Plissken said:
22, here.
Wow, alot of us are 20-50 range. How is WotC going to bring in young blood? They're so hooked w/there MMO's and GTA's and Halo's.
Well, [Derails thread] MMO's are an interesting problem. I'm going to assume that you've played at least one or two... it's hard to think of anyone our age who hasn't tried at least one. The problem with mmos is that they are not fun. They have moments that are fun, but the games in of themselves are not. So, figure out what is 'fun' for your friends who play mmos, and then find something similar in D&D (If they're pro-crafting, then I'd say examine the rituals for making/disenchanting stuff or explore house-rules), which should be an easy and temporary association. As long as the PC doesn't buy books (at first... hehehe...) and just shows up for a 3-6 hour session once a week, it'll be cheaper and less time consuming than mmos (and probably more fun). While that's not WotC actively trying to appeal to those people, I think word of mouth is something they're banking on.
GTA is easy. It's a sandbox game, and that playstyle is easily converted into a D&D game. While the repercussions for killing random people should be greater in D&D, GTA has its limits. One cannot actually quit the life of crime, and one cannot play the story in such a way as to truly escape/alter it (unless they're experimenting in nonlinearity in IV and I haven't heard). Thus, D&D offers the chance for a more 'free' experience. An emphasis on the playability of 4e might bring them to the table and chances are if they have fun they'll come back again.
Halo is... Halo. Maybe because my college has become a party college over the past few years, but as far as I know Halo is more a social game for parties and people fragging each other. It's not my game of choice, and I can't think of anyone who actually likes playing (I know there are, but none of my friends or acquaintances enjoy it). So, I'm not sure if D&D is aimed at those people. OTOH, they're both social games. In that regard, D&D can sometimes feel like a party and may be fun for Halo players.
Mostly, I think WotC is depending on word of mouth to get more people our age to play. Maybe they'll have a sweeping marketing campaign I have not seen yet. That'd be cool too.[/rant]