Whether you want to see it as an Instagram version of Cards Against Humanity or the caption version of Balderdash, the latest Kickstarter project #craptionthegame is undeniably taking games to the 21st century.
The object is simple, to create the wittiest caption for each picture but the content is unique because the game uses social media users to generate its’ content. In other words, YOU create the game by posting YOUR funny pics onto social media and tagging @craptionthegame. Once users purchase the deck they will see if their images made the cut. From a business and marketing perspective, it’s golden. Think back to “America’s Home Videos”, audiences would create all the content and compete to make it on the show thus allowing the show’s station to invest very little in creating content. In addition to a surplus of user-generated content, #craptionthegame enables the submission process to also act a marketing tool. The more users submit content the more the game itself is being talked about. With a generation of selfie sticks and the Kardashians, everyone is competing to be recognized and this may be another outlet.
The creator of the game, Chelsie Patterson, is a marketing professional in Chicago. Patterson said, “I created the game as a Social Enterprise project, meaning that a guaranteed 5% of any profits will be given back to the community.” Patterson, was denied a Social Enterprise Graduate Business School application last spring and is using this project as an opportunity to give back. “I believe in the idea, I believe in the product, I believe in a humanitarian-business model, but that hardest part has been to get everyone else to know about and believe in it too”
The Kickstarter campaign went live on Monday, February 1, 2016 with a goal to reach $10,000 by the end of the month to offset production needs.
