Crossover Gamers - Do They Exist And Where Is The Data?

[WayneLigon]

OK, the last big survey I know about was Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0. There is mention of crossover between minitaures people, collectable card games, and computer gamers.

Is there any data on crossover from comics, SF/Fantasy literature fandom, TV fandom, movies, and other media sources?

I know very few gamers who are comics readers (3 of roughly 15 people), but many (12 of the 15) who also read SF/Fantasy literature not derived from a gaming sources (ie, Dragonlance/FR novels do not count). How many people go back and forth across that line and in what direction? (ie, did they read LotR first and then see the various games and become interested? How many gamers become interested in the literature side of things because of gaming?)

Have their been any surveys done on these kinds of crossover? And has any new research been done on the previously mentioned crossovers (card games/mins/computer)? If so, have those percentages changed?

 

[Caspian Moon Prince]

I'm a crossover gamer from playing Magic. I started playing magic at a local store and one day I came in and a group of magic players(mostly D&D players before hand) was asking if anyone wanted to play D&D. I jumped at the chance, and it changed my life forever *tear*

My interest in D&D had me crossing over more into fantasy literature.

 

[Henry]

I know TONS of gamers who used to read or still read comic books. I used to read them until 1990 or so, and shifted my cashflow into RPG's at that point. All the members of my current game group except 1 (that would be about 5 people) read comics or still do. Of my previous group, all of them did (about 10 people).

 

[diaglo]

i stopped reading comics in 1974.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

OCG in da house!!!

I don't know about actual research, just personal experience.

I started gaming because of my interest in comics, epics and sci-fi/fantasy literature. When I heard of D&D upon moving back to the USA in 1977, I thought it was great! Now I could pretend to be one of the heroes I read about in my literature of choice.

Many of my fellow gamers were also readers first, gamers second. However, I'm one of the few who continue to read sci-fi/fantasy not directly related to RPGs- and in fact, I studiously avoid those books. (I realize that many up-and-coming authors start off in those things, but I find them to be generally of lower quality than the other stuff out there.)

I also taught D&D to some kids whose initial exposure to the concept of RPGs came from computer games and M:TG, and one woman whose exposure came from hanging out with me and my college roomate. I don't, however, know if any of them still play.

 

[Aaron L]

Every gamer I know also reads (or read) comics, actively reads fantasy novels, and maybe 2/3 of them play video games.

 

[Umbran]

Is there any data on crossover from comics, SF/Fantasy literature fandom, TV fandom, movies, and other media sources?

None of which I'm aware. Market research is a difficult and expensive undertaking, and I don't know of anyone else who's attempted to do it with any rigor.

However, anecdotally, there's plenty of evidence for crossover from comic, literature, TV and movies. Just look at the superhero gmaes on the shelves, and all the games specifically modeled after specific TV, movie, or book franchises.

Have their been any surveys done on these kinds of crossover? And has any new research been done on the previously mentioned crossovers (card games/mins/computer)? If so, have those percentages changed?

Again, none of which I'm aware. I think the data you want simply has not been gathered. And anecdotes here on the boards are not a suitable substitute for well-collected data. Sorry.

 

[Wombat]

Don't all gamers own a copy of The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai??

Anyway, I got to rpgs through miniatures gaming, fantasy literature, and medieval lit.

Only read comics after I got into gaming, and that mainly Sandman.

Don't know what that does to the survey

 

[Morpheus]

...mainly Sandman

You rang? Personally, I got into gaming after reading sci-fi and fantasy books. Most of the people I know and game with got into gaming the same way.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

I got into D&D through Baldur's Gate, I still play CRPG's and other computer games, I read fantasy and occasional Sci-Fi, including some stuff not related to D&D (Lord of the Rings and the other ME books, Pratchett, The Worm Ouroboros, Adams), and I read comics once (before I started reading "real" books)

Most of the other RPG-players I know are play computer games, and some of them have read SciFi/Fantasy, both D&D and other stuff.