RPG Industry Analysis

[Hammerhead]

My final assignment for my Strategic Management class at college is to write a paper analyzing an industry. I'm considering writing about the RPG industry, although I haven't decided whether to focus on the producers, like WotC or White Wolf, or distributors, like your FLGS. Can anyone point me towards any resources I can use for my paper, or offer any kind of advice? Thanks!

 

[diaglo]

don't do it. the rpg industry is a poor example.

 

[FATDRAGONGAMES]

It might be interesting to evaluate the effects of electronic publishing on the RPG industry. Younger players seem to embrace PDFs better than the old-school guys in their 40s. How has PDF publishing affected the print industry? Will it keep RPGs popular with younger players? How has the internet affected RPGs? Does the availability of information (like EN World) help attract new younger players? Perhaps compare the RPG industry from the 80s (pre internet and very popular) to the 90s when the industry went down. Now look at today with a multitude of web sites (EN WORLD, etc.), PDF sales sites, etc. and compare to those two periods. How has the industry evolved since 1974? Lots of changes have occurred in thirty years-plenty of topics to cover. How about TSR starting an industry that eventually spawned similar companies that cannibalized their sales. How has the OGL changed the industry? Has it helped to insulate WOTC from the same problem TSR experienced?

 

[eyebeams]

My final assignment for my Strategic Management class at college is to write a paper analyzing an industry. I'm considering writing about the RPG industry, although I haven't decided whether to focus on the producers, like WotC or White Wolf, or distributors, like your FLGS. Can anyone point me towards any resources I can use for my paper, or offer any kind of advice? Thanks!

Yeah. Nobody will give you any useful information because they either don't want to spoil social networks they've put together on trust or they don't know anything, but really want something to be true.

The only useful facet of this I can think of would either be at the retail end or would focus on one print outfit (most .pdfers do not have a business in the sense that you want to write about) that you can convince to share information. Detailed factual information is generally only shared among professionals who trust each other, and you must build that relationship.

 

[jgbrowning]

don't do it. the rpg industry is a poor example.

Seconded.

joe b.

 

[HinterWelt]

My final assignment for my Strategic Management class at college is to write a paper analyzing an industry. I'm considering writing about the RPG industry, although I haven't decided whether to focus on the producers, like WotC or White Wolf, or distributors, like your FLGS. Can anyone point me towards any resources I can use for my paper, or offer any kind of advice? Thanks!

I don't know if this is useful but I did up a handy-dandy diagram and got a couple of folks input on it.

The Link 25K PDF

Good Luck,
Bill

 

[jgbrowning]

I don't know if this is useful but I did up a handy-dandy diagram and got a couple of folks input on it.

The Link 25K PDF

Good Luck,
Bill

Very well done Bill.

joe b.