Because the typical RPG writer, and those who help him develop the game, don't know how to communicate with people, and don't really care about communicating with people.

Because it's too much work.

Because it´s a hobby, a pastime, not just games.

If you include all games that use the method of RP, then the are indeed popular with the general public.

because they've already found an effective method of birth control.

* Most RPGs are not "games" as the average person understands them
* The object of playing an RPG is often not well defined (aka what is the "game" itself -- what's the object of play -- how do you win?)
* There is usually no single person who "wins" an RPG
* They take too long to play
* They take too long to learn / require too much effort...
* ...at least double for the person GMing
* They often require ongoing sessions which represents an ongoing commitment of time -- it's not just a game, it's a hobby
* There is a social stigma -- playing an RPG could reduce your social status
* See the thread on The Truth About Geeks (and consider taking the test) -- High AQ will be more inclined to things like comics, fantasy, RPGs, etc than the general public
* Pundit's observations on Catpiss men and Lawncrappers are not imaginary.
* Even amongst regular gamers there is a lot of strange behaviour that drives "regular" people away.  When people talk on forums about going to Gen/Con for a week and not bother to shower because they're too busy gaming... WTF?
* People get their need for things RPGs require from easier / more socially acceptable sources -- books, tv, movies, videogames

and last but not least

* The average person hasn't tried it and doesn't know how much fun it can be

Quote from: mythusmageBecause the typical RPG writer, and those who help him develop the game, don't know how to communicate with people, and don't really care about communicating with people.

Hmmm....I think that's vastly oversimplified.

Look at the games which the general public play. Card games, board games and the odd "Murder Mystery Weekend".

Most RPGs are not like that and most roleplayers wouldn't like them if they were. Think about it - they managed to make a game about of property development and acquisition. Or one about horse racing.

Why are there few mainstream games that have gone "niche"? Where's Monopoly: the RPG. Or Totopoly: The RPG....

Our games are not going to appeal to the general public because their games don't appeal to us....

Because YOU PLAY THEM AND NOBODY LIKES YOU!











Just kidding. I have no idea.

QuoteOur games are not going to appeal to the general public because their games don't appeal to us....                                                              __________________

QFT

RPGs aren't more popular amongst the general public because....(drum roll, please!):

(1.) They don't involve a bunch of big sweaty guys chasing a ball.
(2.) They usually don't have an endgame (I hope that's a single word!).
(3.) They often use funny dice or have strange rules that require effort to learn to play.

There are other reasons, but those might be the Top Three. Oh, and hi.....I'm new, by the way.

You might as well ask why fine-scale model building or paperback collecting or basket-weaving isn't more popular with the general public. It simply has to do with differing tastes. Plus, some things are just more easily accessible than others. Poker is relatively easy to learn, as are most boardgames. Plus, they are finite in length, where RPGs can be very open-ended. The objectives of poker and Monopoly are pretty concrete, where the goal of a given RPG is, at best, nebulous.

Quote from: mythusmageBecause the typical RPG writer, and those who help him develop the game, don't know how to communicate with people, and don't really care about communicating with people.

This may be the reason why some games are not popular among gamers. I don't think it's the reason why rpgs in general are not popular with the general public.

Regards,
David R

Quote

QuoteOur games are not going to appeal to the general public because their games don't appeal to us.... __________________

QFT

This is so completely untrue...  lots of people like mainstream games + RPGs.  Thinking that there is even a "their games" vs "our games" is all around bad.  Bad for business, bad for designing games, bad for the hobby, bad for interacting with the "general public" and how you feel about being a "gamer"... just bad.  

Simply, man.

1. They're geeky.

2. They're unlike other games in a way that's different for people to grasp.

3. They take more work to run than most other games.

4. They're a group activity.

If by the "general public" you mean grannies, and families, and people who watch Pax network and Bank Managers, and 40something lesbian feminists, then you're pretty much asking a silly and pointless question. The "WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD" will never end up loving RPGs, and any half-assed effort to get them to is just a stupid endeavour. Witness Blue Rose, for example.

The real question you SHOULD be asking is "why aren't more males age 15-25 getting into RPGs"? Because that's the target demographic; that's the one that should be EASY, the no-brainer, the base.  And we aren't getting enough people from that base joining up.

It is obvious that RPGs as a hobby are more appealing to that demographic than any other, so what is it that's preventing more people in that demographic from joining?

Its my belief that its a killer combination of three things:
1. They don't hear about it. There's not enough advertising of the games, and not enough presence of the games outside of little stores that only gamers would go into.

2. The younger part of that demographic is not being sold to anymore. We don't get "introductory games" or affordable first-RPGs; we get huge Hardcover 500-page full color glossy $100 gaming books for the collectors. That's an economy that's based on the idea that the industry is dying and there's nothing that can save it, so we sell to those who will continue to buy from us, increasingly more expensive and more ridiculous products, until everyone is gone.  Its a recipe for disaster, and there's no good reason for it.

3. The bad reputation of the gaming hobby as being a den of Lawncrappers.
Why would anyone want to come in and willingly associate with a gang of people who have socially abhorrent practices, or with the otherwise normal gamers who insist on tolerating these people? Until we start purging out the Lawncrappers, we get nowhere. Obviously, you can't get rid of all the Lawncrappers, much as I would like to; but the very act of having the majority of normal gamers declare that they aren't permissive of people engaging in socially unacceptable activities vis-a-vis hygiene or inappropriate behaviour or deviance in their gaming groups is something that creates a big sea-change as far as the tone of how gaming is percieved.

RPGPundit

Ummm because.