When did I stop being WotC's target audience?

[HelloChristian]

Rereading this thread, i have to ask, "Does it even matter what WotC thinks?" The only opinion that matters to me is, well, my opinion. Am I still gaming? Am I still having fun? Are my players enjoying our campaign?

If the answer to all those questions is yes, the who cares about "the industry" or WoW or what have you. Just game and have fun.

 

[Halivar]

I don't play WoW or any other on-line RPGs, but is it not the case that the healing surges and "taunt" mechanics are heavily WoW influenced?

No on both counts. The only thing I really see as being remarkably WOW-influenced is the concept of "party role," something that has always been there, informally ("Guys, we got no healer. Somebody has to make a cleric."). WOW simply stated outright what was always lurking in the back of our gamist side: unique roles help individuals stand out in a party. And it's fun.

 

[ExploderWizard]

And it's fun.

The DMG tells us what fun is about a hundred times. It must be true.

 

[Sunderstone]

WoW didn't come out until late 2004. I'm not quite sure how WoW invented munchkinism, but I'm glad you were able to use it a scapegoat nonetheless.

I didnt say wow invented munchkinism. Reread my post and note "wow-type".

The 3E splats like most previous splats were often unbalanced. To this day we run close to core only as far as player options go and are games run smooth enough. WotC lost most of my money when all they seemed to release were "Complete X" "Races of X", Bo9S etc.... They had a few gems but my spending was almost exclusively on 3rd party content.

 

[Halivar]

The DMG tells us what fun is about a hundred times. It must be true.

I think I read the same DMG, and I don't know what you're talking about. Care to give an example?

 

[Intense_Interest]

Rereading this thread, i have to ask, "Does it even matter what WotC thinks?" The only opinion that matters to me is, well, my opinion. Am I still gaming? Am I still having fun? Are my players enjoying our campaign?

If the answer to all those questions is yes, the who cares about "the industry" or WoW or what have you. Just game and have fun.

The big reason that a table-top roleplayer complains about WotC not considering their sort of gamer as a "target audience" is because D&D is a large-group activity. Therefore, if the D&D shifts its focus away from your preferred style, it will be harder to find a group that enjoys your style to game with.

So if we know why one could be concerned with what a games "target audience" is, the question then becomes "When did my social group stop enjoying what I enjoy?"

If you don't have a reason to answer that question, then the OP's concern is never needed to be voiced.

 

[Sunderstone]

just to clarify... Im not a WoW hater. In fact I run a Horde guild on the ***** server, and have been playing since the release.

I just prefer my tabletop RPG of choice to be alot less influenced by the current target audience's "In- things"" (for lack of a better term).

 

[The Little Raven]

I just prefer my tabletop RPG of choice to be alot less influenced by the current target audience's "In- things"" (for lack of a better term).

That's funny, since D&D developed as a mish-mash of things that were the current target audience's "in-thing." LotR was popular, so we got elves, dwarves, hobbits--- oops, halflings, orcs, and the like. Kung Fu was popular, so we got the monk class. Samurai and such were popular because of Shogun and kung fu movies, so we got the rest of Oriental Adventures.

 

[justanobody]

Kids, adults, and families have been buying and playing D&D for 30 years. Suggesting that this is new or unique to WotC is ignoring the history of the genre. Most of us on this very forum were kids at one point, many of us are adults now, and many of us have played in groups that feature both.

What's new is the fact that they are pushing a digital initiative in an industry that has been focused on more traditional means of advertising (physical magazines), distribution (retail stores), and community building (RPGA; conventions).

What are the demographics for each component of the current D&D product lines?

Miniatures
Miniature gaming
RPG
Computer gaming

And whatever other components there actually is.

I don't think they all mesh well to a single market, and each had preferred demographics for certain markets.

I know more kids that like the minis rather than the RPG. I know more older people that like the RPG than computer type games. DDI is hard to classify here. It is encyclopedia meets video game.

The point being while marketing to each may work for the individual components, it doesn't mean that combining them into one thing will sell well to all individual markets.

 

[Halivar]

just to clarify... Im not a WoW hater. In fact I run a Horde guild

Hah! I knew you were a reasonable man when I first met you! A discriminating gentleman, he is, and chooses his friends wisely. A jolly good fellow, that Sunderstone! Frood really knows where his towel is. Why, I can have no quarrel with the man.