Kickstarter suspends funding of blood-collecting game device
A modified blood collection unit that draws blood from game players whenever their controller rumbles launched on Kickstarter earlier this month, but unfortunately for the Canadian duo behind the project (and video game-loving vampires everywhere), Kickstarter has suspended the project's funding drive.
According to CNET, Kickstarter itself has stated that its policy on project suspensions is to offer no comment. The project creators told Joystiq in an email that they "don't have an answer yet" as to why they were suspended. "Our guesses are that perhaps it has to do with our tie in to medical equipment or charity, or safety concerns since we're not officially partnered with a blood clinic yet (but we're working on that)."
The project creators claim on their page that, "by running carefully monitored tests with medical professionals, we've created a unit that makes blood donation easy, fun and nearly painless." However, none of the team involved are credited as said medical professionals. Instead, they are identified as "two dudes, who normally work as digital creative experts at advertising agencies, who took some time off."
It should be noted that the funding drive was not to mass produce the peripheral or allow backers to utilize one for casual use; instead, the aim of the Kickstarter campaign was to help create a two-player unit that could travel across Canada and start a series of blood donation events. Backers were not offered a unit, but a chance to participate in the donation. The project creators told Joystiq that they "genuinely want to bring attention to and help blood donations in Canada," and are looking into the suspension.
The project's suspension occurred with $246,610 left to go of its $250,000 goal, with both figures in Canadian dollars.
[Image: Brand & Grotesque]
