Like you said "it makes me happy to be a part of (hopefully) making it happen." That statement bothers me.

...

It just bothers me in a rather fundamental way, and I think it's good for people to have to work for their dreams.

Interesting, I saw that as a happy thing rther than a butthurt thing

I don't begrudge sports people their bars, I just find sports incredibly boring, so I was happy at the idea of a similar bar that catered to something cool.

I was trying to articulate what bothered me about kickstarter, and I think it's this.

"Help us fund this media project, so we can actually make it and do a proper job of it, then we'll give you a copy." = Awesome. I want this thing to exist and want to own it when it does, I'm in.

"Give us money to start a business, so that we can continue to make a living (hopefully in perpetuity), and we will... put your name on the wall? It's cool, we might also give you a T-shirt, and more importantly THEN you'll have this awesome place to hang out... and spend your money... which we will also take" = What?

Don't get me wrong, I love the idea, but why would I just give a person free money to start their own business? Which might fail, and then I still don't even have a geek bar to go to so I can keep giving them money. It's all the risk of investing with none of the benefits. Are those people who took mortgages to start their own business just suckers, and ultimately what's more likely to succeed: A business with a plan that convinced a bank to loan them money and owners with a strong personal incentive to make it work, or the guys who had a cool idea and then asked the internet for money? Obviously those are the edges of the spectrum but you get the point.

I think this is exactly the kind of thing kickstarter should not be used for.

GeekBar would be awesome though.

I don't see the problem though. If you'd never give money to a project like this - don't. Nobody will force you to or think less of you for it.

But if, like me, you think it is worth a small amount of disposable income to have your gamertag on a plaque on a wall, then why not help a fellow geek out?

I like community building