So I was talking with the Dear Spouse, and I mentioned a thread in the context of the shrinkage of the hobby. She gave me a real funny look and said "RPGs aren't shrinking," in a very certain tone. I assured her that, though the data wasn't complete there was enough anecdotal evidence to indicate that things like MMORPGs are taking interest away from table-top.

And then she said something real clever (no surprise, she's way smarter than me). She said "Yes, but you're only seeing shrinkage because you choose to draw the borders of your hobby to exclude the parts that are new and growing." As she rightly pointed out, if I include MMORPGs and the various heavily organized LARPs (not to mention the SCA, civil war re-enactors, Host a Murder Mystery parties, etc.) the RPG hobby as a whole is the picture of rosy and robust health.

And it costs me, like, nothing in terms of self-image to do that. I tend to think that, yeah, the people playing Everquest are a lot closer to table-top roleplaying than they are to Half-Life. Once it was pointed out to me I immediately saw how much happier I was claiming a hobby with that level of diversity and scope.

So there's my new take on matters. The hobby is shifting, but growing. The mass of people are playing games with comparatively little player sophistication, but a great deal of visceral thrill. Some people are playing games that require a great deal more of the players, and those people (myself included) will always be stuck-up twerps and decide that the thrill-seekers aren't really roleplaying. God's in his heaven and all is well with the world.

Plus, it inspired my ultimate way to describe RPGs: "It's like one of those computerized internet adventure games, only you don't use a computer." It's even snappier if the person knows their acronyms: "An RPG is like an MMORPG except without the MMO."

I certainly agree that there is an *overall* expansion in roleplaying-like activities.

It's merely an emotional stake that I have in the roleplaying games of my (our?) youth that makes me wring my hands about the future of tabletop gaming.

I think that as far as 'participation culture' goes (if you include everything from Harry Potter RP boards to fanfic to the edges of Jeepform) - we're at the cusp of a really big 'splosion of new activities.

I've played MMORPGs. For the most part it seems to be young men and women running around pulling the thinnest possible veil of plausibility over their attempts to go out, kill things and take their stuff. And then, of course, getting together to brag to each other about the wicked cool magic items that they've got, and how they will totally break a Staff of the Magi in some ogre's face if he even looks funny at 'em.

How could that possibly not be roleplaying? That's my teenage D&D campaign, but with way better graphics (yes, even our imaginations were 8-bit back then).

Given: Everquest relies on the KTaTTS philosophy
Given: D&D designed as a KTaTTS game as well
Given: Everquest is not considered a role-playing game

... I leave the remainder as an exercise to the reader.


I agree with Kuma. As long as people are finding ways to create fiction, to be the authors of their own fun, we're good. No hand-wringing necessary. It's perfectly fine if they're coming at it from a different direction, from, I dunno, wikifiction or something. We can learn from those folks.

::shudder::

Posted By: TonyLB''s Wife"Yes, but you're only seeing shrinkage because you choose to draw the borders of your hobby to exclude the parts that are new and growing."

Tony, tell your wife that she is smart for me.

That is all.