LuisCarlos17f
Legend
This makes me remember the comic industry decades ago when writters created new characters and now these are popular and cash-cow to sell toys and other merchandiscing products.
Sean Reynolds said he'd tweet out all that he told them after he's back from the con he's at...
First: this is decidedly not the video game industry. This is arguably not even an industry.I didn't see anyone share this. I knew about Paizo trying to unionize (go union!) and I knew that the industry was low paying, but it seems like that is just one of the workplace issues - and that TTRPGs at least at the bigger companies where people work full-time but there is also a dependence on freelancers with abysmal rates, suffers some of the unreasonable expectations of the video game industry.
Not sure.As for representation, even if it's not reflected in the workplace culture, it's important to recognize that a company still decided that it was more profitable to be inclusive in their marketing than to just continue selling to cishet white people. That alone means something. Granted, ideally you have both an inclusive work environment and product, but it's still a step forward...
First: this is decidedly not the video game industry. This is arguably not even an industry.
Then "abysmal rates" suggests there's something wrong. But when you have an almost endless queue of fans willing to write for basically nothing, yet reach comparable quality levels, why expect higher rates?
Well... there is. I mean, obviously there is. You don't need to sell hundreds of thousands of books a year and support a three-figure full-time staff to do well for them or yourself. That there are more lucrative markets out there is beyond doubt but that does not make RPGs a desert. The problem, I suspect, has more to do with where that money goes. If you hear about companies that are paying their staff a miniscule amount and creating poor working conditions, the first thing I would do is take a look at how the people running the company live.There just is no money in this "industry".
Because... there is no skill required to create an RPG book?...but monetary recompense? Why is this article pretending table-top role-playing games is like a regular job sector? You could probably crowd-source a completely free and open ttrpg for no labor cost at all, everything from professional layout to art being just given to you from fans entirely for free. I mean, creating a VTT or a show like Legend of Vox Machina, there you need more than just free willing labor. Publishing a fantasy rulebook or adventure? Not so much.
What do you imagine 'video game industry' standard wages to be? That is highly variable and, at the lower end, I believe Mongoose at least exceeds them. Higher end no, and that may never be possible - but we have all heard of the horror stories coming out of the larger video games companies recently with regards to how they treat their staff.There just isn't any money here to support your usual demands and expectations on companies. (Again not talking discrimination issues, just money) Force anyone to pay "video game industry"-standard wages except probably WotC and the commercial side of the hobby will just evaporate; with only D&D left behind. Yes, the only way to turn a profit is to monetize the creativity of your fans. (Actually, the only reason WotC is a "real" company is that for some reason Americans choose to play basically one game only. Yes, if you have half the market, said market does support one (1) company. So basically the market supports zero companies.)
Thank you for responding Matt! I really appreciate that.It is quite frustrating. Quite aside from the idea of paying peanuts and getting monkeys, it does devalue everything the rest of us do and, more than that, you would hope we could move beyond this way of thinking.
Me too, as it happens - not claiming I have all of this figured out (yet)!I definitely do not aim to start an argument, but I do want to think aloud regarding this part.
I think you answer this point here:I would say there is little to no connection between what you're paid and the quality of your output - regarding rules and adventures. (Not maps, art, and web sites) There just are many fans out there with at least as good an understanding of rpg rules and cool scenarios as you professional guys.
(I do realize "paying peanuts and getting monkeys" refers to the quality of the worker and not their output. Paying your workers certainly means better results regarding consistent quality, upholding deadlines and such!)
Let's just not lose sight of the Point here: one company might decide they value this "consistency" (which I realize is selling employment short, but...) highly, and so they decide to compensate their employees relatively richly.This is certainly a big difference - being in the position to do this full-time, each and every day, tends to get better and more consistent results.
Then "abysmal rates" suggests there's something wrong. But when you have an almost endless queue of fans willing to write for basically nothing, yet reach comparable quality levels, why expect higher rates?
There just is no money in this "industry". I'm not sure there's any monetary improvements for the union to make. (Getting rid of harassment, poor workplace issues, inclusivity, abusive bosses, et al, definitely!)
...but monetary recompense? Why is this article pretending table-top role-playing games is like a regular job sector? You could probably crowd-source a completely free and open ttrpg for no labor cost at all, everything from professional layout to art being just given to you from fans entirely for free. I mean, creating a VTT or a show like Legend of Vox Machina, there you need more than just free willing labor. Publishing a fantasy rulebook or adventure? Not so much.
My insight into the business side of RPGs is limited to what I have gleaned from various industry insiders here and in other places. I think there are two relevant things to consider here:Because... there is no skill required to create an RPG book?
The open source idea you cite here is an intriguing one but there are obvious issues, from the overall vision of the project to support after the fact.
In a hobby built around imagination and creating your own material, there is a very good reason why RPG companies still exist after all this time.