Attracting new people to gaming -- ideas and strategies

[William Ronald]

In light of the discussion of the health of the industry in the Is the Market Dying? thread,
I thought it would be a good idea to discuss ways that we can recruit new gamers, especially young people to our hobby. I know that there are many local efforts, such as games at the local FLGS, as well as larger efforts such as the Worldwide D&D Game Day on November 5th. There are also groups dedicated to bringing gamers together, such as Dungeons and Dragons Meetup.

In some ways, I think it is a little harder to introduce people to gaming than to sports -- which are far more visible and at least can have many people participate vicariously by watching a game. On a positive note, I have seen second generation gamers as people have brought their children to various RPGA events and some of the EN World Gamedays. Also, I think that much of the stigma of role playing games that existed in the 1980s has vanished. Fantasy, horror, and science fiction also have seen a bit of a boost with the popularity of such things as Harry Potter, the Lord of the Rings, and various television series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I wonder what we can do as gamers to help bring people into the hobby and keep them as active gamers. Similarly, I wonder what the various companies and industry organizations can do to help introduce new people to our hobby. Is there a need for new introductory games, like the Dungeons and Dragons basic set, or products to help make it easier for new players and GMS, from adventures to electronic aids? Or is there a need for some organized efforts. I know that the RPGA has run game demos in the past, and that WotC has a Delegate Program. (Perhaps someone can provide more information on this, as well as some reflections on what first tiem players want to know about our hobby?)

While I believe it is important for companies to serve the needs of existing players, I think that it is also important for our hobby as a whole to gain some new gamers. I am an optimist about this. I think that we can find ways of bringing new people into our hobby. Our hobby does not have a lack of intelligent, creative and passionate people.

So, what can we do to get more people into into gaming? (For myself, I do run an occiassional event at different Chicago EN World Gamedays and I am active in the local Chicagoland D&D Meetup group.)

 

[Hussar]

Well, speaking for myself, gaming face to face is physically impossible, unless my players wanted to swim a REALLY long way. However, I think spreading the word of programs like OpenRPG or others could really help. These programs are pretty close to tabletop gaming, if you have a good DM, and the amount of really good artwork out there means that it can be a very visually pleasing experience. I've found that most artists don't mind you nicking their pics so long as you ask first. Unless the pics happened to be licensed to someone else, most artists are pretty groovy about letting you use their stuff (Thanks Hunter McFalls).

I've been trying to get this World's Largest Dungeon project off the ground for a couple of months now. I just had a setback as one of my potential DM's just crapped out on me, but, I really think if I can get the DM's, we can get the players. To see more info, click on my siggie. (C'mon, click my siggie, you know you want to. )

Is this the kind of thing you are looking for?

 

[Steverooo]

So, what can we do to get more people into into gaming?

My answer can be found in the thread entitled "An Experiment in 'Teaching' D&D", wherein I described my old college friend and I getting together last Thanksgiving, and playing with his two sons, and two teens who happened to be there (only one of whom had "heard about it, before", but never played).

More recently, his youngest son found out that he wasn't going to be in the same class as all his friends, and was bummed. He didn't believe all the stuff about how he'd make lotsa new friends, so his dad and he talked about it, and Dad told him that, if he could find some kids, and get Mom & Dad's phone numbers so that he could call them and make sure it was okay, that his Dad would run a game for all of them... Keith's already given him the names of several kids (hopefully, none of the parents remember the 1980s garbage)!

And that's how we'll grow D&D. One kid at a time...

"Knights, mount up, and draw your swords!"

 

[Romnipotent]

play in open spaces and invite people to watch, offer snacks and drinks.

 

[eyebeams]

The RPG industry needs to be able to collectively present its wares and how to use them. Unfortunately, this initiative requires a level of cooperation that we don't currently have. The root of the problem is that companies often don't want to promote anybody but themselves. The fact of the matter, though, is that the general public is about as interested in approaching an entire pastime through a single game about as much as you would enjoy a baseball league with two teams.

This doesn't mean that there are masses of people yeaning to play CoC out there. It means that variety is an attraction even to folks who don't make use of it. Even if you only really follow one or two teams in a sport, the others are what make it interesting. Even if you only listed to Britpop, the fact that it exists in a sea of genres gives it room to distinguish itself.

Another step would be formalizing what hobbyists aready do, by categorizing games by genre and rules set. John Nephew had the idea of labels that store owners could use to clearly categorize their stock, but unfortunately, nobody was there to really back him up and push them.

The time has passed when we could just rely on grassroots outreach. What's needed is cooperative, industry-driven efforts to:

* Remind people what RPGs are and how to play them.
* Remove their stigma.
* Demonstrate the depth of the form (not necessarily "artistically," but in terms of variety).
* Deal with the press with both proactive and reactive PR campaigns. Don't just deal with bad press -- create good press and turn one body into the go-to group for the media.

I think another problem is the design of games -- a problem that started during the legal arrangement that separated D&D from AD&D. WE don't have to deal with that any more, but it hangs like an albatross.

If you look back to the B/X/C/M/I sets, you see a brilliant way to gradually immerse players in the complexities of an RPG. TSR did a great job here -- but it shot itself in the foot by providing a completely different game for the core of hobbyists. So folks "graduated" from box sets to books for a much different iteration of D&D. One was elegantly designed for newcomers to exerts, but the other was more heavily supported by the player network.

Everybody still makes this mistake. 3e emulated AD&D but again, has a "fake" game to draw folks in -- one that they will abandon if they play for an extended period. Every other company emulated AD&D -- the game for gamers -- and use some variation on the "fake game" (like fast play rules) in a halfhearted attempt to get players.

These days, I think the "fake game" should be *the* game. I believe traditional RPGs should introduce their full complexity over several core releases instead of from a corebook to supplemental "options" which subdivide the fanbase To be honest, it would get completists to buy more books, but the "basic games" of each line would be playable without being obsolete once the buyer chose a deeper commitment -- and the sequential nature of releases would ensure that commitment as well as whet the appetite for rules mastery that many people have. Such players would just have to financially commit to the most complex, "high level" iterations of the game.

 

[Ravenknight]

Me I´m preparing to run some introduction games at the LFGS and see what comes out of it. The kids here are heavy into GW´s warhammer tabletopgames but most of them don´t play RPGs. It´s a nice crowd so I have high hopes that this will turn out to the best.

 

[Krug]

I wonder if MMORPG players who are also RPG players could discuss RPGs over at those forums (eg: Guild Wars, Everquest, World of Warcraft). Bring attention to the new products coming out, or ideas, and how more flexible tabletop RPGing is. It's not to put down MMORPGs, but to explain how tabletop RPGs are a different ballgame. There's no need to do hardcore advocacy or say how one is superior to the other, but just to establish a presence and show how tabletop RPGs are also a fun way to experience the game world the MMORPGs are in.

Another suggestion is to have tabletop RPGers at those conventions, such as the upcoming Blizzcon or the Everquest conventions. My 2 cents.

 

[derbacher]

As suggested earlier, "one kid at a time".

I have started a regular sunday game for my two daughters and four of their friends, and we all have a great time! They can't believe that "the old guy" can come up with stories that are fun. I do tone down the gore/sex/evil level from what is found in most published modules, and everyone's parents have been great with it. I'm a teacher in the same area for 21 years, so everyone knows me and my family. I have my regular "adult" game on wednesday, and now a whole new game with a new generation of players.

Worldwide D&D Gameday sounds great, but with no FLGS within an hour and a half, it's not really an option.

So in summation: go out and find some kids and teach them!

 

[Tinner]

The idealist in me thinks WotC has the right idea with their new Afternoon Adventures With Dungeons & Dragons programs in local libraries. I just hope they actually get some responses, and that the program actually gets some support.

The realist in me says that what gaming needs to become truly ubiquitous and popular is the same thing that poker needed. Big-time money.
Poker has literally exploded with the advent of things like the World Series of Poker. The organizers of these events have hit the nail on the head by convincing the fans of two things:

1 - That ANYONE has a shot at winning.
2 - That winning could make them rich.

This formula has worked for singing and dancing too, with the popularlity of American Idol, and So You Think You Can Dance? Even with cruel judges they get huge turnouts for auditions because everyone thinks they have a shot, and they want that fame and fortune.

This formula even worked to a lesser extent for Magic: the Gathering. The DCI's Pro-Tour has made MtG players feel that any of them could be the next winner, and that winning will net them some cold hard cash.

I realize that D&D is a fundamentally different kind of game, but if WotC were to devise some sort of tournament format that gave ANY player the feeling they could be the next big winner, and that being that winner would be a prize worth seeking.

I think Niven & Barnes were on to something when they came up with the International Fantasy Gaming Society in their Dream Park books. Sponsored teams competing in the same modules in tournament format, standardized scoring, some method of making gaming into a spectator sport (hey, they did it with poker!), and a big cash payout would all add up to increased popularity for gaming.

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

Sadly, the RPGA seems to be doing little to attract new people. The companies themselves don't really see it as a collective issue. This leaves the individual gamer and to a lesser extent the FLGS.

In the past five years I have been able to bring over 4 people who either have never gamed before or who had limited experience.

I think 4 people is pretty darn good!