THere has been continuing discussion of how to reach potential roleplayers around lately. It seems to be problematic because RPG groups tend to be very tight and somewhat private and this does not lend itself to mass recuiting. To this end, I offer an exstention of Ron's band metaphor. A group of guys get together, they make some cool sounds together for a while. They learn about what they're doing (the sound making) and themselves and grow as individuals as well as a group. Then they eventually grow indivdually enough that they need to leave the group, maybe several of them do. So the band breaks up and they all strike out on solo careers. And even though it's called a solo career, they have to form a new group, and thus bring in new blood. And so it goes with bands forming and then breaking up to spreading the music everywhere. Or at the very least, to reach people who might otherwise not be making music.

Depressing extension. Next to roleplayers, I can think of no group as bad at finding each other than musicians. In fact, they use exactly the same methods like posting notes on boards at the music shops. Yikes.

Perhaps this is a sign that we're not so odd in our insularity.

Mike

Hi there,

Jack, I think you're missing a key step in the social process. You've jumped straight from "original garage group" to "striking off as solos."

I think the majority of musicians (and I'm not talking about Big Name Popular with record contracts) operate at a stage in between these - most people play in one to four actual bands, and those bands are often in a state of minor flux regarding membership. So music's being made, and groups exist, but their names change (sometimes without changing members) and their memberships change (sometime without changing band names). However, as long as the musical output, gigs, and general activity is more constant than the changes, the "music scene" is happening and the better bands, pending accidents, eventually coalesce among the most compatible musicians.

Best,
Ron

Hi, Ron

I think what I was doing was looking at the solo career part as part of the flux stage, but I think you're right. The stages are, most likely:



• band forms
• state of flux and members come and go until...
• the band finds compatable membership and they remain together for a good stretch because now the group work together in such a way that it will eventually "get somewhere"
• After said good stretch, the band breaks up, whether only one or more key members leave of if the group scatters to the four winds. These separate members then form new groups, and the cycle begins again.

Or such is my take on it.

You know a college friend of mine described his bar band as "primarily motivated by beer, drugs, and chicks". I suspect that a great many "bands" are primarily social groups using the medium of music as an excuse to gather and engage in such things.

What then would be the parallel among gamers...?

Surely we can do better than Monty Python, Kirk vs Spock, and chain mail bikini babes...

Next to roleplayers, I can think of no group as bad at finding each other than musicians. In fact, they use exactly the same methods like posting notes on boards at the music shops. Yikes.

An interesting point brought up by Mike; getting a groups together by post-it notes/index cards in speciality (game and comic) shops. Gamers are a low percentage of the population as a whole and are scattered at best. Two things I've noticed that a certain age groups (late teens to early 20's) and active intellect (college, active reading of SF/F.) Larger cities are useful as the higher populations will have a higher percentage of gamers. Colleges are a source for concentrating gamers. Military bases (active duty personnel) are good too for finding gamers. Of course, this is where to set up a game store.

Where else would gamers hang out and be reached in larger numbers i.e. where would money/time be spent best in contacting potential customers. A couple of ideas come to mind immediately:

* Local Conventions (1/2 to 1 state area to draw gamers from)
* Bookstores specializing in SF/F
* Web-based speciality forums and information on gaming
* ???

Does anyone else have ideas of where gamers would hang out. I also believe that the web needs to be broken down into more specific areas.

Keith

Valamir wrote: ...a college friend of mine described his bar band as "primarily motivated by beer, drugs, and chicks".