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07/13/11 | Uncategorized

Help Crowdfund a Multiplayer iOS Game for Girls

By Elizabeth Boylan (Game Artist, iOS Developer and Founder, VectorBloom)
My indie game development startup VectorBloom Technologies has been designing and developing apps for iOS since November of 2009. I’ve personally designed, developed, co-developed, and released some dozen iPhone Apps over the past 2 years.

When I decide on a game concept that I want to embark upon, it’s a game that I feel will inspire others through its beauty and game play. It also has to be fun enough to play with my biggest critic, my daughter, while hopefully I mirror to her that she can be and do anything her heart desires by following the conviction of her dreams.

Although, I’m not trying to focus on games “just for girls”, as a female game artist and developer leading VectorBloom’s game projects, a feminine quality will be a natural consequence of the games we create. I have come to embrace this as a good thing.

Financing Game Development as an Entrepreneur

The first game we released for distribution on the App Store was Sara’s Ladybugs: The Right Brain Counting Game for the iPhone and iPod touch. While Sara’s Ladybugs is a simple counting game, most games require longer development cycles.

We currently have 2 games at different stages of development: VectorBloom the Game and Big Top Ballet. With app and game development in particular, any app or game is a long term commitment. To do it well, much effort, work and time goes into the production, development, distribution and the post release marketing and maintenance of the game.

Financing VectorBloom’s game development has been my biggest obstacle as an entrepreneur, so when I heard of AppBackr, it took me less than a day to post a Campaign for Big Top Ballet, a multiplayer iOS game for girls inspired by ballet and circus art.

AppBackr is an innovative investment model and a truly ground breaking opportunity for women to participate in technology and investment. By supporting VectorBloom’s development campaign for Big Top Ballet, investors, called “Backrs” can earn up to 54% profit of their original investment buying whole sale copies of the game in advance, and profit by sharing in VectorBloom Technologies’ App sales when Big Top Ballet is released for sale on the App Store.

The $11k raised through VectorBloom’s campaign on AppBackr will allow our small team to focus on art asset creation and Big Top Ballet’s game development. Knowing that our basic expenses for the time we need to build and test the game are covered is critical in maintaining focus and not having to take on iOS consulting projects. This minimum reserve amount will also allow me to buy the latest commercial license for Maya 2012 in order to create awesome 3D art assets and high quality 3D video promotions to market the game in time for it’s scheduled release date.

The final result will be a fun game out there that has been created and co-developed by female role model for girls instead of a corporate game company.

Big Top Ballet’s campaign on AppBackr is active for 2 months until September 6, 2011. We need Backrs to fund Big Top Ballet on AppBackr in order to raise our minimum goal of $11k by Labour Day Weekend.

What You Get As A Backr of Big Top Ballet

What you get is the opportunity to share in the sales of the game on the App Store and the potential to earn up a 54% return on your investment. You also get to be part of Big Top Ballet as the spark that fuels the game art I create!

Share how you’re participating in grassroots game dev financing! Email and post our AppBackr campaign link to your Facebook, Twitter and Google+ feeds. Or buy any of VectorBloom’s existing games on the App Store.


Editor’s note: Got a question for our guest blogger? Leave a message in the comments below.
About the guest blogger: Elizabeth Boylan is a Game Artist, iOS Developer and Founder of VectorBloom Technologies. She has a varied background which includes studying Chemistry at St. Francis Xavier University, business at IESEG in Lille, France, and performing stand-up comedy in Montreal and Vancouver before attending Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Outside of art and game development, her favorite pasttimes are snowboarding, swimming and playing the violin. Follow her on Twitter at @ElizabethBoylan or her mobile game startup at @VectorBloom.

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