About PATREON
In the past, like most developers, I had a PATREON account. I explained why I deleted this account and created my own site with my own means of payment. I'm going to go even further in my explanation here.
The shortcomings of PATREON
- You can imagine that PATREON takes a commission on each transaction, which is normal: it's not a non-profit organisation. But this has the pernicious effect of pushing up the prices of sellers, because of the fixed part of this commission. If a developer wants to keep their prices low for those who can't afford it, their generosity isn't really rewarded, because the lower their prices, the higher the commission they pay (as a percentage).
- I'll write it again: I don't really trust an organisation that asks you to send a photo of your ID card alongside a picture of you as a developper. I felt like the cops were going to put me on file and I hated it!
- What's more, PATREON is the perfect smokescreen for all the scammers who feed sites like F95ZONE, the so-called "heroes". Buyers are totally anonymous from the developer's point of view. A paid subscription can be used by thousands of players. F95ZONE is rubbing its hands with glee and handing out its 'DONOR' trophies! And what's more, heroes can remain subscribers because the developer doesn't know who has shared.
On my site, that's not the case, and I don't mind. That doesn't mean I'm immune to fraud, but at least I have a means of defence: identification via the PAYPAL account or the credit card number via STRIPE, and banning.
In its April Fool's, F95ZONE announced that it was being bought by PATREON. Ask yourself if there wasn't something true behind...
The flip side of the coin
- My isolation.
PATREON is successful because it has been able to generate traffic and establish itself as a real platform. It's easier to create communities. PATREON is a hypermarket, and I'm a small local retailer. I don't care, I can handle it. - Anonymity.
Potential subscribers are less anonymous on my site, and that's a major obstacle with this type of content. This is both true and false. The advantage I have over PATREON is that I can block and ban a payment method, and therefore the person behind it. But under no circumstances do I have the subscriber's full contact details. And let me tell you: I don't want them! You think I'm going to waste my time and energy trying to find out who the bastard is who shared my content? No. I'm just going to block his account on my site and his payment method. To fool me a second time, he'll have to use another PAYPAL account and/or another credit card. That said, if 20 different guys come to steal from me, there's absolutely nothing I can do about it.
The lure of gain.
This is the argument used by my detractors: "You want to make money".
- First of all I'd like to point out to them that if that were the case, they and I wouldn't be much different: I'd want to earn it, and they wouldn't want to spend it...
- Secondly, have you seen the rates? I'm in no danger of becoming Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos tomorrow...
- Finally, I'd like to point out that there's a "Lifetime free" subscription that I've already granted to loyal former PATREON subscribers. This subscription is available to any subscriber who has paid a certain amount in full. Why is this? Because I think these people are 1° trustworthy and 2° have already contributed enough. It's up to me to find others to replace them. I hope they'll help me by promoting my work.
And there you have it. That's my philosophy.
You can call me an asshole if you like, but as I once wrote: "In life, you're always someone's asshole...". Am I yours?