Target Demographic?

[sjmiller]

Okay, here's something I have not seen addressed so far, but would be quite interesting to someone like me. What is the target demographic for purchasing/playing D&D 4e? Who do you expect to be playing it? Who is the audience you are really striving to capture?

I get the feeling, on a purely personal and subjective level, that I am so far outside the target area that I don't even show up on the chart.

 

[hafrogman]

Probably male 18-49.

 

[Abisashi]

Probably male 18-49.

I'd guess the target starts around 16; once you're in high school, basically.

 

[hafrogman]

I'd guess the target starts around 16; once you're in high school, basically.

Possibly, but disposable income seems more likely out of highschool. There are obvious exceptions, but I was aiming for a broad, standard demographic.

 

[Umbran]

Possibly, but disposable income seems more likely out of highschool.

Hardly. Have you seen how much videogames cost these days? Get kids to pay even a small fraction of what they pay for console games on D&D instead, and WotC would be rolling in dough.

 

[king_ghidorah]

Possibly, but disposable income seems more likely out of highschool. There are obvious exceptions, but I was aiming for a broad, standard demographic.

I dunno... I started playing AD&D in junior high at the age of 13, and ended up in a year with gifts of harback books worth over $100, plus other modules and supplements... and that was 1981 dollars.

 

[hafrogman]

I dunno... I started playing AD&D in junior high at the age of 13, and ended up in a year with gifts of harback books worth over $100, plus other modules and supplements... and that was 1981 dollars.

I started playing in elementary school. But my book purchases were relegated to presents and used purchases. Once I hit college, I had the money to buy the books as I wanted, when they came out. Of course, it helped that my first year of college coincided with the release of 3rd edition, but oh well.

I'm not saying that wizards doesn't get any money from people under 18, people over 49 or women. But comparitively, most of their income probably comes from that demographic.

 

[Ashrum the Black]

Heck I started out in 5th grade playing on the playground with my friends. We got the basic and expert sets both. I was getting the AD&D hard backs the next year. By junior high I was into star frontiers and never once looked back.

Ahh, good times.



-Ashrum

 

[hafrogman]

Hardly. Have you seen how much videogames cost these days? Get kids to pay even a small fraction of what they pay for console games on D&D instead, and WotC would be rolling in dough.

I would say male 18-49 was the target of many video game demographics too. If you don't believe me, ask Dead or Alive: Beach Volleyball

 

[Vigilance]

I think Wizards' target demo is people who would be disposed to like RPGs.

The fact that some people (like the OP it seems) don't upgrade to a new edition, is part of the opportunity cost of doing a new edition.

If you don't think the vast majority of your current players will come with you (past experience says they will- even 2e, which was the worst edition, saw a lot of brand loyalty) and if you don't think you have a shot at attracting some new players as well, then you don't upgrade to a new system.