D&D General Some Interesting Stats About D&D Players!

The full cover spread for Phandelver and Below, by Antonio José Manzanedo​

GeekWire has reported on the recent D&D press event (which I've covered elsewhere). Along with all the upcoming product information we've all been devouring over the last day or two, there were some interesting tidbits regarding D&D player demographics.

• 60% of D&D players are male, 39% are female, and 1% identify otherwise
• 60% are “hybrid” players, who switch between playing the game physically or online
• 58% play D&D on a weekly basis
• 48% identify as millennials, 19% from Generation X and 33% from Generation Z
• The majority of current D&D players started with 5th Edition

 

[Audiomancer]

I get what you're saying, but . . . . being dead does kinda affect your continued playing of the game . . . .

I mean… we’re talking about a game that has Liches in it.

I think we can all agree that the immortal Undead should be WOTC’s new target demographic.

 

[codo]

In this particular instance I was talking about the 1970s and 80s. I've got no problem with the idea that boomers today make up a tiny insignificant portion of D&D players in 2023.

It wouldn't surprise me if in 1974, most of the players were boomers. D&D was an offshoot of the chainmail war game. Historical and Fantasy wargamers tended a lot older. Particularly before Warhammer and 40k.

However by the time Moldvay came out in '81, when D&D experienced its first huge surge in popularity, the vast majority of players would have been gen X. I would not be surprised if Boomers were only a couple of percent of players in the 80's!

 

[Azzy]

I think people who reject this data are failing to realize just how explosively D&D has grown since the release of 5e.

This! I believe Morrus has a thread that collects all the times that news articles about D&D show up. D&D's popularity these days is amazing!

 

[FitzTheRuke]

In this particular instance I was talking about the 1970s and 80s. I've got no problem with the idea that boomers today make up a tiny insignificant portion of D&D players in 2023.

No, I get what you meant. The larger discussion was around what that time means for now. I think that it's obvious that Boomers were the biggest group in 1974, but I suspect that they were quickly (like very quickly) outpaced by GenX players. Just like GenX is apparently (perhaps finally) being outpaced, first by Millenials and now by GenZ.

 

[Azzy]

Sure, can't fault your math. But those 100 aren't just a statistically insignificant demographic. They are 100 real people who love the game and may feel that they are being implicitly told that they don't matter anymore, without even a thank you for staying and keeping the game alive during the lean years when the company that no longer cares about them needed them. People's feeling affect their behavior.

Why the hell would you take the results of a marketing survey personally or interpret it the way you do?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Why the hell would you take the results of a marketing survey personally or interpret it the way you do?

The post you quoted isn't about me personally. It's a suggestion for an emotion-based reaction to numbers which seem to indicate that your demographic is rare past the point of irrelevance. A question was asked a while back about why some people are resistant to accepting the numbers (which I do accept, insofar as they represent WotC customers who responded to the survey). I speculated as to the reason.

I don't particularly like the results, but I do accept them.

 

[Azzy]

I am surprised because Hasbro is not selling more toys for childrens based in D&D, and the action figures of the characters from the action-live movie were for collectors, too expensive to be bought as gifts for children.

You could have stopped right there with the bold section. I'm not sure about other toy companies, but Hasbro really seems focused on older collectors rather than kids across the board—and I really think it sucks.

 

[mamba]

"Hey look! According to WotC, everyone is playing D&D! We should buy WotC's stuff too so we can play D&D!"

yeah, a survey of D&D players will show that 100% of them are playing D&D, that seems pretty obvious. My problem is seeing this as a reason for a non-player to become a player.

I mean if Toyota releases a survey of how many of their drivers are X, that does not make me any more likely to want to drive one.

If D&D wants to convince someone they should give it a try, it will have to do better than that too.
Even Roll20 or whatever showing that 70% of games are 5e is not something I think attracts people to give 5e a try.

 

[mamba]

Of course not, but I doubt I'm alone in thinking that D&D is more than the books WotC is currently selling or planning to sell.

yes, it is also the books they sold in the past

 

[mamba]

For 3e-4e, if speculation is correct that it's mostly 5e players who are answering the surveys then those who started with 3xe or 4e would naturally be under-represented; because they're still playing those editions (or close enough) and never jumped to 5e.

I think we cleared up the first bit, it is about the edition current players started with. Not sure why 2e had more staying power, but apparently it did.

As to people starting with 3e or 4e still playing that rather than 5e, I doubt it, they too dropped off imo. No idea why 2e disproportionately did not however.

 

[Parmandur]

I think we cleared up the first bit, it is about the edition current players started with. Not sure why 2e had more staying power, but apparently it did.

As to people starting with 3e or 4e still playing that rather than 5e, I doubt it, they too dropped off imo. No idea why 2e disproportionately did not however.

To be fair, TSR produced enough 2E content to keep someone playing for decades.

 

[mamba]

Well, it comes back to feelings again I suppose. As a D&D player that doesn't patronize WotC any longer, and uses other rules and/or non-current editions, I dislike the implication that I am not, in fact, playing D&D. I know there are plenty of folks who are in the same situation and may feel the same way. To me, it is a self-serving lie and I don't care for it. If you're going to advertise, take out an ad.

well, technically they are correct, you are not playing D&D but something similar that has a different name. That you want to consider this to all be in the ‘D&D family’ is your prerogative, but that doesn’t mean WotC now has to lump LU or TV into D&D.

They probably do see them as 5e 3pps however, if they ever published a survey about 3pps

 

[mamba]

3e, 3.5, and 4e aren't non-WotC games, and they own all previous editions that ran under that name.

pretty sure they consider all of these to be D&D. What makes you think they do not?

 

[mamba]

To be fair, TSR produced enough 2E content to keep someone playing for decades.

no doubt, not that you even need content (homebrew), I don’t think this is true for 2e only however - unless you think it is the settings that made no returns in 3e and 4e, like Spelljammer and Planescape (did either? not sure, the other major ones did though afaik)

 

[Azzy]

To be fair, TSR produced enough 2E content to keep someone playing for decades.

Right?

 

[Oofta]

To be fair, TSR produced enough 2E content to keep someone playing for decades.

As a boomer myself, I could probably go back and replay something I played a couple of years ago and wouldn't remember most of it anyway.

Wait, what was I talking about again?

 

[Parmandur]

no doubt, not that you even need content (homebrew), I don’t think this is true for 2e only however - unless you think it is the settings that made no returns in 3e and 4e, like Spelljammer and Planescape (did either? not sure, the other major ones did though afaik)

It is most true of 2E, and by a long shot. A simply flabbergasted array of products.

 

[Hussar]

Sure, can't fault your math. But those 100 aren't just a statistically insignificant demographic. They are 100 real people who love the game and may feel that they are being implicitly told that they don't matter anymore, without even a thank you for staying and keeping the game alive during the lean years when the company that no longer cares about them needed them. People's feeling affect their behavior.

Without a thank you???

Seriously?

What do you call 5e? A massive fan service edition that was all about catering to existing fans.

How much thank you do you think you deserve?

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

* If now the production of toys are so expensive... then should Hasbro talk with Playmobil for a licencing? Not only D&D but also Gamma World and Final Frontiers. If they are going to sell LEGO Tranformers and LEGO D&D, why not D&D Playmobil? And boxes with a vintage look as hook for collectors.

* 5e was designed to be easy to be learnt by the new generation of players, and this has been a right step.

* Hasbro is more interested into the new generation of players who are going to spend their money in the digital market.

* D&D fandom shouldn't be only who are throwing dices over a tabletop but also who are writting their own (fanfiction) plots. Some fantasy saga started as a D&D game.

* Hollywood doesn't worry too much about the age of the people who go to the cinemas to watch superheroes movies.

* Hasbro would rather worry about who is going to wear the T-shirts with pictures of D&D, and that type of merchandising.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

never mind