Local paper blows smoke up WotC's ass in laughable puff piece.
https://www.seattletimes.com/life/lifestyle/behind-the-scenes-of-the-making-of-dungeons-dragons/

While a total crock of shit, its good press for the hobby.

So let's celebrate!

Press Releases enter the blesséd Real Newz sphere! Our hobby has arrived... again!

OK, reading that was good for a laugh.

Okay, for the sake of accurately reflecting what the article said, they said that a 2017 survey found that 40% of payers were women. What they should have said was 'a 2017 survey of D&D players had 40% of responders indicate that they were female' or the like.

I also can't find the 1 in 15 number. I state there were 12-15 million current players in North America (using sales data). Now, sales data can't actually tell us this, only who has bought books, not who is using them. But 12-15 million North Americans (pop. 579 million) is between 1 in 39 and 1 in 48.

Regardless, it is puffery sold on top puff pastry and fried puffin. Unless WotC starts releasing some white papers with their survey research methods, we have no real basis to judge their accuracy. They want us to know it's a banner year and that 5e is a huge success? Great! For those of us that studied any of this stuff, attaching numbers without attribution to this fact detracts from the claim, not adds (but then again we're certainly not the target audiences of a piece like this).

While Hasbro has almost nothing to do with the running of Wotc, let alone D&D, it has been mentioned before that they helped them with market research. Companies like Hasbro have figured out that market research and this sort of information is a valuable thing, so they aren't likely to just hand that over (including how they collected the data, etc) to the general public, which includes their competition. What would it gain them anyways? Convince some people who doubt the degree of their success? Doubtful and probably pointless from their perspective.

Oh, let me be clear--I do not expect this kind of data (it is simply what I would need to be confident that their research actually shows what the article indicates). It is not in their best interest and I'm fine with that. I'm being honest when I say 'They want us to know it's a banner year and that 5e is a huge success? Great!' Good on them, good for them, and good for us.

Looking at the picture in the article, it appears that 33% of D&D players are African American NFL players, and 67% are WotC staff.

Also "the D&D brand had a 44 percent sales growth over 2016, and the most number of players in its history - 12 million to 15 million in North America alone." - so that would include all games that say D&D on them (including computer games and non-trad-RPG-"tabletop" games and card games).

Awesome, so this means there's no toxic misogynistic culture driving women away and keeping them out of the hobby. Right?

Good to know.

Quote from: Piestrio;1038471Awesome, so this means there's no toxic misogynistic culture driving women away and keeping them out of the hobby. Right?

Good to know.

It's the misogyny of the hobby that stops it from being 100% women.

That's why we need to drive men out

Quote from: Willie the Duck;1038393I also can't find the 1 in 15 number. I state there were 12-15 million current players in North America (using sales data). Now, sales data can't actually tell us this, only who has bought books, not who is using them. But 12-15 million North Americans (pop. 579 million) is between 1 in 39 and 1 in 48.

Sorry, I got the 15M players mixed up with ENworld's declaration of 1 player in 20 people number.
http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?5217-Dungeons-Dragons-has-15-Million-Players-in-NA-Alone-Storyline-Is-The-Da-Vinci-Code-meets-Gangs-of-New-York

And I agree that if the real numbers are actually 50% of what's reported, that's GREAT news for the hobby.

Quote from: Warboss Squee;1038474It's the misogyny of the hobby that stops it from being 100% women.

That's why we need to drive men out

Well until some Incel decides to drive a van back into the women.

Whats the problem?  Its a puff piece.  A nice fluffy positve puff pastry as some one said above.  

Why you mad bro?

Quote from: Willie the Duck;1038393Okay, for the sake of accurately reflecting what the article said, they said that a 2017 survey found that 40% of payers were women. What they should have said was 'a 2017 survey of D&D players had 40% of responders indicate that they were female' or the like.

Anecdotal is anecdotal, but every game group I've been in for the last decade has been around 40% female. Two of my groups are three guys and two gals. One game of Rifts I was in a few years ago was a actually four gals and two guys.

I don't find that 40% stat to be unbelievable at all.

More players is a good thing.

More players who actually play is a good thing.