D&D General Some Interesting Stats About D&D Players!

The full cover spread for Phandelver and Below, by Antonio José Manzanedo​

GeekWire has reported on the recent D&D press event (which I've covered elsewhere). Along with all the upcoming product information we've all been devouring over the last day or two, there were some interesting tidbits regarding D&D player demographics.

• 60% of D&D players are male, 39% are female, and 1% identify otherwise
• 60% are “hybrid” players, who switch between playing the game physically or online
• 58% play D&D on a weekly basis
• 48% identify as millennials, 19% from Generation X and 33% from Generation Z
• The majority of current D&D players started with 5th Edition

 

[Oofta]

Nah, the data includes Gen X at 19%. It ignores Boomers.

Or just doesn't bother splitting that 19% into Xers and boomers.

 

[Lanefan]

Nowhere.
They started with nonWOTC D&D and still play nonWOTC D&D.

D&D is more than just 5e, and more than just WotC.

Which means, when stats or reports talk about "D&D players" it means all of us, including the non-WotC types.

Now if the stats or reports refer specifically to "5e D&D players", that's different. But that's not what we're seeing here.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

What about the Silent Generation and the Greatest Generation! How dare WotC ignore the people who helped defeat Hitler?

And why is music terrible these days? Why doesn't Andy Griffith have his own television show? And why does my doctor keep telling me to cut back on the salt in my diet?

Outrage!

Being mad at WotC because you all are getting older is pretty misdirected. If they can't even produce a decent drawing of a halfling, they certainly aren't in charge of the passage of time.

There has never been a time in the history of RPGs where more versions of every game were available in some form or other and more material is being created for each edition of D&D today (except for fourth, although you folks should check out 13th Age) than TSR created over its entire existence.

Instead of yelling at clouds, go find the things that bring you joy and go enjoy them.

 

[Lanefan]

A few options of where they went.

• They're playing old school games.
• They stopped playing. People get careers, have kids, life gets busy and something has to give.
• The categories is misleading, much like older surveys the 40+ group isn't further broken down in to categories.
• There are so many new players that even though a significant number of people from back when still play, their numbers are low in comparison.
• The data is flawed for multiple reasons. People answer questions with an age that they believe will get them noticed. It's widely accepted that most companies companies don't care much about older people so people put in a younger age so their vote in surveys is actually considered.

I suspect it's a combination of everything above.

For the first, even though they're playing old-school games, if it's old-school D&D they still count as D&D players.
For the second, what can WotC do to get them back in, later in life?
For the third and fifth, not much to be done about that.
The fourth might hold water.

 

[Oofta]

For the first, even though they're playing old-school games, if it's old-school D&D they still count as D&D players.

As far as WOTC is concerned? They aren't a target audience for new development.

For the second, what can WotC do to get them back in, later in life?
For the third and fifth, not much to be done about that.
The fourth might hold water.

This all assumes the information is at all accurate, which I would question. In any case, if you aren't buying current books they do provide a lot of the old material on DmsGuild, I think that's about all you can ever expect.

We don't know exactly where this data came from, what it's purpose is. An independent survey/study might get better detail and more information but I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[Lanefan]

As far as WOTC is concerned? They aren't a target audience for new development.

Why not, though?

I mean, the recent movie got pretty widespread coverage in the mainstream; and a tie-in marketing campaign aimed at the 55-75 cohort along the lines* of "Remember the game you used to play in college? Well it's still here - come on back and join the fun!" would have made loads of sense at likely a fairly low risk/cost to WotC.

I didn't see any such campaign. Did you?

* - only worded much much better than I put it here!

This all assumes the information is at all accurate, which I would question.

And hasn't been manipulated, which given WotC's track record (see: 1999 marketing survey, all responses from those above a cutoff age were discarded) I would question even more.

In any case, if you aren't buying current books they do provide a lot of the old material on DmsGuild, I think that's about all you can ever expect.

True. My question is more around how to make the current version of the game more attractive to older players, whether lapsed or still active.

 

[codo]

Why not, though?

I mean, the recent movie got pretty widespread coverage in the mainstream; and a tie-in marketing campaign aimed at the 55-75 cohort along the lines* of "Remember the game you used to play in college? Well it's still here - come on back and join the fun!" would have made loads of sense at likely a fairly low risk/cost to WotC.

I didn't see any such campaign. Did you?

* - only worded much much better than I put it here!

And hasn't been manipulated, which given WotC's track record (see: 1999 marketing survey, all responses from those above a cutoff age were discarded) I would question even more.

True. My question is more around how to make the current version of the game more attractive to older players, whether lapsed or still active.

Because they are targeting the much larger audience. You can't target everything to everyone. Sure WotC would like for boomers to buy there products, but they are not going to target them in place of millennials. A company has to make choices. Do they target their largest demographic, who could be playing for another 50 years? Or do they target boomers, who don't even register on their demographic data? Boomers who lets not kid our selves, most of which will be dead in 20 years.

It doesn't seem like a difficult choice to me. It sucks getting older, but that is hardly WotC fault.

 

[mamba]

Or just doesn't bother splitting that 19% into Xers and boomers.

that is my assumption

 

[Morrus]

Why not, though?

But why?

Accept if you will that targeting everyone is not feasible, reasonable, or indeed possible. Accept that pleading everybody is not an achievable goal.

So you choose who to target. Do you target the 90% who like your game and will be your customers for the next 40 years, or the 0.5% who don’t like your game and who—putting harshly—won’t be around for another 40 years?

One choice builds your business. The other stunts it.

Yeah getting old sucks. But you were s kid getting into D&D once. Now it’s somebody else’s turn to be that kid getting into D&D. And make no mistake, it was about youngsters in 1974 and it is now. That hasn’t changed.

 

[codo]

But why?

Accept if you will that targeting everyone is not feasible, reasonable, or indeed possible. Accept that pleading everybody is not an achievable goal.

So you choose who to target. Do you target the 90% who like your game and will be your customers for the next 40 years, or the 0.5% who don’t like your game and who—putting harshly—won’t be around for another 40 years?

One choice builds your business. The other stunts it.

Yeah getting old sucks. But you were s kid getting into D&D once. Now it’s somebody else’s turn to be that kid getting into D&D. And make no mistake, it was about youngsters in 1974 and it is now. That hasn’t changed.

Stop copying me.

I am feeling kind of proud here. Morrus just posted nearly the identical post as I did!