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.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Your definition is artificially narrow, and does not match that of those who study the phenomena of human interaction on the internet.

"Social media" is a very broad category. It includes many different types of systems, and is generally not dependent on the content being shared.

Social media includes blogging, micro-blogging, social networks, discussion forums and message boards, media-sharing, and other systems.

Then we need a new term, because simply saying "social media" is functionally meaningless and accomplishes nothing.

 

[Umbran]

Then we need a new term, because simply saying "social media" is functionally meaningless and accomplishes nothing.

I disagree. Please remember that social media is a term to contrast with traditional media, another broad category - radio, TV, movies, print news, magazines, books - which are qualitative different in character.

And, there are already terms for the sub-types of social media. X/Twitter and bluesky, for example, are microblogging sites. ENWorld is a messageboard, and so on.

But, part of the problem i already see in this discussion is the implication that many of the issues of other forms of other social media do not exist here, that we are "better" than them.

And hoo-boy would you be wrong about that. The type of media venue is not the controlling factor of most of the things people dislike about social media.

 

[Belen]

Then we need a new term, because simply saying "social media" is functionally meaningless and accomplishes nothing.

Agreed.

The term social media specifically arose around platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube etc and arose after chatrooms, forums, and VoiPs. Those platforms do not serve the same purpose as places like forums.

I could see micro-blogging or blogging as a form of social media because it has more in common with the social media platforms such as personal branding.

I come to ENWorld to interact with people and discuss a hobby I love. I use YouTube as an entertainment/media platform that allows me to leave comments but you're not really interacting with anyone.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I come to ENWorld to interact with people and discuss a hobby I love. I use YouTube as an entertainment/media platform that allows me to leave comments but you're not really interacting with anyone.

I've interacted with other commenters on YouTube to every bit the degree I do on Reddit. Heck, I've done so on Facebook. They may be less efficient at letting conversations go on than in a traditional forum or a threaded mailing list, but the kinds of conversation are not different in kind.

 

[michaeljpastor]

Your definition is artificially narrow, and does not match that of those who study the phenomena of human interaction on the internet.

"Social media" is a very broad category. It includes many different types of systems, and is generally not dependent on the content being shared.

Social media includes blogging, micro-blogging, social networks, discussion forums and message boards, media-sharing, and other systems.

Forums predate 'social media' as a term.

It may be applied retroactively, but as a form, it was not created after the term. The application is therefore arbitrary.

 

[Umbran]

I could see micro-blogging or blogging as a form of social media because it has more in common with the social media platforms such as personal branding.

As I just noted, x/Twitter is the iconic micro-blogging site. There isn't a difference - you can microblog about RPGs, or about your personal brand. The medium doesn't dictate the content.

You realize that, by necessity, personal branding efforts need to be a minority of the actual action on social media, right? Personal branding requires an audience. The audience is there to chat, post their opinions, and look for cat pictures. If they were involved in their own branding efforts, they'd not be paying attention to your branding efforts, and the thing would fall apart.

I come to ENWorld to interact with people and discuss a hobby I love.

Sure but people do that on Twitter and Facebook too.