The Carnival is being hosted by Roleplaying Pro. The topic chosen for this month is the Future of Roleplaying. Apropos for me as May is always the month I contemplate the future. I’m no longer well-versed in the cutting edge of technology. So I cannot wax eloquent on storing character sheets on a thumb-drive and downloading them to the GM’s electronic table. I don’t have my thumb on the pulse of the hobby. My thoughts on what games may be the “Next BIG Thing” would be highly speculative at best and the more likely completely inaccurate.
What is the future? The future is commonly accepted to be that portion of the time line that is anticipated to occur after the present time. In the most literal sense of the word, Sunday’s D&D game is the future. I’m assuming though the question is projecting out a little further than that.
This hobby has no future if the only ones enjoying it are middle-aged men and women who are trying in vain to recapture their young-adulthood. To me the future of the hobby is currently sitting in my living room. PIT #1 graduates this month and then heads off to basic training. When I asked her what she wanted for graduation presents she looked me in the eye and listed off the following: Savage Worlds Explorer’s Edition, Necessary Evil Explorer’s Edition, and as many AD&D books as I could spare.
PIT #2 is currently thumbing through the AD&D Complete Wizard Guidebook. He is trying to maximize his character for our Sunday game.
PIT #3 usually fights with his sister over who gets to read the rule books first. When Shainter arrived in the mail, it vanished. PIT #1 had absconded with it. When I finally got it back, it proceeded to vanish again. PIT #3 had snuck it out from under my nose and was reading up on it.
In our Sunday afternoon game, The GM and I are the only ones in attendance over the age of 20. All of my Friday evening and Saturday afternoon players are teenagers. I think the future of our hobby is secure.
Vulcan Stev's Database 
You just gave me a warm fuzzy. Thank you 🙂
Amen to that. This is something that was well known in the early days of D&D when books were explicitly targeted “aged 12 and up”. Now, WoTC are targeting internet-using, credit-card wielding adults – who already have enough drains on their finances (usually called children) and aren’t a viable long-term target demographic.
Big mistake. That game needs to get back on the bookshelves and appeal & be accessible to kids again if the hobby is going to have a future.
/rantmodeoff
@Donny – You’re welcome.
@Greywulf – Agreed, marketing to adults as opposed to teens is a mistake. WotC should be marketing D&D to both demographics.