The big issue with RPGs and teenagers right now (besides the fact that the industry isn't paying any attention to them) is that they're still coded "boy stuff," but a lot of the things that boys traditionally get into RPGs for (killing stuff, fiddling with numbers, imaginary hot chicks) are done better by computer games. Girls are a much more natural target for post-CRPG tabletop games, but since RPGs are something that "boys do," the only girls who pick it up are the ones are sort of intentionally oblivious to gender roles. That's far from a majority, particularly in the prime RPG introduction age of 10-13.I find this to be a fascinating Catch-22 while simultaneously offering a kernel of hope for the future of RPGs, should they survive.
Robert Fisher pretty much summed up my thoughts on how to re-create the sort of "gateway" product that used to exist, the kind that brought me and millions of others into the hobby:
Licensing (i.e. a Harry Potter RPG) isn’t the way to do it. Firstly, those handcuffs aren’t worth the price. Secondly, I think history proved that RPGs didn’t need to license anything to get off the ground and be successful. Better to play on the same tropes—as D&D and Traveller and many others did—rather than bother with licensing Harry Potter.
Price is not a problem. Kids and the people who buy things for them regularly spend more than I’ve ever seen any RPG product priced. (Ignoring a couple of ridiculous outliers.) Although, I do think that pricing as low as you can is a good idea.
Too often, introductory RPG products have tried to be a gimmick. Tried use board-game elements or videos or other things in the name of being accessible. That seems so clearly the wrong way to go. You sell something by selling it.
And, yeah, I see RPG marketing, but not when I’m doing things with my kids.
And don’t tell me we have to turn the hobby into something different to compete with all the newfangled stuff. My kids see the value in traditional games and activities that haven’t needed to be updated to appeal to them. They’ll turn off the TV, PS2, Wii, computer, iPod, etc. all on their own for activities that have stood the test of time. They even beg me to do it with them.
4 comments:
It's odd isn't it?
I suspect that people have to find a way to make RPGs more accessible to their audiences.
Or find a different way to market the game.
The only way to save the industry/hobby is to bring in new people.
We're doing a lot of that with Witch Girls Adventure. Reaching out to a mostly tween girl auidence.
Our goal is not just to introduce them to our game but to introduce them to the hobby.
Yeah. The frustrating thing is that we used to have a very good introductory product, but it got scrapped. And from what I’ve gathered there was no good reason to scrap it.
It wasn’t perfect. (There are certainly aspects of it I’d do differently.) It could probably do with some updating to match today’s context. But it was more than adequate.
There have been some other more than adequate alternatives, but I don’t think any of them have ever gotten the proper marketing. And the stuff that does get adequate marketing makes too many mistakes.
I’m no marketing expert, though, so I can’t really say much on that front. Is it just too expensive? Or have we just not gotten someone who knows how to do good marketing to kids on a budget together with an adequate introductory product?
I don't know, I recently found this, and it looks like kids are playing... www.chaoticgoodonline.com Maybe with something like this and Penny-Arcade's podcasts out, more youngsters will start moving that way.
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