What can Google Insight tell us about RPGs?

[Jürgen Hubert]

I just found out about Google Insight, which tracks the number of searches for specific terms over time. This might help us track the general state of various RPG lines.

Here are various trends I found for the period on display (starting with 2004):

Call of Cthulhu: About the same, with the exception of a peak in April 2006 (coinciding with the "Dark Corners of the Earth" computer game). The search term is also very popular in Russia, for some reason.
D&D: Down by half
Exalted: Up by 25%
GURPS: Down to a third
RIFTS: Down by half
Savage Worlds: Up by 50%
Shadowrun: Down by half
World of Darkness: Slightly lower than it started, but now about constant

So it does seem that the gaming industry and community is no longer as large as it used to be. But what else can be learned from this tool?

This tool also allows comparisons by country, as well as some other nifty options. So make your own armchair analysis of gaming trends!

[Buzzardo]

And mmo is up about 900% (that is, nine times what it was in '04).

[Not another shrubbery]

It is kind of interesting, but I’m reluctant to take too much from it… search trends don’t seem to be necessarily good indicators of business strength.

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by Not another shrubbery

It is kind of interesting, but I’m reluctant to take too much from it… search trends don’t seem to be necessarily good indicators of business strength.

Especially given once some found there 'home' for an interest the rarely need to go back to a search engine to find it more.

[Jürgen Hubert]

Originally Posted by roguebfl

Especially given once some found there 'home' for an interest the rarely need to go back to a search engine to find it more.

However, this does seem to imply that there aren't as many new people trying to find that home... at least, as far as most role-playing games are concerned!

[capnq]

Originally Posted by Jürgen Hubert

Call of Cthulhu: About the same, with the exception of a peak in April 2006 (coinciding with the "Dark Corners of the Earth" computer game). The search term is also very popular in Russia, for some reason.

The reason, as one blogger described it. (One needs a subscription to the Moscow Times Online to view the source article that the blogger links to.)

[Mailanka]

There are categories you can tag in Insight. I'm not sure if you're aware of that.

When you look at Exalted in RPGs, you find that it's actually dropped, WoD has risen a little, and the rest seem to be as you indicate.

I suspect alot of these searches have to do with public interest generated over a new release (look up Shadowrun under RPGs, and you'll see a huge spike in 2007 before it levels off again). So I'm not convinced that a drop in searches equates with a drop in the overall hobby, it MIGHT just mean people have found what they are looking for and are off playing

(Still, not a great sign for RPGs)

[Johnny Angel]

The stats for 2009 seem to suggest that searches for GURPS are currently on the rise.

http://www.google.com/insights/searc...9%2012m&cmpt=q




Out of curiosity, I typed my own name in. I didn't expect to find any results, but, strangely, I seem to have been a hot topic around April 2007.

http://www.google.com/insights/searc...0dibert&cmpt=q


edit: April 2007