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Peak of D&D: the 1980s?
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<blockquote data-quote="Belen" data-source="post: 1810789" data-attributes="member: 1405"><p>It's difficult to say whether the game "peaked" in the 80s. DnD certainly had more face time in the 80s with all the various products, such as lunchboxes and cartoons, yet it was heavily stigmatized at the time.</p><p></p><p>I would say that, yes, the game currently has more players now than during the 80s. Here is why I believe it.</p><p></p><p>1.) Computers game now offer a portal into the PnP world. PC market to a huge audience.</p><p></p><p>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."</p><p></p><p>3.) Family- As gamers age, we naturally try to pass on our passion to our families. I taught my wife to play and we both plan on teaching our children. This allows the game to be multi-generational.</p><p></p><p>4.) Audience- the game IS multi-generational. At the worldwide gameday, I saw at least 3 generations of people in the same room. Most hobbies/ games do not have that appeal.</p><p></p><p>In terms of marketing, DnD peaked in the 80s. It was a fad at the time, and a lot of people probably owned a piece of the fad who never played the game. Some watched cartoons, other used the lunchbox, but many of those people did not play the game. As I said, the game had a stigma that the merchandise did not, so that probably caused a lot of people who may have enjoyed the cartoon etc to not play.</p><p></p><p>In terms of players, I honestly believe that more exist now than in the 80s. We have grown quietly, but we have grown. The game just does not have the public face/ scrutiny that existed in the 80s.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Belen, post: 1810789, member: 1405"] It's difficult to say whether the game "peaked" in the 80s. DnD certainly had more face time in the 80s with all the various products, such as lunchboxes and cartoons, yet it was heavily stigmatized at the time. I would say that, yes, the game currently has more players now than during the 80s. Here is why I believe it. 1.) Computers game now offer a portal into the PnP world. PC market to a huge audience. 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." 3.) Family- As gamers age, we naturally try to pass on our passion to our families. I taught my wife to play and we both plan on teaching our children. This allows the game to be multi-generational. 4.) Audience- the game IS multi-generational. At the worldwide gameday, I saw at least 3 generations of people in the same room. Most hobbies/ games do not have that appeal. In terms of marketing, DnD peaked in the 80s. It was a fad at the time, and a lot of people probably owned a piece of the fad who never played the game. Some watched cartoons, other used the lunchbox, but many of those people did not play the game. As I said, the game had a stigma that the merchandise did not, so that probably caused a lot of people who may have enjoyed the cartoon etc to not play. In terms of players, I honestly believe that more exist now than in the 80s. We have grown quietly, but we have grown. The game just does not have the public face/ scrutiny that existed in the 80s. [/QUOTE]
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