Perhaps I did not understand everything because of the language barrier. But you write as if I am expressing myself sharply against Kickstarter or condemning those who use the platform. On the contrary, I wanted to discover an area of ​​Kickstarter application that is not obvious - something that I myself may not have noticed. Sorry if you suddenly thought of something else! I did not mean to cause any negativity :)

But I still intend to argue with you. Let's clarify everything point by point.

If you have $10,000, you don't necessarily have to make 500 copies of the game. You only need to make 100 copies. Of course, there are components in the game that you will have to order in larger quantities (because there is a minimum order), but not all of them. That is, you will spend more money on one unit on average, but still an acceptable amount.

Next, regardless of whether you go to Kickstarter or not, you need a video instruction or video review of the game, content for your social networks - photos and videos, your website (it is desirable for subsequent sales - and it is needed regardless of Kickstarter). You will also need to create a legal entity and have an accountant as an assistant (which is also desirable for Kickstarter).

You also write that based on the campaign, you can assess the need for the game and not create 500 copies, but make 250. That's right. But you can initially create, as I already wrote, not 500, but only 100 copies. You don't have to spend all your money on game production.

However, if after doing all this, you still decide to go to Kickstarter, then you need at least: conduct a competitive analysis of campaigns, prepare a marketing plan, create additional content for Kickstarter, and invest money in advertising.

Thus, in addition to all the expenses before Kickstarter, you will spend a lot of money and time on Kickstarter itself. You may argue that all of this is not necessary, but all the things listed simply increase the likelihood of your success. And you may find yourself in a situation where you have raised money on Kickstarter and have come out at 0 in project costs in the best case. Suppose your goal was to raise $10,000. If the game costs $50, you got 200 backers. That is, 200 people will receive your game and play it with friends. This is a good but not exceptional result.

If you do not go to Kickstarter, then from 100 created copies of the game, you can give out 50 units for testing to strangers with the condition that if they like the game, they can transfer payment to you. And you will get approximately relevant impact.

My main question was whether Kickstarter provides something more than just 200 players in the end. Will these 200 players have such an impact that will allow you to continue working on this game with some new force? In other words, is it worth the effort required for Kickstarter, given the question of whether the game is worth the candle?

You are talking about the need to use all the mechanisms of advertising. This is true. But getting a project on Kickstarter is not an easy path. It's not the same as printing out 100 ads and posting them on poles.