Peak of D&D: the 1980s?

[smetzger]

Tough call. I think coming up with hard numbers for the '80s would be very difficult. I am not even sure how someone can accurately estimate how many people actively play D&D right now.

Further complicating the matter is how the demographics of the game has changed. In the 80s the game was mostly played by Jr High, and High School kids, with a notable amount of college students. I believe the current demographics favor college educated professionals. The demographics effects the purchases and attendence at Cons.

I will say that I think there is a wider variety of material for D&D games and it is generally of higher quality available now then there was in the 80s.

 

[Imperialus]

Hrm... By my math.

I didn't game in the 80's.
I had a group of 4 in the 90's
I have a group of 7 today, including 2 girls! Hence D&D's popularity is growing. Right? Right? Ok, so my "study" wouldn't hold up to scientific anaysis. I'll shut up now.

 

[Buzzardo]

My take on it is this:

I am 35, and have been playing since 1979 (Top Secret was actually my first RPG), and I have seen it all come and go.

I am totally convinced that the game is bigger now than it has ever been. It just doesn't seem that way because it is so institutionalized now.

For years in the early 80's, the ONLY place I could buy gaming supplies was KB Toys! They had a tiny little display with the red and blue boxes, and a smattering of AD&D stuff. Then there was another place around '83, which was a traditional hobby store (model airplanes, baslawood, etc...) that had a small row dedicated to gaming. Wow! That was HUGE. Now, there are count 'em 3 full blown FLGSs in my very small market (Utah County, Utah). The game stores in Salt Lake are awesome (Hastur Hobbies is a massive store). Over and above that, I can get a better selection of gaming stuff at BDalton, Borders, and Media Play than I EVER could in the early eighties. And there is this thing called the "internet" I understand is pretty cool for buying games mail-order. From a purely supply standpoint, the game must be much larger than in the early 80s.

Also from my perspective... I see a slight majority of current players that are basicially Gen Xers. These are the kids that played in the 80's and never left for the most part. I also see LOTS of younger middle-school, high-school, and college age kids playing in Cons, game days, etc... I am always surprised at cons at how much grey hair there is! That is cool. (Especially since my wife has yanked out 4 or 5 greys from my own head, not that I can really spare 'em).

My only worry, is that less young players are starting up than needed for replacement value, let alone growth. If there is a flaw in 3rd edition, is that it has created a massive entry barrier in expense and indimidation to new players. Let's say you are a kid (13-16) and you wake up one day and on a lark decide to "get into D&D". You march down to the FLGS to "buy D&D". I am willing to bet that 8 out of 10 kids in that situation give up after staring at a mountain of material. Where, pray tell, do you start? Without a "coach" to tell you to buy the PHB first, how the heck would you figure it out? Ok. Great. Gimme a PHB. What does it cost? $40!!! Woah. I'll be back in 9 weeks, cause that's how long it's gonna take me to save up my allowance, including tax.

WOTC needs to address this. I understand that they are, but I hope they don't blow it.

IMHO... the game is vastly larger now than it has ever been. No doubt in my mind.

 

[CarlZog]

I suppose a lot of this depends on how you define "active players".

As we all know, RPGs and D&D, in particular, had a flash of popularity in the 80s that lead to super high public awareness and sales of related material. But I also suspect that the number of people actually participating in some RPG on a regular basis (monthly or better) was probably higher between 2000-2004 than between 1980-1985.

I agree with others who have suggested that the average player is older now than in the '80s (based totally on anecdotal evidence.). I think the increased presence of adults probably makes the average player a more committed, stable type of hobbyist now -- less likely than tweens and teens to flit off to the next pop culture fad.

Additionally the internet's ability to connect players has had a huge influence on the number of people able to find regular games, and stay involved in the hobby as "active players".

I have no hard data to back up these assertions, just a gut feeling after 25 years of play.

The marketing guys for WotC/Hasbro are probably the best bet for a detailed understanding of the current gaming demographic, but you probably won't get a look at that until the day you pry the data out of their cold, dead hands.

In the meantime, trade groups like GAMA may have some survey data compiled for press purposes.

Carl

 

[shilsen]

Sorry -- but nobody realizes that something is the "golden age" of x until it has passed away.

So your statement necessarily has the truth-value of: FALSE.

Actually it sounds like Peter's just ahead of the curve, since he realized it. You may not have, but that's your problem

Oh yeah - I say this is the Golden Age too. So there!

 

[Chainsaw Mage]

Don't swear on the boards, even if you obfusticate it. It isn't allowed.

F**K F**K F**K F**K!!!!

S**T S**T S**T S**T!!!

Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Sheeeesh, lighten up, "pennywiz".

 

[tarchon]

We're definitely at a pique in this thread.

 

[CarlZog]

If there is a flaw in 3rd edition, is that it has created a massive entry barrier in expense and indimidation to new players.
....
WOTC needs to address this. I understand that they are, but I hope they don't blow it.

The new D&D Basic Set supposedly came out last month: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndacc/966470000

I haven't seen it or any reviews of it yet, but I'm hoping it's good 'cause I've got several friends whose kids are just about reaching the right age...

 

[jmucchiello]

This is really simple

(I have been under the impression for quite some time that, at least in terms of popularity,) D&D enjoyed its peak during the 1980s.

"More people play Dungeons & Dragons now than ever before," says Charles Ryan, D&D's brand manager. "Every year, we sell more copies of the Player's Handbook than we did during the 1980s."

Read those two statements again. Some facts change in truth over time. At one time at least before 2000, D&D enjoyed its peak in the 1980s. At the current time, according the CR, it's peaking now. Both statements are not true, but the false statement was once true.

Perhaps you need to reevaluate your impression of D&D's popularity in light of the Mr. Ryan's recent statements.

 

[Akrasia]

...
2.) Communities- With the net, gamer communities are far larger than ever before. The community reinforces and supports our passion for the game. Without the communities, a lot more people would probably fall into the category of "I used to play in school."
....

Yeah, this probably does make a big difference! And not just for current editions -- I am sure people partial to any version of D&D have been more successful in finding players, etc., thanks to the internet.