Actual age of the 4th edition player base

[Twowolves]

1) 35

2) 10-20

3) Played once with my cousin, then bought and self-taught the actual rules on my own (my cousin did more than "take liberties" with the OD&D rules, he basically ignored them and just made up a "campfire ghost story" from behind the Wall of Fear and Ignorance)

 

[Malhost Zormaeril]

I learned from someone else at summer camp, but D&D isn't typhoid: It's simply not possible that everyone who plays it learned from someone else, otherwise it would still mostly be a Midwestern phenomenon and would never have made the international inroads it has. Heck, one of the meatiest 4E spoilers we have to date is from an Israeli translator of the game, talking about what books to expect in 2008. There are players in Brazil, southeast Asia and elsewhere.

True. I've learned it on my own, mostly, although I had some experience with Jackson and Livingstone's Choose your own adventure book series. An interesting anecdote: the first book I picked up was actually the 2e DMG, and the PHB only came some two or three months later. That first campaign was interesting, to say the least

Oh, about the original question:

1) 27

2) 15-25 (theoretically 12+)

3) On my own, through Choose-your-own-adventure books and TSR trading cards

 

[sckeener]

1) 30
2) 13-35 (basically the same age bracket as video games)
3) My mom is the one who thought I should look into and and I learned it on my own.

 

[GSHamster]

1) 25

2) All ages, but in particular the Digital Initiative is targetted at older gamers (30+). First, older gamers are more likely able and willing to afford the fee. Second, one of the big problems with D&D is that it requires a significant amount of time. The DI and Internet tools are made to allow older gamers with restrictions on their time to play. It's very similar to what Magic Online did.

There are basically two crowds of people who play Magic Online: The hardcore tournament crowd, and older magic players who found it harder and harder to meet people and make time to play Magic as they took on more responsibilities (family/job/children). I think the DI is intended to do for D&D what Magic Online did for professional adults: make it easier to play even if you need to keep an eye on the kids, or have moved to a different city than your friends, etc.

3) Picked up the books on my own as a young teen.

 

[hopeless]

Okay

I'm wondering what WoTC's gameplan is these days, and If we happen to be part of it
So..
3 questions:
etc)?

1) What do you think is the average age of the majority of current DnD players?
Probably 30+
2) What age bracket do you think WoTC is targeting with the new edition?
12
3) How were YOU brought into the game? (Friend's, older relative, picked it up on your own,
By friends at school and of course it was the d&d basic set

 

[Fobok]

1) What do you think is the average age of the majority of current DnD players?

I'd have to say 20-30.

2) What age bracket do you think WoTC is targeting with the new edition?

Probably opening it up to 15+, trying to get new gamers involved.

3) How were YOU brought into the game? (Friend's, older relative, picked it up on your own, etc)?

Baldur's Gate. Before that I only played Star Wars D6.

 

[Jhaelen]

1) What do you think is the average age of the majority of current DnD players?

25-35

2) What age bracket do you think WoTC is targeting with the new edition?

12-45

3) How were YOU brought into the game? (Friend's, older relative, picked it up on your own, etc)?

overhearing a _weird_ conversation on the school bus...

 

[Warbringer]

1. 35
2. 12-15
3. Friends when I was 13

I really think that with 4e the target is the same as 1e... 12-18 years old. Why... it is the mass adoption market for games (note, not toys)

 

[JeffB]

3 questions:

1) What do you think is the average age of the majority of current DnD players?

2) What age bracket do you think WoTC is targeting with the new edition?

3) How were YOU brought into the game? (Friend's, older relative, picked it up on your own, etc)?

1) 16-24

2) pre-teen to early 20s


3) Friend in elementary school

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Seriously, the way that some gamers I've met eat, it ain't gonna be easy finding a new group of veteran players in the near future.

Gamers: Please take care of yourselves. Don't drop dead. It's hard enough finding a group after a move to a new town without having to compete with the grim reaper.

"Once, great herds of fatbeards lumbered across these plains, grazing on convenience store nachos and drinking deeply of Mountain Dew. Today, only their bones and stretched out black T-shirts remain. If only we had tried to save the species while we could ..."