darjr
I crit!
The RPG Countdown podcast is growing the number of sources for it's top 10 list.
It a great cast besides.
It a great cast besides.
Industry status
- Thread starter Katemare
- Start date
The Little Raven
First Post
Second Life already does this. It's a lot harder to create content than it is to consume content, and it's way harder to create GOOD content than crappy content.
If you're expecting an MMO GM to wait on small groups of players hand and foot to create a custom experience, you're in for disappointment. The amount of training and practice one would need to do such a thing is far beyond what game companies are willing to spend on such a larger labor pool. GMs are basically customer service reps right now, and they comprise the largest part of most MMO-makers labor pool already.
Due to these two factors, MMOs will not take that away from tabletop RPGs for a longtime to come.
For me, MMOs and other video games are not competition for tabletop play. They offer different experiences. They are different in kind, not in type. Video games are entertainment. You play them and are entertained. RPGs are a hobby. They require time outside of play, scheduling, and networking with other gamers.
I'm firmly convinced that what the hobby needs isn't a different game system or for a company to use a new strategy to survive. It is up to us, the gamers, to get more people involved in the hobby.
I run a meetup.com group for my home town. Since I started in January, I've met a lot of gamers. Met some people who gamed years ago but didn't know anyone to play. Met some people that wanted to game but just moved. Met some people that always thought RPGs sounded neat, but again, never knew anyone who played. I can think of half a dozen regular games happening in Springfield right now - something at least Monday-Friday.
So what do we need to do? Just do it!
- Keep a friendly inviting atmosphere.
- Tell newcomers to come to a meetup group before trying to get into people's home games to make sure that 'your playstyles mesh' (ie., you aren't some kinda weirdo)
- Have regular events with group input into them.
- Run one-shots, not a campaign. People will be more hesitant to come if its a regular campaign. Try out different games!
- Play these in public. You want those kids buying Yi-Gi-Oh cards or whatever seeing how much fun you are having playing RPGs.
- Be paitent, it will take time to grow. You'll also get a lot of people that sign up, post messages even, then vanish. Don't worry about it - its the internet.
- Get a game store to sponsor you, so you can have meetups in their store. If you can push sales, even on small stuff, do it. Happy store owner is a part of my success.
*This* is what will save gaming. Gamers getting over their prejudices, their insular nature, their sniping at people who have a slightly different nerd than they do. Have fun, get people gaming.
But truly I didn't start this because I wanted to wave the gamer flag. I just wanted to meet new gamers and have fun playing all these games on my shelf. And it worked wonderfully. I'm turning down games, games that I want to play, that have people in them I want to game with. Just no time.
I'm firmly convinced that what the hobby needs isn't a different game system or for a company to use a new strategy to survive. It is up to us, the gamers, to get more people involved in the hobby.
I run a meetup.com group for my home town. Since I started in January, I've met a lot of gamers. Met some people who gamed years ago but didn't know anyone to play. Met some people that wanted to game but just moved. Met some people that always thought RPGs sounded neat, but again, never knew anyone who played. I can think of half a dozen regular games happening in Springfield right now - something at least Monday-Friday.
So what do we need to do? Just do it!
- Keep a friendly inviting atmosphere.
- Tell newcomers to come to a meetup group before trying to get into people's home games to make sure that 'your playstyles mesh' (ie., you aren't some kinda weirdo)
- Have regular events with group input into them.
- Run one-shots, not a campaign. People will be more hesitant to come if its a regular campaign. Try out different games!
- Play these in public. You want those kids buying Yi-Gi-Oh cards or whatever seeing how much fun you are having playing RPGs.
- Be paitent, it will take time to grow. You'll also get a lot of people that sign up, post messages even, then vanish. Don't worry about it - its the internet.
- Get a game store to sponsor you, so you can have meetups in their store. If you can push sales, even on small stuff, do it. Happy store owner is a part of my success.
*This* is what will save gaming. Gamers getting over their prejudices, their insular nature, their sniping at people who have a slightly different nerd than they do. Have fun, get people gaming.
But truly I didn't start this because I wanted to wave the gamer flag. I just wanted to meet new gamers and have fun playing all these games on my shelf. And it worked wonderfully. I'm turning down games, games that I want to play, that have people in them I want to game with. Just no time.
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