Whew. What a weekend.
In case you missed it, there was a big hubbub over the new Patreon fee structure, which earlier today Patreon decided not to go through with because of the bad reaction people had to it. While we were not hit as badly as most, due to our patrons being a bunch of incredibly awesome badasses, it was was still a problem, and because this is third time this year Patreon has caused me drama, I’ve looking into running a second campaign elsewhere, with the same benefits at the same cost levels, in case anyone wants an alternative.
A lot of things that have happened recently have made been recall my long-age college course on “Ethics in Business and Technology”. Particularly, the ethical philosophy I adhere to when making decisions for Bad Kitty Games- stakeholder theory.
Stakeholder theory posits that everyone who has an interest in seeing a business succeed should be considered when making business decisions. That includes internal stakeholders- owners and managers like myself as well as contractors and employees like Conash, SacB0y, Kumiho, etc- and what are known as external stakeholders- Patreon supporters, other fans, even entities such as the government and other projects in the h-game industry.
The way I do this is my setting up a mental hierarchy of who the stakeholders in Bad Kitty Games are. That hierarchy goes something like this:
Nekochan and I
Conash, Kumiho, SacB0y and other employees
Financial backers
Other fans
Society at large
When I need to make a decision, I try to figure how everyone will be affected and to what degree. The worst possible decision I can make is one that negatively affects all stakeholders. This is why you can trust I won’t just abruptly disappear some day without explanation- that would represent a decision that affects everyone negatively (even me, as I’d be out of a job and with a giant blemish on my reputation as a creator). Conversely, the best possible decision is one that positively affects everyone involved.
There is a lot of nuance in this method. For example, me taking a sick day has negative consequences for all backers and fans (as you’re not getting the game any sooner), but the potential benefits to my health outweigh that.
I’m not sure why I shared this… except, I guess, to say that I don’t make any decisions lightly, and I have a very careful method of thinking things through. Hopefully this will help you all have some confidence that, on the rocky road ahead, you will know that even if I misstep, I always consider the consequences of my actions.
For some reason, I suddenly want ice cream….
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8608.1995.tb00107.x/pdf
I don’t have access to that article, are you sending it from a school IP?
I did. Might not be accessible otherwise. It’s a paper I’ve seen and generally agree with critiquing Stakeholder theory.
Mwahaha! I shall remain ignorant of said criticisms, safe in my echo chamber!
If I don’t hear about it, it can’t possibly exist, right?
Why not try hatreon I heard of this new one similar to patreon but I can’t remember the name I’ll comment it once I remember.
It is against the policies of Bad Kitty Games to engage in any sort of commerce with companies or individuals who may mean some of our userbase harm. For that reason, we will not be engaging with Hatreon in any fashion, no matter the circumstances.