The study provides the following information about the basic demographics of the tabletop RPG marketplace:

Size:

• 6% play or have played TRPGs (~ 5.5 million people)
• 3% play monthly (~ 2.25 million people)

Gender:

• 19% are female (monthly players)

Crossover:

• 17% of the total play MWGs monthly
• 46% of the total play computer RPGs monthly
• 26% of the total play TCGs monthly

The study provides the following information about the basic demographics of the computer RPG marketplace:

Size:

• 8% play or have played CRPGs (~7.3 million people)
• 5% play monthly (~4.5 million people)

Gender:

• 21% are female

Crossover:

• 33% of the total play tabletop RPGs monthly
• 21% of the total play TCGs monthly
• 13% of the total play MWGs monthly

The study provides the following information about the basic demographics of the MWG marketplace:

Size:

• 4% play or have played MWGs (~3.7 million people)
• 2% play monthly (~1.8 million people)

Gender:

• 21% are female

Crossover:

• 37% play tabletop RPGs
• 40% play computer RPGs
• 29% play TCGs

The age breakdown of players within the marketplace is:

* All Gamers means people in the study population who reported playing >any< of the game types monthly, not just TCGs, RPGs, MWGs or CRPGs.

Conclusions:

1. Few “General Gamers”:
The first, most notable conclusion we can draw from this information is thatthe mythical “hobby gamer” who plays TRPGs, CRPGs, MWGs and TCGs comprises a very, very small portion of the total market. A minority of gamers play more than one category of hobby game; very few play all three. The largest overlap, though still a minority, is with CRPGs and TRPGs.

This is an exciting conclusion, because it indicates that a company can successfully create brand in one of the three hobby categories, and extend that brand into the other two without significantly cannibalizing sales. In other words, the people who buy the RPG are not likely to be the ones buying the MWG or the TCG.

2. There are “Women in Gaming”
Second, it is clear that female gamers constitute a significant portion of the hobby gaming audience; essentially a fifth of the total market. This represents a total population of several million active female hobby gamers. However, females, as a group, spend less than males on the hobby.

3. Adventure Gaming is an adult hobby
More than half the market for hobby games is older than 19. There is a substantial “dip” in incidence of play from 16-18. This lends credence to the theory that most people are introduced to hobby gaming before high-school and play quite a bit, then leave the hobby until they reach college, and during college they return to the hobby in significant numbers.

It may also indicate that the existing group of players is aging and not being refreshed by younger players at the same rate as in previous years.