Advice on Patreon, Distribution, and Building a Community?

[Zeno12]

Hey everyone! Long time lurker, first time poster.

A couple weeks ago I decided to jump in the deep end and start developing my own game. I'm working with Twine, and it's been going pretty well. But I'm a planner, and as my first release is getting closer, the problem of distribution keeps cropping up and it won't leave me alone.

See, I would love to make some extra money doing this. I know it won't be a lot, and I know I'll get basically nothing at first, but I finally found something I feel passionate about that I'm willing to really work at, which is rare for me. So I want to have a foundation or plan in place before I release anything out into the world - just to be prepared.

My initial plan was Patreon, but the more I look into their adult content guidelines, the more it freaks me out. I don't think I'll have anything too out of the ordinary in my game - but it sounds like Patreon is really cracking down on adult content, and being a new guy in all this, I don't have a steady income stream to offer as incentive for keeping me around.

I was hoping you all might have some suggestions. Where are some good places to post your games? How "sanitized" would I have to make my game to qualify for Patreon? Are there other places I should be looking to offer the game, get feedback, and maybe make a buck or two along the way?

 

[Papa Ernie]

@Zeno12

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[thecardinal]

If you follow the guidelines, Patreon is fine. No bestiality, necrophilia, rape, incest, or depiction of minors.

The guidelines haven't changed since last October. You might hear of pages getting suspended, but most of the times it's because the dev has depictions of nudity right on the page. One their big 'no-no's' is nudity on your Patreon page, even when adult games are already hidden from searching on Patreon.

I would just recommend visiting a Patreon of a game with similar themes, and see how th y advertise the game. It really is the best and most trusted site for donors and devs, so you'd be missing out some income by avoiding Patreon.

 

[8873672413434]

Probably be wise to not start your first couple of version behind a paywall too. Make the first couple of versions or even the demo version of the game Public straight off the bat. If people like it, they'll support you, then you can slowly start adding Tiers. Starting with 1 and as you get more and more supporters add additional tiers, etc.

So long as you abide by Patreons guidlines and don't post anything that's against the law in your country of residence. Patreon should leave you alone. They do occasionally do random checks, but that's not an issue.

 

[Zeno12]

Awesome. Thanks, everyone. It sounds like I may have been a bit too rash judging Patreon. It sounds like it'll still be a good way to go if I follow your advice!

 

[Lusc]

The wording of the community guidelines looks to be purposefully vague, a trick law professionals use so they can extend and contract their legal tentacles as necessary. The best bet is probably to fly under the radar. Like Carnalcardinal said, in practice there are plenty of fringe games etc that exist but the pages which get the hammer tend to be ones with nudity displayed.