What exactly is consumerism, collecting, and exchange in the context of this discussion? If you're using it in the derogatory sense that we're overly concerned with acquiring consumer goods, then collecting seems superfluous here, and what is exchange even mean?
The terms are somewhat synonymous in the OP. With collecting, I was specifically thinking of the discussions that were had around Chaosium's NFT gambit, and how the culture of collecting in the hobby (and others) and the fear of missing out perhaps encouraged Chaosium initially (i.e. until the backlash).
I am told in threads on this very board that D&D is very much still a DIY thing. That your campaign is a lot different from my campaign which is also different from another person's campaign. And as far as codification is concerned, that happened with the very first rulebook. That ship sailed a long, long time ago.
Yes, well, to wit, the Tom Van Winkle link in the OP quotes an article from Tim Kask in 1981 in which he says:
If we have become a group of consumers where will the creators come from?
FRP has always been an exercise of imagination, creativity, and extemporaneous thought, but I feel that the first two are diminishing. Granted, many who play today might not if there had been no pre-prepared adventures in which to get their feet wet. But how many of them now realize that there is another way to go?
Where's your argument that this is harmful in some way? I know you posted links to Reddit and other places, but in your own words what's the problem with this? Why should I be concerned? I haven't spent any money on the D&D deluxe products available now, but I never thought, "The availability of this product is bad for gaming." If I hadn't already run Curse of Strahd twice, I would have considered purchasing the deluxe version of that campaign.
Well I do say that perhaps my distaste is irrational. But, for the hobby as a whole (especially 5e and especially newer players) my concern is the implicit suggestion that buying more deluxe things will lead to better games and that when one buys a 5e product one is buying into a community or lifestyle. This have negative side effects, like DMs needlessly spending money on things and then being frustrated and burnout when their efforts aren't appreciated to people becoming defensive of a game because it is also their "community/lifestyle."
Which companies do you think are engaging in predatory practices? And what are those predatory practices exactly?
In the context of videogame monetization this refers to the small percentage of players who spend the most money on microtransactions, loot boxes, and the like. Videogame companies target specific personality types with their monetization mechanics and exploit the way they interact with the technology and the game to make money. Some of these people go into huge amounts of debt, losing homes etc. There is nothing comparable in ttrpgs, of course, but the larger the market gets the more we will have people trying to exploit those same characteristics in people.
D&D has been a corporate product since 1974 and during the entirety of its existence has been published in order for its owner to make a profit. And, okay, you're talking about the extreme, but why not dial it back a bit and think of some of the benefits? It's a hobby we can all pretty much enjoy with a community we can participate in.
Lots of benefits! That's why I contextualized the whole post by mentioning all the great products I have sitting on my shelves, from so many talented and creative artists. I'm glad they are all able to make their zines and little games and get at least some funding and support, particularly some creators who are in the Global South. But many indie creators will themselves express frustration of how their creativity is so easily drowned out by larger and glossier things that are created and marketed as
products.
Obviously, our little hobby is relatively innocuous in the grander scheme of things, but as it carries outsized importance to those of us in it, I think it's worth asking when creative hobbyism becomes corporate consumerism.
