Role-playing games weather the economic downturn

Courtesy TomGaspacho

In any economic downturn, there are two schools of thought as to how non-essentials like hobbies are affected.

On the one hand, role-playing games are a luxury. Unlike say, a subscription to a MMORPG, pen-and-paper role-playing games do not require a long-term financial investment. Nevertheless, hobbies are usually the first to suffer when the economy goes south.

On the other hand, role-playing games, like movies, are a form of escapism. When the economy is bad and people are laid off from work, they have more time than ever to run away from their troubles. Role-playing games are perfectly suited for this sort of escapism. In fact, role-playing games are by far one of the biggest bangs for the proverbial buck, providing near limitless returns on initial investment since any role-playing game is merely a framework for a longer series of game sessions.

Two economic indicators were released recently that provide a barometer on the state of the industry. Gen Con Indy, the nation’s largest annual consumer fantasy, electronic, sci-fi and adventure game convention, recently wrapped its 42nd year. Gen Con had over 27,900 unique attendees, down 700 from 28,600 in the previous year.

As Adrian Swartout, CEO of Gen Con, pointed out, “attendees came out to Indianapolis this year with an eagerness that was contagious; this despite what has been a tough year for just about everyone.”

ICv2 recently published Cv2 Insider’s Guide #68.  In that guide, ICv2 stated that conservative ordering kept inventories low at retail, "but as a result, sell-throughs are good and restocks frequent, according to distributors and retailers interviewed for the report, leading to relatively healthy hobby game stores despite the ferociously bad economy."

The outlook for role-playing games was less positive. "The roleplaying game category remains deeply troubled, with most brands down, and the gap between Dungeons and Dragons and the rest growing."

As described in the guide, the top five role-playing games are:

The charts are based on interviews with retailers, distributors, and manufacturers. No specific numbers are provided.  However, judging that Song of Ice and Fire and Warhammer 40K: Dark Heresy are relative newcomers, it can be interpreted that there is indeed a large gap between D&D and other role-playing games; newcomers with decent sales numbers can enter the top five list with ease. If that's true, it doesn't speak well to the World of Darkness sales numbers.

Using these two data points, it seems role-playing as a hobby continues to hobble along, largely supported by Dungeons & Dragons.