It isn’t entirely clear to me how much influence bloggers, podcasters, message boards and discussions occurring on social media sites have on the games that actually get played and how they are played. I know there is some influence I just wonder how much it is. Game designers and publishers are often participants in these various forums and they are reading them to some degree or another. I am certain they have exchanged or absorbed ideas and these ideas have made it into their games one way or another.

I have worked in the craft beer industry and the coffee industry. Like RPGs, the most dedicated hardcore hobbyists and professionals in beer and coffee are participants in passionate conversations on the internet about their area of interest.  There is a website called Beer Advocate. It has a sophisticated beer rating and review system. Take a look at the top 100 beers on Beer Advocate. Unless you are a craft beer enthusiast, there is a good chance you’ve never tried any of those beers or maybe never even heard of them.

Some of those beers have flavors and aromas that most people wouldn’t associate with beer. Sourness, clove, chocolate, pineapple, or “horse blanket.” Those beers are for the connoisseur. They are not what keeps the lights on at most craft breweries. A lot of American craft breweries might sell a dozen different styles of beer but the product that makes most of their revenue will be the lightest least flavorful beer they make. These beers will be will made with great ingredients but they’ll be very light in flavor, color and body. In short, similar to the conventional American corporate beer.

The best selling beer brands are among the lowest rated beers on Beer Advocate. 

How could this be? Those beers aren’t for the enthusiasts. They are for people who want a pleasant vehicle for alcohol. It may be they are telling themselves stories about how the beer they drink makes them part of a great cultural tradition, sexier, smarter, or more manly. This is different than the story that enthusiasts tell themselves.

This same phenomenon is repeated in music, art, film, coffee, wine, chocolate, and food.

Tabletop role-playing has a similar dichotomy. 

All of that causes me to wonder when I pick up a new book or game, “Who is this for?” Is this for the bloggers, the podcasters, the posters on RPGnet? Or is it for the players who have no clue that any of that is even going on?

How do the preferences of people deep into the hobby and the people who just play with their friends compare? 

Is there a big difference in taste between the casual player and the hobbyists who have a book cases full of games?

I’m not entirely sure but I think it is an interesting question. It is a slightly different issue in RPG’s. In those other areas of interest, most people eat food. Most people listen to music. Very few people play RPG’s. You are already talking about a niche hobby. I know that of the 30 or so players I’ve had in my campaigns over the last 9 years, maybe 3 were at all aware of the blogs, podcasts or message boards where games are being discussed.