Forked from WotC Layoffs: Industry Size

[unseenmage]

Aimed at Mr. Sims.

You have my support and condolences. I had the luck of working with you briefly recently and can testify at least a little to your patience and skills.

So what happens to your workloads, emails, works in progress? As I understand it you had quite a backload of work you were doing yourself (emails per day in the double or even triple digits if I remember correctly) that is now going to be... what? Handed off to one other (now doubly) overwoked employee? Divided among those remaining like x-mas dinner leftovers?

Apologies for my tone but despite myself I can't find a better voice to ask this question in. I mean no disrespect to anyone involved, be they the ones let go or those who've remained. You guys all do great work.

Unseenmage

 

[Herschel]

One thing I've been curious about is actual warehouse and shipping in the industry. I'm wondering how much drop shipping (shipping direct from vendor/supplier to distributor) is done to save warehouse manpower and space.

 

[Infiniti2000]

The RPG industry has a significant disadvantage (for designers) than probably any other industry. The RPG industry has a massive talent pool. In fact, the games themselves are designed to create a bigger pool. At least one individual (the GM) from every single group playing the game is given training by the books and gets training every time they play to be a designer. How can anyone who has GMed not thought to themselves, "Hey, I could work as a game designer!"? This is the disadvantage because it creates a huge amount of competition for those people who desire to do this professionally. For example, I think I would do well as a game designer, but I also realize that it would be extraordinarily difficult, if not outright impossible, to get into the business. With two small children, I'm happy to stay in my reasonably secure six-figure salary at a large (45K+ employees) fortune 500 company. There's no way I could get similar job security in the RPG industry.

Like it or not, having such a huge pool of telented game designers, trained mostly by your games in fact, can easily and understandably lead to a high turnover rate. The mere fact that we have so many heated topics (e.g. edition wars) shows that there are A LOT of people who think that they know what they're talking about in terms of game design (and I daresay most if not all of them do, because they were trained well enough as GMs).

I'm not justifying or explaining any business decisions by Hasbro, Paizo, or others, but just pointing out a fact that I don't think has been mentioned in any of the threads I've read (including the large, closed one).

 

[keterys]

You'd be surprised how many DMs really couldn't cut it when it came to providing consistent and legible product. Self-editing is extraordinarily rare and... well... Have you ever seen something like the beginning of American Idol where people who think they sing wonderfully really don't? I mean, it sounded great in the shower, right?

And yeah, the money involved, and the inherent competition... don't quit your day job, as they say. I wish the industry were a lot more profitable and employed a lot more people.

 

[Mouseferatu]

DMing teaches people to be game designers the same way reading teaches them to be writers. In other words, it's a necessary first step, but it's not remotely the only step, and while many people do indeed have a legitimate talent for it, a far greater number of people are incorrect in thinking they do.

 

[Dice4Hire]

DMing teaches people to be game designers the same way reading teaches them to be writers. In other words, it's a necessary first step, but it's not remotely the only step, and while many people do indeed have a legitimate talent for it, a far greater number of people are incorrect in thinking they do.

But then again, the bar for a successful game (fun) is far less than that for a successful product (job/profit).

But I agree there are few people who both have a talent for designing RPGs, and of course, fewer still who have the desire.

 

[Mouseferatu]

But then again, the bar for a successful game (fun) is far less than that for a successful product (job/profit).

Oh, sure. The "it" I was referring to was being a professional designer/writer. I know quite a few people who are great DMs, but who don't need to be writing game products.

 

[Infiniti2000]

I wouldn't be surprised at it at all. Nor am I surprised, for example, at the number of programmers who really suck at software design. The point however is that there are a lot of them (GMs that is). Even if there's only a tiny fraction of them competent enough to be product game designers (or at least paid contributors) that number has to dwarf the available pool of established designers. The interesting thing though, at least I find it interesting, is that it is essentially the work of the pros training the unproven masses.

 

[Darrin Drader]

Just for the sake of acknowledging all the RPG companies that have a full time staff of two or more, here's the list (to the best of my knowledge). If anyone has any additional insight, feel free to add to my list: WotC, Paizo, Mongoose, Super Genius, Games Workshop, White Wolf, Fantasy Flight Games, Steve Jackson Games (I think). Note that FFG and GW have found different niches in which they are successful. Personally, I loves me the Arkham Horror.

 

[crazy_cat]

Just for the sake of acknowledging all the RPG companies that have a full time staff of two or more, here's the list...

Cubicle 7 and Green Ronin perhaps? This is just a hunch on my part really.