of Kinda Funny, and it was inspiring and awesome.
Greg told a compelling tale to me: The people who are giving you money -- no matter how they’re doing it -- are getting value from your content. They’re seeing something more out of what you are making than just the time engaging with it -- they’re willing to trade money for the chance to be a member. of something special.
This is true for me for many creators: I get much more out than I’m putting in. Whether it’s the enjoyment of watching gameplay, or a fun chat after the stream is over; whether it’s a limited access voice channel, or just a small icon next to my name in a chat room; I feel like a part of the community when I give money, either via Fan Funding or sponsorship.
Previously, I feared that I would be seen as money-grubbing, but I think I’ve changed my perspective on that: This is not a chance for me to try to extract money from you. This is a way for you to reward me with the value that you may or may not see in my work.
If the value you see is commensurate with just stopping by the stream occasionally: Awesome. Thank you so much for being part of what I find to be an awesome community.
If the value is such that you’d like to throw an occasional dollar my way; great! That’s awesome, and it means a lot.
And if what you’d like to do is just sign up to support -- at whatever level -- every month, then I thank you for that, and I hope that I can continue to provide value that matches those expectations.
Because in the end, that’s really all this is: I’m trying to set appropriate expectations, and trying to increase my relative value to my audience to be commensurate with those expectations. I try very hard to go above and beyond in everything I do, and this won’t be any exception.
If you’re interested in more content -- like this blog, like my videos, or like the various software tools I’ve created -- or special access to, or just want to feel good about something -- consider supporting Chris Plays Games on Patreon.
