Inherently? No. It depends on the project and what they're actually using the funds from the campaign for.

For example, with both the Veronica Mars movie and Shenmue 3 - the funding wasn't really in place to fund the entire project, it was to demonstrate real interest so that a studio/publisher would give the 'green-light' to the full production... And to help aid with the cost of further or extra production and features.

And just because someone or something is recognizable doesn't mean there's a big enough commercial interest to attract a publisher. Additionally, people seem to have a skewed idea as to where all the money from sales goes when it comes to costly development.

Granted, in the cases where it's more about demonstrating the interest in the product - rather than fully funding it - I think those campaigns could be a bit more explicit with their intention.

...

As far as all the shitty random crowdfunding non-sense... Such as random people asking for hand-outs - or even seemingly scammy game campaigns... These are annoying, but will eventually die out as so few of them will ever get funded. And, in some cases, potential contributors need to demonstrate discretion and look at the goals, plans, budget and risks to determine if their expectations are realistic. If you don't know, seek a second opinion. If something seems too far fetched or impossible, it likely is and you should avoid those campaigns.

It's often the big names (when it comes to crowd funding for games) is what ease people's fears of getting stiffed. I mean, if they didn't deliver on Shenmue 3 - that would be insane and would destroy Yu Suzuki's reputation... And thus, people can comfortably contribute. Whereas, there's always that very real risk that some small indie dev over promises and under delivers - or doesn't deliver at all because they weren't fully aware of all the costs and risks.

But usually, a really solid presentation, a realistic plan and budget and a unique idea is enough to get attention to get funded. Sadly, most indie kickstarters are a bit ignorant on actual costs... and so I just can't risk it. If I can't trust their pitch, I'm not trusting their ability. Simple as that.