I’ve been thinking about the next generation of gamers; that is, the tabletop-pen-and-paper gamers. You know, roleplayers.
I’m in my early forties now and still fantasize about opening a game store. I know it’s never really been a lucrative business, but I still dream. I even dream about finishing an RPG I’ve been working on for a few years and publishing it. Be that as it may, dreams or not, I really question if there will be customers (people willing to buy an RPG book, read it, and play it) in the future.
I know the idea of roleplaying as a hobby fading into the black is not a new thought. The thought for me has been around since card games such as Magic and Pokémon. It seemed like less and less kids were playing RPGs and more were picking up card games. But back in the late 80s and early 90s, I eventually came to see strategy card games as kind of a “gateway” for roleplaying. Card games were more acceptable and were not demonized like the RPG industry was. Unlike Harry Potter, RPGs did not benefit from such crazy publicity. Often these cards were and have been sold at game stores that held strategy games, RPGs, and miniatures. Customers walking into the Headshop of Gamers wanting to buy booster cards for Pokémon could see the various other candies of goodness on the shelves. That and several roleplayers played the card games, too, and thus would introduce the hobby to others. As a result, new roleplayers were born every day.
I have always loved seeing the scales fall from the eyes of people as they found out what RPGs really were and that roleplayers are good people. Yeah, we don’t sacrifice goats, practice black magic, or worship Satan… Well at least most of us don’t. Heck, most of us are very clean-cut people, once you get to know us.
Today, a common question that roleplayers ask people they’re getting to know is, “Do you play RPGs?” or “Do you know what an RPG is?” And of course the common response is, “Yes.” But they are not talking about pen-and-paper RPGs, they are referring to video games, and most people have no clue what a pen-and-paper RPG is.
So are video games the next “gateway drug” to reel in new roleplayers? Or are RPG video games going to be the death of pen-and-paper RPGs?
It seems to me many, possibly most, people who play RPG video games are not that interested in tabletop games, especially pen-and-paper RPGs. When trying to explain the hobby to them, a look of eyes glazing over, followed by a look of you are freaking weird tends to follow. Don’t get me wrong. I know many people who play both pen-and-paper RPGs and video game RPGs, and they love both!
I remember asking friends back in the day (80s and 90s), “Which would you rather play, a video game or a pen-and-paper RPG?” and almost everyone would say, “Pen-and-paper RPG.” Everyone who played both knew, pen-and-paper RPGs were limitless entertainment. But ever since the advent of the X-Box and PS2, I’ve noticed a shift in thought. Now, shockingly, I find several friends who are millennials and Gen Xers say just the opposite. They often would rather play a video game, regardless of who the GM is. It just seems people are more and more satisfied with what video games can bring for entertainment.
I myself have not shifted in this. I will always prefer pen-and-paper RPGs to video games. There’s nothing like hanging with friends at the game table, chatting, and playing an RPG. That just doesn’t happen with a video game, it’s not the same. People may be able to chat with their friends online while playing a video game, and that’s great! But the ability to hang in the same house, playing on the same console, and playing face-to-face seems to be a fading attribute with video games on the new consoles.
Am I a perfect unwavering roleplayer? Maybe not. I do have to admit, I may have a chink in my armor… If I see a holodeck (holosuite) in my lifetime and get to play in it, that might change my opinion. However, getting this old goat to play in such a crazy virtual-reality contraption might be a whole other story. So until the 24th century, I hope there are many more generations of roleplayers to come…
Wait, I have an idea!
Maybe we can go door to door and share the important world of RPGs to unbelievers! Just make sure you have your players guide, some dice, paper, and a few pencils on hand. How else to do we convert the nonroleplayers, right?
Adam Lee
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