So don't hate the game, hate the playa! 
RPG Illegal File Sharing Hurts the Hobby
JamesDJarvis
First Post
Does file "sharing" hurt the RPG industry ? Most certainly.
Does file sharing hurt the hobby? No. The hobby itself is not the RPG industry. Distribution of information doesn't harm the average hobbyist/ user of that information. RPGs started as a sub industry in a cottage industry that had a not all that many people working in it. There are hundreds upon hundreds of people producing material for free every day and for profit publishing is just a fraction of the hobby. If all the publishing houses producig rpgs for profit stpped today there'd still be many sources pumping out new stuff all the time.
I'm not advocating distributing files you don't have the right to distribute. But the hobby is more then an industry.
Does file sharing hurt the hobby? No. The hobby itself is not the RPG industry. Distribution of information doesn't harm the average hobbyist/ user of that information. RPGs started as a sub industry in a cottage industry that had a not all that many people working in it. There are hundreds upon hundreds of people producing material for free every day and for profit publishing is just a fraction of the hobby. If all the publishing houses producig rpgs for profit stpped today there'd still be many sources pumping out new stuff all the time.
I'm not advocating distributing files you don't have the right to distribute. But the hobby is more then an industry.
Using whispery voice "Yesssss"
I'll give that an 85% correct. While the industry/=hobby, if the industry goes under, the long term health of the hobby will suffer as well.
How many of us have found a new group to game in by hanging out in a game store? How many of us have brought a new player into the hobby when asked "What's that book over there?" when someone points out an RPG on the shelves of a bookstore?
Heck, how many of us picked up the hobby because we saw a game book or minis on the shelves?
I know I did- I bought a PHB before I even knew what D&D was, THEN I found a group to game in.
"Yesssss"I'll give that an 85% correct. While the industry/=hobby, if the industry goes under, the long term health of the hobby will suffer as well.
How many of us have found a new group to game in by hanging out in a game store? How many of us have brought a new player into the hobby when asked "What's that book over there?" when someone points out an RPG on the shelves of a bookstore?
Heck, how many of us picked up the hobby because we saw a game book or minis on the shelves?
I know I did- I bought a PHB before I even knew what D&D was, THEN I found a group to game in.
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