Tabletop Gamers Crave More Play, But Life Keeps Getting in the Way [Infographic]
GameTree survey reveals the 244% discrepancy between actual and desired play.
A strong desire to play more tabletop games – 237% as much as they currently do – was revealed in a survey to ~220 respondents across dozens of Reddit, Discord, and Facebook groups. Data is consistent with a 2018 GameTree tabletop survey, despite a 120% increase in the size of the industry since (Statista, SkyQuest). Check out the GameTree blog for more specific, deep dives into play patterns and how often people play board games, tabletop RPG’s, collectible card games, and miniature wargames.
Key Insights: Data
- 86% of players say tabletop gaming has improved their social relationships
- 74% struggle to find the right players (highest among TTRPG and board gamers)
- Time and scheduling are the most frequently cited issues overall
- Mini wargamers play the most (avg. x21/year), but RPG players are blocked the most (want to play 282% as much)
- Card gamers are the most satisfied with how often they play
- Young gamers (18-23) report the highest price sensitivity
- Mini wargamers consider price x2.2 of a problem as other tabletop genres
- 40% of non-mini wargamers wish they played
- Gamers try significantly more new games as they age x4.4/year ages 18-24 vs x15.1/year ages 46-59
- Most play with friends (87%) and family (51%), with less play among local community (47%), online community (25%), and coworkers (7%)
“I miss playing DnD but ever since losing much of my free time and my old parties from HS/College I have had to opt for Baldur’s gate for similar experiences.”
“I used to play board games and card games a good amount when I was little but then I stopped for a while. I now have a wonderful group of friends that play new board games all the time and it is a wonderful experience with them!”
“Kids and job/business keeps me occupied most of the time.”
“I find board games are a great way to gain friends/ to introduce to friends to deepen relationships.”
“I love tabletop games, I feel like they can really bring people together and it’s a way of bonding and building relationships. You learn new skills, it’s a way you can be creative and be yourself. The only problem is that you can never find enough people who want to play tabletop games or they’re really expensive.”
“I genuinely want to play more board games, TTRPGs, and mini war game things sound really interesting. I don’t have a community of people that I’m really able to play with, and I’m not someone who goes online for that kinda stuff.”
“I’m lucky enough to have a home game that meets weekly and plays over foundry. Our group did get together a year ago for ‘air D&D’ where we rented a cabin and played in person and chilled together for a week. Apart from that I haven’t played much D&D beyond a session 0-1 that fizzles out usually because of scheduling difficulties. Found a local group though that hosts one shots recently I’m pretty excited about!”
“My introduction to dice rolling games came from Warhammer 40K. And during that time has been amazing made some new and awesome friends I wouldn’t have meet otherwise. But I would love to expand and play other things but just have been so focused on 40K that I don’t give myself the ability to. For me I’m conflicted on my free time whether to play 40K or a try a new system.”
“Miniature wargaming is a massive positive force in my life. Not only have I made several very close friends, but our friendships now extend past the miniature wargaming hobby.”
About GameTree
GameTree is the social platform built to connect and keep gamers together.
With over 1.5 million users worldwide, it helps players find and coordinate with like-minded friends across tabletop, PC, console, and mobile – so you never lose a great player again.
High resolution images and additional materials are available here. If you are a journalist or would like access to the anonymized data, you are welcome to reach us at [email protected]
