If a dev asks for a monthly pledge of $15 - $100 to access the newest builds, that payment essentially serves as the entry fee. At that point, users aren’t merely supporting the creator … they’re paying for timely access to the product. In practice, it’s a transaction rather than genuine patronage.
When you compare it to a one-time $60–$100 purchase of a finished AAA game, a $15 monthly Patreon tier totals $180 over a year … roughly three times as much … and often goes toward an unfinished or experimental project that might never be completed. As a fact purchasers are justified in questioning and critiquing the value they’re getting.
I don’t take any of this personal At all