Tim Schafer's Double Fine Production team (Psychonauts, Brutal Legend) wanted to make a new point-and-click adventure game.

Two days ago, the "Tecmo Bowl MMO" was left for dead, less than halfway to its funding goal on Kickstarter. Today was the deadline for the game. If it didn't raise $7,500, every cent contributed would be lost.

Whatever you think of him, Tim Tebow has made a contribution—if indirect—to video games development.

Last fall, as the quarterback was leading the Denver Broncos to an improbable six-game winning streak, David Murray got an idea to create a "Tecmo Tebow" image—Tebow, as an 8-bit Tecmo Super Bowl player, kneeling in…