Why can't WotC break the mass market barrier?

[CharlesRyan]

If your local chain bookstore doesn't have a decent D&D selection, it's an abberation. Borders and B&N both have substantial D&D sections in most stores, and several hundred of them across the country have dedicated spinner racks for D&D stocking 15 - 20 titles plus the Basic Game and miniatures.

The D&D Basic Game is (or was, a year or so ago when last I lived in the US) sold in Toys R Us. In fact, its format was designed specifically to be compatible that channel.

The reasons you might not see D&D in as many types of places now as you did in 1981 are many and complex, and probably have a lot more to do with how retailing has changed than with anything WotC does. But D&D probably sees as much representation in the mass market now as it ever has--possibly barring one or two years when it was at its height as a fad.

 

[Desdichado]

Although I do think 1) a toy line, and 2) a cartoon or other inexpensive to produce TV show would both be good moves to move towards better penetration.

 

[hazel monday]

I think the reason D&D has no mainstream appeal is due to the lack of controversy.When D&D was perceived as "dangerous" that made it cool, and made new people curious about the game. The controversy that people often blame for the game's declining sales is the very thing that gave it mainstream appeal for a brief period in time.

 

[DragonLancer]

You don't need to put the books in a big book store to break the market barrier, you need to break the mentality that non-gamers have that keeps them away from playing.

WotC needs to convince Hasbro that a new direction of advertising is needed. TV ads and full page ads in non-gaming magazines are needed. Theres no point promoting the game at people who already play it. WotC and other games publishers need to be working on drawing new blood into the game.

 

[Desdichado]

You don't need to put the books in a big book store to break the market barrier, you need to break the mentality that non-gamers have that keeps them away from playing.

You mean the attitude of "that just isn't that interesting of an idea to me?" IME, that's the attitude most non-gamers have about gaming.

I don't read romance novels. I don't think they're likely to interest me. Do the producers of romance novels need to "break" my attitude?

And it's not something you "break." For the most part, it is what it is. Non-gamers don't game because it just doesn't sound like somethign that they'd enjoy doing. They'd rather watch TV, play video games, go clubbing, or whatever else it is that they spend their free time on.

 

[DragonLancer]

You mean the attitude of "that just isn't that interesting of an idea to me?" IME, that's the attitude most non-gamers have about gaming.

I don't read romance novels. I don't think they're likely to interest me. Do the producers of romance novels need to "break" my attitude?

And it's not something you "break." For the most part, it is what it is. Non-gamers don't game because it just doesn't sound like somethign that they'd enjoy doing. They'd rather watch TV, play video games, go clubbing, or whatever else it is that they spend their free time on.

Ok, I wasn't clear enough. I don't just mean "not interested." There is still a large view point that gaming is geeky and I can't be seen playing or have anyone know that I play, its for devil worshippers or 30 year old virgins with no life. Get past that and there are probably a good number of people who would take an interest in gaming.

I'm not saying that everyone is blanketed by this, because they aren't. But in my experience it is an aspect that keeps people away from gaming.

 

[Clavis]

The reason more people don't play D&D is the people who already play D&D.

In other words, the rest of the culture thinks we are all overweight, chauvinistic geeks with extremely poor personal hygiene and no social lives outside D&D. We are considered the opposite of cool, and people are afraid that by associating with us they will identify themselves as uncool.

Ever try picking up a girl (outside of a 'Con) with the line of "Why don't you come back to my place and check out the character sheet for my awesome Elven wizard"? Girls like Vin Diesel because he's a buff action movie actor - and will overlook the fact that he's a gamer.

The whole Satanic thing didn't really hurt D&D as much as people think. In fact, in my experience a lot of gamers played D&D because it had dangerous, Satanic connotations! When I was in High School, there were 3 kinds of people who played D&D: Physics and chess club nerds, metalhead freaks, and Drama Club dorks. I hung with the metalhead freaks, who wanted a game with demons and nekkid chicks and lots of gore. I knew a lot about science, and had sympathies with the Physics club types, but that was accepted because I also knew stuff about SATAN (sound of distorted power chord here).
None of us gamers belonged to the popular cliques, or to each other's cliques, but we all gamed.

Pretty much the dumbest thing TSR ever did was take out the Half Orc, Assassin class Demons, and Devils for 2nd edition. No longer were the metalheads interested, because the game was now family safe. Eventually, that crowd mostly drifted to Vampire, when all their Goth girlfriends wanted to pretend to be sexy bloodsuckers. Vampire didn't suffer from an association with the typical gamer geek stereotypes, but the Goths who loved it were equally socially unacceptable. Once again, the mass culture wanted no part of them.

Until the mass culture changes its mind about what kind of people gamers are, there will be no mass-market penetration of D&D. Unless D&D is something potentially dangerous and rebellious again, its not going to get back the kind of gamers it once did. People love fantasy and fantasy games; the prominence of World of Warcraft proves it. What they don't love are we gamers. Only we can change that attitude, not WOTC.

 

[Daniel D. Fox]

WotC has already hit the mass market with Magic. The Heroclix property has the potential to be really hot as well, especially by tying it to movie characters.

Dungeons and Dragons just isn't as appealing because it doesn't have the sort of draw that Monopoly and other half hour to hour board games do.

 

[Desdichado]

Well, saying that gaming is "geeky" is just another way of saying, "I'm not interested."

I don't know what you do about people who still harp about the "devil worshipping" thing, but the (IMO) very, very few people who still have that as a hang-up are more trouble than they're worth to try and convince to change their mind.

 

[kenobi65]

WotC has already hit the mass market with Magic. The Heroclix property has the potential to be really hot as well, especially by tying it to movie characters.

Just parenthetically...HeroClix isn't a WotC property; it's WizKids.

And, while Magic had a mass market impact (particularly in the mid-to-late 90s), the biggest mass-market impact WotC has ever had was the Pokemon card game, back when they held the license.