Hobby Games Down 3% But RPGs Up 18%

Rhianni32 · Apr 22, 2019

jmucchiello said:
I'm guessing Mr Lewis believes that his gaming table and play habits are unaffected by these numbers.

The important thing though is that he was affected enough to let us all know how unaffected he is.

Staffan · Apr 22, 2019

GrahamWills said:
Possibly the most interesting thing is the linear increase -- a percent $10/year increase. That seems suspiciously exact, so my guess is that their methodology has a lot of estimates (well, actually, they say that it does) so it's a best guess rather than a highly accurate figure.

That sounds reasonable. All the numbers in the table end in 0 or 5, which suggests that they've rounded to the nearest multiple of $5M.

Jay Verkuilen · Apr 22, 2019

Staffan said:
That sounds reasonable. All the numbers in the table end in 0 or 5, which suggests that they've rounded to the nearest multiple of $5M.

Which is, in general, smart, and something that folks should do more often with these kinds of numbers.

Staffan · Apr 22, 2019

Jay Verkuilen said:
Which is, in general, smart, and something that folks should do more often with these kinds of numbers.

Agreed, and it makes perfect sense when talking about numbers in the hundreds. But when the numbers go from 15 to 25 to 65, it can cause some weirdness.

Mistwell · Apr 22, 2019

Jacob Lewis said:
I'll take Useless Numbers at My Table for $1000, Alex.

Jacob Lewis said:
It looks like Jeopardy. You know, the game show?

Jacob Lewis said:
Sorry, but you must phrase that in the form of a question.

I'll take Useless Replies at My Message Board for $1000, Alex.

What is your issue with this, Jacob? Or did you just think your snark was witty enough to share?

Jer · Apr 22, 2019

GrahamWills said:
Possibly the most interesting thing is the linear increase -- a percent $10/year increase. That seems suspiciously exact, so my guess is that their methodology has a lot of estimates (well, actually, they say that it does) so it's a best guess rather than a highly accurate figure.

FTA:

Our primary means of collecting data about hobby games sales is interviews with key industry figures with good visibility to sales in various categories and channels. We also review data released by publicly traded companies, publicly available NPD data, and Kickstarter data and analysis, especially that released by ICO Partners. There were no major changes in methodology for 2018.

So yeah - the whole thing is basically an estimate.