Another competitor D&D faced was World of Warcraft, an online MMORPG game. World of Warcraft was hugely successful online videogame that emphasized action and roleplaying. Wizards wanted a piece of their pie, and created the 4th edition of D&D to compete with them. They mistakenly believed that if they created a game with a focus on action, it would attract the same market as World of Warcraft. The truth of the matter was that most people who played videogames exclusively did not make the switch to TRPGs, and the 4th edition failed at its intended goal.
Customer:.
While some may picture gamers as isolated, nerdy, males, the hobby has a much more diverse demographic. 80% of the gamers came to the hobby in their teen years, and about 75% give up the hobby within 5 years. The rest usually gamed for life. The number of women gamers has also been increasing through the years. Typical D&D gamers play once a month for 5-6 hours. There are also some who play more, and they spend on average 10 times as much as those who only play once a month. .
Segmentation:.
For this case, it is important to segment based on benefits and not demographics. The range of ages playing the game is very wide, but there are some very specific types of gamers. Some gamers are known as Munchkins, as they tend to be younger, more action oriented, and reward driven. This was one of the major target segments for D&Ds; 4th edition, and has been quite popular among them. The Tacticians are older, and like the tactical gameplay elements of the game. The Social Gamer cares mostly about spending time with his friends, and does not make up a substantial portion of the market. The Method Actors like to play their characters, and are less interested in the gameplay mechanics. Storytellers enjoy telling stories within the game. They do not like rules that constrain the story telling aspect of the game. The Rules Lawyer likes to win through interpreting the rules of the game.