But, back to D&D. As [MENTION=6670153]gyor[/MENTION] said, social media presents an unparalleled avenue of D&D experience and advertisement. The Stream of Many Eyes was an experience never seen before, and I’m super-excited for the eventual next one. There are so many ways to experience D&D, not just as a game, but as a culture.
This. I'm not going to spend hours watching release-party streams, but I would have LOVED to have attended. It would be great if they would do release parties in multiple cities at the same time. The logistics and costs of that may not make sense, but I would definitely attend if I didn't have to fly to Los Angeles. Unlikely they would do it in the Twin Cities area, but Chicago could work.
Also, a couple years ago the Acquisitions Incorporated live game was shown in movie theaters throughout the United States though Fathom Events. The one I went to in Minneapolis was PACKED. All attendees got a softcover adventure and watching the stream with a live audience was a lot of fun. Apparently, they most not have made enough money, because they have not done it again.
But I feel we are close to folks figuring this out. Part of me worries that about D&D becoming passive entertainment and a spectator sport, but part of what drives the popularity of playing sports is the interest fed by watching them.
Speaking of sport, I like how LARPing is starting to break into the main stream. It wasn't very long ago where politicians had to defend themselves against ridicule when evidence of participating in LARPs was revealed. But I'm seeing more an more activities that seem to feed the kind of make believe that drive interest in LARPing.
Cardboard Camps are huge (
here's the one my kids go to in the summer). I could see Hasbro making a branding deal for a D&D themed cardboard camp.
Escape rooms are huge. Some have fantasy, medieval, or ancient dungeon themes. Again, why isn't there more branding deals for these?
In personal fitness, I'm starting to see more "geeky options."
Critical Fit was a recent Kickstarter that tries to use RPG mechanics to help you build a work out routine, with options for gaining XP, leveling up, and completing quests. There is also
Dungeons & Workouts and
d20 athletics. The problem I find is that is really isn't fun in isolation.
What I would like to see is fitness-focused LARP groups. When I used be involved with the Society of Creative Anachronisms (SCA), the holiday events and fairs were fun, sure. But the bread and butter of the SCA were the weekly fighting practices. I would be cools to see a fitness program that was integrated with a well-designed LARP ruleset, and supported by a community and local gyms and apps and social media. Again, branding opportunities exist.