I want to spin this out of another thread so it doesn't get lost.
What do you think the lasting impacts of the coronavirus pandemic will be on D&D (and gaming in general). We have seen a significant increase in new players. The numbers were already on the rise, thanks to 5E, Critical Role and other pop culture, but the pandemic had lots of people looking for entertainment and D&D delivered. Of course, it mostly delivered online. That isn't to say that people weren't play on VTTs or via Skype/Zoom/Discord/whatever, but it exploded during lockdowns. Lockdown also pushed a lot of fan creation and semi-pro work. You can find pretty much any kind of thing for D&D you want, whether for free, a nominal fee, or for professional prices. Interest drove creativity drove sales drove interest etc... And one more really important thing to note: a whole lot of these new people are young. Their "fantasy" is rooted in Harry Potter and Avatar moreso than Conan or Lord of the Rings. They are also more diverse in almost every category. The shape, tone, aesthetic and feel of D&D is changing because of what they bring to the community.
So, all that said, what does D&D look like 2 or 4 or 10 years after Covid? Do we still play primarily online? Is D&D still big? Do the Zoomers follow the Millenials into the game as we GenXers and Boomers die off? How does the marriage of technology and tabletop evolve? What do in-person conventions look like? Do we play D&D in bars again? Does the D&D movie become a blockbuster, spawning an MCU level franchise?
SPeculate away!
What do you think the lasting impacts of the coronavirus pandemic will be on D&D (and gaming in general). We have seen a significant increase in new players. The numbers were already on the rise, thanks to 5E, Critical Role and other pop culture, but the pandemic had lots of people looking for entertainment and D&D delivered. Of course, it mostly delivered online. That isn't to say that people weren't play on VTTs or via Skype/Zoom/Discord/whatever, but it exploded during lockdowns. Lockdown also pushed a lot of fan creation and semi-pro work. You can find pretty much any kind of thing for D&D you want, whether for free, a nominal fee, or for professional prices. Interest drove creativity drove sales drove interest etc... And one more really important thing to note: a whole lot of these new people are young. Their "fantasy" is rooted in Harry Potter and Avatar moreso than Conan or Lord of the Rings. They are also more diverse in almost every category. The shape, tone, aesthetic and feel of D&D is changing because of what they bring to the community.
So, all that said, what does D&D look like 2 or 4 or 10 years after Covid? Do we still play primarily online? Is D&D still big? Do the Zoomers follow the Millenials into the game as we GenXers and Boomers die off? How does the marriage of technology and tabletop evolve? What do in-person conventions look like? Do we play D&D in bars again? Does the D&D movie become a blockbuster, spawning an MCU level franchise?
SPeculate away!