As long they are offering items that are in actual existence at the time the KS starts, your argument holds true.
But the point of KS is offering some that *might* exist in the future. There is no promise that they will actually deliver on any of their promises, even the minimum amount.
The prototype didn't exist at the time of the KS launch, like the beta didn't and the final game didn't.
The backers are taking a gamble that the actual game will be made, like any investment.
Comparing to the girl scout cookies, they actually give you the box right when you pay, or at the very least have the cookies on hand. they aren't promising you some cookies in the future, in case that their cookie making programme works.
I must admit I don't know the actual detail of girl scout cookie selling, since we don't have scouts selling stuff here, so the analogy might fail purely on cultural differences.
And no, you should not feel like a dick for demanding you get your reward, after all; investors want their returns.
But you should feel like a dick for yelling about it being delayed, when you know that games will *always* be delayed.
Again, you are confusing the actual project and the rewards. plain simple. also, your argument is somewhat naive. if i pre-order diablo 3, i expect to receive it, it doesn't matter that the game wasen't finished when i pre-ordered it, hell, it doesn't even matter if it was not even starting development at the time of the pre-order.
if you go to any furniture carpentry and pay up in advance, they are legally obliged to deliver that furniture you ordered or give your money back. if they are not doing so, you have every right to sue them and easily win.
The whole concept of kickstarter is not even to fund a game. it is to fund the starting of the development of a game, and as such, the dev's have no legal obligation to actually finish the game, just start it, but, and that's the big but and the reason i am still debating here, if you are being promised a specific product or service in return for money (backer reward level), then it is no longer purely a donation and it really doesn't matter if that product existed at the time or not. i cant stress this enough. (what if they decided to not deliver a t-shirt?)
No one should feel a dick for demanding what they were promised
especially if at the time it was hinted that the prototype has already existed.
And this is the main issue here. it is not about a game being delayed. its not even about the date of the prototype release, its about the false incentive that was given to backers.
I never changed my pledge level nor felt cheated because they came forth and confessed it wasen't ready fairly early on during the funding campaign, and for some reason they sound like a trust worthy guys so i mentally changed my pledge from an incentive for purely donation but this doesn't change the fact that if someone who did not track the project until its kickstarter completion and pledged the $25 just so he could see the prototype before the beta testers has just found out he doesn't get his reward and felt cheated, he had every right to feel that way without feeling like a dick.