Is the RPG hobby dying? [RPG Blog Carnival]

[Doug McCrae]

When did "geek" become synonymous with "nerd?"

I've just recently noticed this trend and it is bugging me.

The definition of geek has changed considerably over time, and there is no longer a definitive meaning. The terms nerd, gimp, dweeb, dork, and spod have similar meanings as geek, but many choose to identify different connotations amongst these terms, although the differences are disputed.

Wikipedia article - Geek

I always thought geeks were worse than nerds, cause of the bighting heads off chickens thing. To me a nerd is brainy and probably not very physically active. A geek is into the same things as a nerd but is an unsocialized freak. He might be brainy but it's hard to spot amidst all the facial tics and shrieking.

 

[Insight]

If you have to remind someone that they need to shower, they probably won't do it.

 

[pawsplay]

When did "geek" become synonymous with "nerd?"

I've just recently noticed this trend and it is bugging me.

Nerd originally meant "loser."

"Geek" originally meant the guy who bites the heads off chickens at a carnival, in other words, a visibly freaky and uninhibited person that disturbs and fascinates the ordinary person.

Neither one had much to do with playing MUDs, D&D, or LARPs until fairly recently.

 

[Pbartender]

(an arrow whizzes through the air and embeds itself in Role Playing Games)

Role Playing Games: (his dying words) Message for you, sir. (he falls)

Internet Forums: Role Playing Games! (spying the arrow) A note! "To whomever finds this note. Help. I am being held prisoner by my dungeon master who wishes me to play World of Warcraft against my will! Please, please, please, please rescue me. I am in the basement of my mother's house." A quest! A gamer in distress! Oh, Role Playing Games, noble Role Playing Games, you shall not have died in vain! (starts to draw sword)

Role Playing Games: I'm not quite dead yet, sir!

Internet Forums: (a bit put off) Well... you shall not have been... mortally wounded in vain! (draws sword)

Role Playing Games: I think I could pull through, sir.

Internet Forums: (a bit more put off) Role Playing Games, maybe you'd better stay here and rest a bit, eh?

Role Playing Games: Oh, I think I could come with you, sir...

Internet Forums: No, no, Role Playing Games, brave soul, you shall stay here, and I... I shall undertake a perilous quest to win freedom for a gamer and eternal fame for myself. Farewell, Role Playing Games! (runs off, leaving Role Playing Games looking after him perplexedly)

 

[Bagpuss]

• Is technology a key component of growing the hobby?
  It's made it a hell of a lot easier, by making communication easier. My main OD&D group is made up of guys who came together through message boards and said "hey, we're all on the same page, gaming-wise, and we're all pretty close. Let's start meeting face-to-face and get a game going."

That's not growing the hobby that's just treading water. Bringing existing gamers together stops losses, doesn't really grow the hobby though.

 

[IronWolf]

I think that more companies should take a page from the Expeditions program that WOTC is using. Paizo has got it's Pathfinder living campaign (I'm sorry, I'm blanking on the name right now) and that's a fantastic step in the right direction. Other RPG companies need to do this.

Pathfinder Society Organized Play. It is a great thing and allows people to get involved with games at cons, online play or local gaming stores without committing to a weekly campaign.

I would like to see Paizo do something similar to WotC here though and lower the bar just a bit more with something similar to the Encounters sessions. Short, two-hour-ish drop in games with pre-gens to allow one to get rolling very quickly and with minimal time investment.

• What are some pitfalls in trying to grow the hobby?
  Falling into the trap of thinking the hobby *must* grow or *should* grow (or *must not* shrink). Also falling into the trap of thinking the hobby lives or dies based on the success or failure of the biggest company or the biggest brand.

So true. I think the trap falls into the *must* grow mindset. Growth is good, but growth with no bounds can be harmful as well.

 

[ExploderWizard]

The hobby will not die if there are people engaged in it and teaching others. The industry that supports rpgs might experience huge ups and downs based on popularity trends and economic factors but overall the hobby itself will survive.

One might think that improved quality in technology based entertainment might be the end of pen and paper games but I don't see that ever happening. The desire for interactive entertainment with real people will be around as long as there are still people around.

The roleplaying hobby is resilient and the fans have enough energy to keep things going even without a supporting industry. Thanks to the internet and the ease of desktop publishing, there would continue to be a wealth of new roleplaying material always available. Look at some of the fansites and all of the hard work put into material for no monetary gain by die hard fans who just want to share their creations with others.

I like having shiny new products to buy as much as everyone else, but if the worst did come to pass and the rpg industry couldn't sustain itself I still wouldn't worry about the survival of the hobby.

Dave and Gary gave us a great deal more than a simple game. They provided the spark that lit the fire that can never be put out.

 

[DaveMage]

Based on the (almost rediculous) large volume of various RPG materials available, I'd say the hobby is doing just fine, thank you very much.

Individual companies may see things differently, but as a consumer, it's a very rich environment, IMO.

 

[Festivus]

Holy cats, where to begin...

Bringing in not only younger players (e.g. 12 and ups), but also bring back older (lapsed?) players. I think products like Red Box will get the latter, but I think also gaming companies could take a page from Apple. Give the product away to libraries, schools, summer camp programs, etc. There is tons of these camps every summer, and it could even be as simple as take any excess products from your worldwide games days and distribute it to those camps.

What are you doing to advance the hobby? I run a monthly meetup, I DM several times per month, and that is with a wife and kids at home. I make sure that my games are fun, that is most important. I make sure our meetup has at least one table per time slot that is aimed at bringing new players into the game. IF everyone who ran a game store event would do this we would see some growth. IF your FLGS doesn't have a regularly scheduled game day and they have space, why not suggest organizing a meetup for your store. For very little money, the game store could see a lot of increased traffic (if done right)

Is technology a key component of growing the hobby? No, but I do see technology as an enabler for those who may have been intimidated before e.g. character creation with the Character Builder has been a boon for 4E I feel, it's never been easier to make a character for any edition of the game.

Is the hobby fine the way it is? I think it is aging out. I mentioned before in another thread that the vast majority of players at my meetup are 21-40 age range. Those guys need to get married, have kids and teach their kids to play.

What are some pitfalls in trying to grow the hobby? The edition wars are not helping to grow the hobby. Agreeing to disagree and move on would probably be a good thing, particularly given it's been two years since 4E came out. Most have done this by now, but there are some holdouts, anytime WoTC posts on Facebook it's not long before someone says something related to the edition wars.

 

[MadBrewLabs]

First, I'd like to thank The Action Point for firing up this thread and everyone else for discussing it.

I don't think the hobby is dying, or will ever completely go away. The possibility of the death of the hobby wasn't even under consideration when I wrote the article that spawned this thread.

It's more of a "Where would you like the hobby to go from here?" and "How can we get there?" or even "Do we really care where it goes?"

Here's my original list of questions:

• How would you like to see the hobby grow?
• How can the community or publishers help grow the hobby?
• What are you doing to advance the hobby?
• What is hindering the growth of the hobby?
• Is technology a key component of growing the hobby?
• Is the hobby fine the way it is?
• What are some pitfalls in trying to grow the hobby?

I'm actually happy with the hobby as it is now, but I'm always interested in discussing how it could be improved. Growing the hobby doesn't necessarily mean obtaining tons of new players to me.

For me, just making things more accessible and developing a friendly image/atmosphere is what I would like to see. Whittle away at that social stigma that seems to be attached with the hobby.

Anyways, that my initial thoughts, I'll post a link back to this thread at the end of the month when I do my wrap-up of the carnival.

Thanks!