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Contributions

Contribution Basics

Game Ventures relies on users to create and fund individual Ventures. Each funding transaction is called a Contribution . Users can view and manage their Contributions in the Dashboard.

Regardless of whether a user is creating a new Venture or adding to the award of an existing Venture, they create a Contribution. Each Contribution is a monetary transaction that consists of the principal funding amount that is added to the award pool, and the fees assessed for that transaction. Please see the Fee Schedule for more fee information.

Contributions to Bounty and Hunt Venture types make use of a Continue system. When a Contribution is created, it is valid for the standard Continue period of 15 days. If a user elects for the Contribution to Continue, a small fee is deducted from the balance at the end of the Continue period, and it is valid for an additional 15 days. If the user does not Continue, the remaining balance is refunded to them at the end of the Continue period. If their remaining balance is less than the Continue fee, the Contribution will automatically expire and the remaining balance will also be refunded to them. Note that Continues are frozen while a Venture is in a Chase or Pending Review state. See our Continues section for more information.

With Contributions, funds are transferred to Game Ventures shortly after finalizing the transaction. Game Ventures then distributes the funds when a Venture winner is selected, or returns the remaining balance to users if a Contribution is not Continued. In order to maintain fairness for potential claimants, Game Ventures is not able to offer refunds outside of Contribution expirations.

There are several additional rules and notes related to Contribution processing, Continues, and refunds.

  1. Platform fees are always non-refundable.
  2. Refunds can be given during Venture drafting and initial approval at any time by request.
  3. Once a Venture is Live, refunds can only be given by electing for a Contribution to not Continue and waiting for the next Continue period. The remaining contribution balance will be refunded automatically at that interval.
  4. Contributions cannot be refunded once the associated Venture enters a "Chase" or "Review" state unless it returns to "Live" at a later time.
  5. A chargeback occurring after a Contribution is provided will result in the immediate banning of the user that issued the Contribution.

Refunds & Continues

Contributions to most Ventures do not have on-demand refunds - this is out of fairness to the players that may be hard at work in pursuit of a Venture's award! But that doesn't mean users can't control the length of time they intend their Contribution to be active for. That's one of the reasons we introduced the Continue system for Bounty- and Hunt-type Ventures.

While a Venture is in the "Live" state, any Contributions to Bounties and Hunts utilize the Continue system. Every 15 days from the time a Contribution was created, users can elect to either have the Contribution Continue or expire. A Continue will deduct a small fee from the Contribution's remaining balance, and it will continue on for another 15 day period. If the user elects to have it expire, then the remaining balance will be refunded to the payment method originally used to create the Contribution. Users can control whether individual Contributions are set to Continue or expire in the Dashboard.

One special circumstance is in the case of an "Infinite Continues" perk that may apply to some Ventures. Contributions made while this perk is in effect will not have any Continue fees. Users can still elect whether their Contribution Continues from within their Dashboard, but their balance will not be affected when a Continue occurs. To manage Contributions made from Guest users, please contact Game Ventures Support with the Contribution ID and Stripe Receipt #.

There are a few other things to note, however.

  • Ventures in a "Chase" or "Review" state freeze Continues. This means that the Contribution's funds are committed to an eventual winner, and can't be refunded. It also means that Continues won't be processed, and the Contribution balance will remain static.
  • Related to the above, be aware that any Contributions made while a Venture is in "Chase" or "Review" states may not have a chance to be refunded at all.
  • If, for whatever reason, a Venture in a "Chase" or "Review" state returns to "Live," the Continue system will become active again. The remaining time before a Contribution Continue period will be the same as it was when the Venture entered the "Chase" or "Review" state.
  • In the event that a Venture is completed, but the award payout cannot proceed, Game Ventures staff will attempt to contact the winner. If the winner is unresponsive or the issue cannot be resolved within 30 days, the award funds will be refunded to the contributors.

How Fees are Used

The fees that Game Ventures collect from each Contribution are used to cover many aspects of site operation. A few of these aspects are broken down below.

  • Payment processor fees: Every credit card transaction is performed on behalf of Game Ventures by a payment processor. The payment processor charges a fee that's proportional to the transaction size. Game Ventures accounts for this fee within our own charged fees so that users are aware of the full cost of each transaction.
  • Accounting costs: Keeping up with many financial transactions and clients has numerous accounting requirements and tasks. A portion of each fee goes towards professional accounting services to stay on top of those aspects.
  • Legal costs: Game Ventures exists in a unique legal space, and requires legal support to make sure we stay in compliance with various domestic and international laws. To make sure we can legally support as many Ventures and fans as possible, part of the transaction fees cover legal services.
  • Operating costs: One way or another, it costs money to keep the servers running. Some of each fee goes towards keeping the proverbial lights on, as well as to keep other technical support services running.
  • Development funds: Whatever's left after all of the above is taken out goes towards future development of the site and features. These funds allow for further feature development, performance upgrades, art asset updates, better documentation, and user experience improvements.

Continue fees serve to cover specific accounting costs related to handling funds for long periods of time, but are otherwise split among the other legal and operational costs. However, any tips go solely towards development funds. Tips are never required, but are a good way to let us know we're doing a good job and that you're looking forward to further improvements!