Why do we care?

[CaptainPatch]

TL;DR Answer to the OP is that I really believe that we the gamers need to support an alternate development path than EA's "We provided the Big Bucks, so you have to make your games a certain way" approach. If the Big Bucks providers have the final say, games will eventually become nothing but adrenaline-fueled Action games guaranteed to sell the greatest number of units. I was motivated to specifically kick in on WL2 because of just _who_ would be doing the development: Fargo & Company. They were responsible for a LARGE number of my all-time favorite games. Based on past performance, I feel confident that whatever they produce WILL be added to that number.

[Zylock]

I care for a few reasons.

- Fallout is my favorite game of all time. Unfortunately I'm too young to have had access to Wasteland, and, in fact, I played Fallout many, many years after its release. But true, nearly immeasurable quality has a habit of besting time and competition. I still haven't played a game that captured my attention like Fallout. Supporting the guys responsible for Fallout is my esteemed pleasure.

- I honestly think that Wasteland 2 has a really good shot at setting a precedent in today's market. If it does all the things I hope it can do, it should show the gaming industry that all those things gamers keep saying they want, really are what gamers want. That a multi-million dollar voice-acting cast, production values to rival the latest Michael Bay travesty, and all the fashionable, trendy mechanics--cover-based shooters, regenerating health, vehicle sections, hours of cut-scenes and cinematics--just aren't what makes a game worth playing. Incredible story-telling, unforgettable characters, and a rich and diverse game-engine, rife with compelling choices, makes a game that people will talk about for a generation.

- The crowd-sourcing element deserves a nod. Anything I can do to help break the game-industry of its self-depreciating, destructive financial habits, sign me up! The Blockbuster syndrome should be fought, not tolerated, let alone embraced. It is horribly unsustainable and dissatisfying.

[The Tallest]

Like the OP it goes deep into who I am. I first played this game in 1988/89 when I was 11 or so. I spent a lot of time goofing off. I remember giving my dad's character an STD and I remember being lost in the sewers and being killed at the train yard.