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

 

[MGibster]

I had to look this up because as it turns out, only a certain corner of the internet cared for more than a nanosecond, but man that's hilarious. 'Oh no, mah manliness is threatened by the movie about the children's game I enjoy!'. Sad, fragile Alphas are the best.

You laugh, but when I was in middle school D&D used to beat me up and steal my lunch money.

 

[Parmandur]

But I guess that just reinforces your point that this is only interesting information as in pertains to the thinking of WotC, whether or not the thinking is following the data or the data following the thinking.

It's really the only thing we can know for sure. However, the data as presented aligns with what I have observed, so it seems reasonable.

 

[Hussar]

I guess everyone is just lying.

Every poll or information shared by every single rpg or rpg related company has said the same thing (or nearly so) as what WotC has said here for the past forty years or so.

Other than the growth of women in the hobby I suppose.

You can go back to Dragon magazine reader polls in the 80’s and the age breakdown for DnD is pretty much identical to what we see now.

I guess everyone is just lying?

Insisting that the numbers are wrong in the face of thirty or forty years of corroborating evidence is impressive. It takes a special kind of stubbornness to ignore years of evidence in favour of completely baseless speculation.

 

[Vaalingrade]

You laugh, but when I was in middle school D&D used to beat me up and steal my lunch money.

That's because it was jealous that you're so smart and handsome.

That or because it had a crush on you.

Or both.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

You laugh, but when I was in middle school D&D used to beat me up and steal my lunch money.

D&D certainly walked away with all of my allowance as a kid.

 

[Morrus]

I suspect old flavors of DND have more players than 5e combined which is he key point Hasbro would like to bury.

Not that 'suspicion' is data, but even if that was true (it's obviously not), so what? WotC is a game company selling a product. People who aren't interested in that product are not their target market. People who buy cucumbers might outnumber people who buy iPhones, but Apple isn't going to turn into a grocer. I sell certain game products, but far more people buy car tyres. Nevertheless, I'm not going to start selling car tyres.

 

[MGibster]

Usually children and teenages haven't enough money to spend in the hobby, and adults haven't enough time to play.

Teens here in the United States have had a good amount of purchasing power for the better part of a century now and D&D has never been particularly expensive. I started buying D&D books of my own way back in 1989 when I was 13 and it's not like I came from a wealthy family. At $18, the PHB would cost the equivalent of $44 today. TSR was certainly happy to market to a teen audience, and you don't generally market a product at a demographic you don't think can afford it.

 

[Minigiant]

There is a difference between players and people who spend their money into D&D products.

Usually children and teenages haven't enough money to spend in the hobby, and adults haven't enough time to play.

"Prime of our working lives but can't afford to have children on purpose" Millennials are probably the BEST demo for a hobby company to market to.

 

[Mistwell]

Considering I'm on an FB group (D&D for Old Dudes) that has 37,199 members and Boomers out number Gen Xers 2 to 1 in there, I doubt it.

They're playing older versions of the game or OSR games.

 

[MichaelSomething]

WOTC can ignore the 55+ demographic at their peril!