I was reading Mike Gorski’s Real DuPont blog this morning. The city council of my home town (DuPont, WA) is debating the merits of a skate park. Some of the discussion is silly, focusing on how people feel and whether or not kids will “like” the decision. There is very little open discussion about the economics of the decision, which as a taxpayer disturbs me. It reminded me of Milton Friedman’s matrix of spending, from his Free to Choose series. Here’s a snippet…
Steve Jackson’s recent Report to the Stakeholders got me thinking – of all the types of games in the hobby gaming industry, where is there profit to be had? Here’s the offending (not offensive, by the way) quotes:
Our 2007 gross was close to $2.88 million…
Our most important product, even more than last year, is the Munchkin card game. With its sequels and supplements, Munchkin accounted for over 70% of our sales in 2007!
When I think of SJG, I think GURPS, yet $2 million plus of the company’s sales came from Munchkin – a card game. And I don’t think they’re alone.
Look at the PSI client list, and note the large number of non-RPG publishers. When you talk to a FLGS owner, as I often do, they don’t tout RPGs are the biggest sellers. It’s typically the card and board / eurogames that account for the lion’s share of their revenues.
As a game designer, the market seems to be telling me something – RPGs are an uphill battle. However, as an avid roleplayer, I find it hard to turn my attention away from my first love.
I don’t doubt that profits can be had by publishing RPGs. Alderac, Green Ronin, Paizo, White Wolf – even the late Black Industries – have proven that quality product will sell and can support a business. It seems, though, that a betting man would place his money on cards and boards, not pens and papers.
Am I reading too much into this?
In his book, 20:21 Vision, Bill Emmott makes mention of a report named Economic Freedom of the World, published annually by the Economic Freedom Network. This report ranks how much economic freedom exists in each of (at present) 123 countries, based on certain measures. I have long been convinced that political and economic freedoms serve to reinforce each other – especially that, when a country grants more economic freedoms, political freedoms are sure to follow, but also that political freedoms are essential for true economic ones. Anyway, check out the report, it’s worth the read.