RPG Evolution: The Coming Social Collapse

The trend of letting social media platforms manage engagement for gaming communities is coming to an end. What's replacing it?

Picture courtesy of State of Create​

The "State of Create 2025" report, published by ConvertKit, offers a valuable snapshot of the evolving creator economy, revealing both the challenges and opportunities facing content creators today. For tabletop role-playing game creators, these shifts have profound implications, demanding a renewed focus on community building, direct fan engagement, and strategic diversification.

It All Falls Apart​

We're going through an unprecedented change as social media platforms who have long dominated discourse are beginning to collapse:

The major platforms are going through a lot right now. TikTok is fighting with Washington, YouTube and Instagram are fighting to win back attention from TikTok, X-née-Twitter is fighting to keep advertisers. And yet, unexpectedly, all of this volatility has actually helped creators by encouraging them to turn toward more stable, direct-to-fan revenue streams like subscriptions and sales of digital goods.

The report highlights the dominance of algorithm-driven "For You" pages on social media platforms. While these algorithms can offer creators a pathway to wider exposure, they make creators vulnerable to their whims. The "broad but shallow" approach to fandom becomes the default. Indie game creators, like their counterparts in other creative fields, often find themselves chasing fleeting trends, pressured to create short-form video content, constantly at the mercy of shifting algorithmic priorities. This makes it incredibly challenging to cultivate a stable audience base. The emphasis on engagement metrics over genuine connection can lead to creator burnout and a feeling disconnected rom the very communities they seek to serve.

From Broad to Deep​

In stark contrast to the algorithmic rollercoaster, the report underscores the growing importance of direct-to-fan relationships. This is in line with the Thousand Fan Theory, which states that rather than trying to engage a large audiences, creators are better served building a loyal following of 1,000 superfans.

It's becoming increasingly clear that cultivating a smaller, highly engaged community of superfans is far more valuable than a vast, but passive, following on social media (how many of these massive accounts ask questions of their fan base on social media and get no answer?). Dedicated fans, on the other hand, directly purchase products and act as passionate advocates for the creator's work. This deep connection empowers creators to build sustainable business models that are less dependent on the whims of platform algorithms. It's a shift away from the "broad" approach to fandom and towards a "deep" approach.

This "deep" approach is where focused online spaces become critical. Message boards like EN World offer a dedicated space for in-depth discussions, feedback, and community building. Similarly, platforms like Patreon provide a direct avenue for creators to offer exclusive content, behind-the-scenes glimpses into their creative process, and even opportunities for playtesting and direct input from their most dedicated supporters. Emerging platforms like Bluesky, with their emphasis on community ownership and control, offer another potential avenue for creators to build tighter, more engaged communities. These platforms allow for deeper engagement than the fleeting interactions on mainstream social media, which is increasingly seems to not be worth the effort.

What to Do About It​

The report also emphasizes the critical need for diversification. TTRPG creators can no longer rely solely on the sales of core rulebooks. A wide of revenue streams helps, including digital supplements, miniatures, merchandise, streaming content, and even organized play programs. Furthermore, they must be willing to experiment with new platforms, formats, and engagement strategies.

• Embrace the Direct-to-Fan Model: TTRPG creators can build strong relationships with their fans by offering exclusive content, such as digital products, physical products, or access to private communities. This can help to generate more stable income and foster a sense of belonging among fans. Crowdfunding tools like Kickstarter and Patreon are all a path forward here.
• Focus on Community: Building an engaged community is essential for long-term success. TTRPG creators can create opportunities for fans to interact with each other, such as online forums, Discord servers, or in-person events. This helps foster a loyal fan base. My experience with Bluesky has proven that the community is very receptive to discussing and supporting creative content, including RPGs.
• Leverage Social Media Platforms Strategically: While the "For You" page can be challenging, social media platforms can still be valuable tools for reaching potential fans. I stopped paying for Facebook ads to drive traffic to my page and instead shifted those dollars to Buffer, which allows me to schedule posts out throughout the year on multiple platforms.

It's becoming clear that just "grinding it out" to grow a fanbase is no longer a viable option as the bigger social media platforms have given up on rewarding content creators in favor of monetizing their platforms with dollars from much larger brands.

Conclusion​

In some ways, the State of Create confirms what those of us who have been struggling on social media have always suspected: things are getting worse. By embracing the direct-to-fan model, building strong communities, and leveraging social media strategically, TTRPG creators at least have a path forward. The "For You" page might be fleeting, but a loyal fanbase -- unlike social media -- is forever.

 

[doctorhook]

Not really. "Social media' refers to microblogging sites, sites where you can "friend" people, and sites where a sense of community is levereged to subtly manipulate users to divulge personal information so that advertisers can profile them better. It doesn't just mean any site where users interact

You’re complicating the definition. It’s online media and it’s social, that’s it. It might be outmoded compared to the archetypal “social media” but it definitely is social media.

Penguins and ostriches may not look like typical birds, but they’re definitely still birds.

 

[Belen]

Not as many as you think. This sounds like carving a niche of something you like out of a broad definition that you dont.

I am happy to disagree and I do not care if some folks consider boards as social media. I happily do not. My main issue with social media apps like FB, TikTok, Instagram, etc is the proto-narcisstic nature of creating a public profile to just talk about yourself and get lots of people engaging/watching you. It is not really a community.

I have watched as FB, for instance, largely seemed to destroy real interaction. Instead of calling someone or making time to see/visit. You just watch them on FB to "keep up with them." For example, both my parent's died within a year of each other. Which did I prefer, the folks who called or sent cards or the people who gave me "hug" reactions via my wife's FB page?

"Social media" tends to be the absence of real human social interaction. I'd rather someone take the time to call me once a year than post a reaction to a page on a daily basis.

The boards maintain a deeper connection as they, at least, offer more in-depth discussion. You tend to learn more about people and get deeper nuance from conversations than posting about yourself on a brand page.

It's fine if folks disagree. I detest social media and the cancers it has created.

I absent forums and boards from socials because it has a depth of conversation that apps have never achieved. I also do not consider them "media" in any traditional sense.

 

[Blue]

I haven’t had much of a presence on any social media since 2013 and prefer the direct connection on patreon, kickstarter and such I’ve fostered.

The part I'm missing is how do you find those patreons and such without social media, even if it's old school social media like ENWorld or other forums.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I also do not consider them "media" in any traditional sense.

If we're completely throwing out the dictionary now, argle fargle squidpants.

 

[Belen]

The part I'm missing is how do you find those patreons and such without social media, even if it's old school social media like ENWorld or other forums.

I find that Google or DuckDuckGo helps me find things on the internet.

 

[Bohandas]

You’re complicating the definition. It’s online media and it’s social, that’s it. It might be outmoded compared to the archetypal “social media” but it definitely is social media.

I'll grant that that's what you get form the literal meaning of the idiom;s component words

 

[Juxtapozbliss]

I am happy to disagree and I do not care if some folks consider boards as social media. I happily do not. My main issue with social media apps like FB, TikTok, Instagram, etc is the proto-narcisstic nature of creating a public profile to just talk about yourself and get lots of people engaging/watching you. It is not really a community.

I have watched as FB, for instance, largely seemed to destroy real interaction. Instead of calling someone or making time to see/visit. You just watch them on FB to "keep up with them." For example, both my parent's died within a year of each other. Which did I prefer, the folks who called or sent cards or the people who gave me "hug" reactions via my wife's FB page?

"Social media" tends to be the absence of real human social interaction. I'd rather someone take the time to call me once a year than post a reaction to a page on a daily basis.

The boards maintain a deeper connection as they, at least, offer more in-depth discussion. You tend to learn more about people and get deeper nuance from conversations than posting about yourself on a brand page.

It's fine if folks disagree. I detest social media and the cancers it has created.

I absent forums and boards from socials because it has a depth of conversation that apps have never achieved. I also do not consider them "media" in any traditional sense.

You are assuming that people don't post on these message boards for performative reasons. Some don't but I feel confident saying that some do. They want to present themselves in this media in certain ways. It can be just as much about a persona as tik-tok. I will also say that I have never made a real-world friend from these message boards, but I did develop some real world relationships from Twitter when I was on there for a couple years. Twitter was a cesspool of toxic content, but I also became friends with a handful of them, which is more than i can say for any message boards that I participate in. At the same time, I quit Twitter when I determined it was too addictive and was taking up too much of my time. I quit FB when Zuckerberg revealed his right wing political biases. I haven't gone back, and I find EN World informative, but I have made no deeper connections than other social media. I also think there are unpleasant and toxic interactions on this site too, some even emotional upsetting ones to experience. but it's tolerable compared to what I experienced on Twitter.

 

[VHawkwinter]

I've made some friends from FB, but typically it's because of the built in messenger, rather than through the conversations. Something people use forums for less, though you do also have an inbox here.

I still have FB, but it's for the FB groups and messenger. I actively purge doom from it.

 

[Staffan]

Folks don't even think about Discord as Social Media, as it has settled into a niche much much more like old fashioned Forums,

Discord feels more like a logged IRC to me than a forum. It's primarily a synchronous chat. No-one would expect a reply to something a day old on Discord, while that's par for the course on a forum.

 

[MGibster]

If we're completely throwing out the dictionary now, argle fargle squidpants.

Sir, I am a squidpant as was my father and his father before him.