The #RPGaDay2018 question for August 8, 2018 is: 8. How can we get more people playing?

(questions and image from autocratik.blogspot.com)

I'm sure there are a lot of things that could get more people playing tabletop RPGs. Here are a few of my thoughts on the topic.

Reduce the barriers that make it tough to play

Some of the reasons that people don't play involve complex social dynamics. Because of the expectations of ongoing play with RPGs it can be hard to "ease into" gaming with someone. There's a chicken-and-egg problem: It's uncomfortable to game with people you don't trust, but it's hard to build trust with people if you don't engage in an activity with them. Additionally, if you do try to game with someone and things don't work out then you've got another round of social awkwardness. On one hand online gaming via video/audio chat should open up a lot of avenues for more play, but if you cast a wide net you also potentially expose yourself to interacting with the worst people the internet has to offer, so a lot of people are understandably nervous about diving into that pool. I'm not sure what the solution to this is, but if there is one if probably results in more people playing.

Don't optimize for people who "already know how to play"

A lot of game design/development strategies are based around the premise of appealing to an existing player base, such as when people create a "hack" of an existing game rather than a fully standalone game with the expectation that the existing players of the base game will find it easier to get started. In the case where this has the effect of making the game seem like you need a lot of cultural knowledge in order to play then it's creating a barrier to new players.

Don't cater to the convention-going crowd

I'm not a convention-goer, but my impression is that convention gaming is different from at-home gaming. It favors one-shots, pre-gens, high-energy facilitators who are there to "demo" how great the game is, and probably some other things. But design tradeoffs that optimize for that experience probably have a downside for the experience where most people would actually play games. Conventions are for existing, hardcore, dedicated fans of something, they're not the place that potential new players go to play games. If somebody wanted to learn how to drive would their first step be going to a car show?

Actual play that inspires a desire to join the fun, not passively spectate

Sometimes when you watch people do an activity it inspires the reaction "That looks like fun, I want to do that, too." Other times it inspires the reaction "This is entertaining, I want to sit here and keep watching them do that." If twitch streams, etc., of spectator RPGing are entertaining because of the fame, comedic talent, or improv abilities of the participants then it's less likely to inspire play. They might as well be using the game as a prop in an improv routine, they're being performers not game players. Most of the incentives in the current content-creation culture push people toward the "performing" approach, but I don't think that's what's likely to lead to more play.

More games, and better-designed games

Generally things don't spontaneously change. The current conditions have resulted in the current number of players. If you want more players than that, then something needs to change to make that happen. Some external factor could definitely cause that, but it seems like the thing that's actually somewhat under our control is which games are available to play. Every new game has a potential to be a hit. Every game that doesn't do exactly the same thing as a previous game has a potential to change the dynamic. The current games do what the current games do, and that's fine for a lot of people. If you want something different then encourage and support people who try to create new and different things.