Raving Toy Mania is a good news site for this market, which aptly demonstartes the hunger for information this market has.

Similar retailers operate in the UK, check out www.forbiddenplanet.com and www.whoblackpool.com

There is an ample market for cubicle toys specifically. Provide a little individuality to one's office space. These have long been adorned with comic strips and other little nuggets of comedy. The addition of dolls and simple toys help the worker create a sense of home and belonging. Depending on the office environment, these toys may need to be small to avoid attracting attention. However, as the owner of a USB controlled rocket launcher that fires foam darts, I can say that outlandish can also be acceptable in some cases.

Is this the same audience we find every year in Germany at the Essen "Spiel" fair? (except for nationality of course)?

@Sophie - Yes and no.

The German market represented at the Essen fair consists primarily of families and couples. For families, these hobby activities provide opportunity for some shared intergenerational time together, regardless of age. For couples, they will engage in these hobbies with each other but it's also a common afternoon or after-supper social activity when two or three couples get together. These intergenerational and social aspects of the market drive a greater degree of interactivity in the products - they tend to be designed and marketed more as games than as toys.

The North American market that Richard is describing here is predominantly male. The social element isn't as prevalent, hence the greater focus on more solitary pursuits such as comic books and figurines. These products are also geared more towards collecting than playing. Social aspects aren't absent by any means but rather than family time or couples getting together, the North American market is driven more by the "guys night out" concept (the current popularity and marketing of poker is an excellent case in point) or by formal, organized play with strangers (conventions, Magic: The Gathering tournaments, etc). Even among the social products, many are very focused on collectibility (collectible card games, collectible miniatures, even roleplaying games with their endless streams of supplements and sourcebooks).

That said, North America is beginning to drift ever closer to the German model. The market for comics and figurines appears soft but relatively stable but collectible and roleplaying games are losing significant ground in favor of the board game sector. The demographics are beginning to shift as well. Hasbro's "Family Games Night" marketing campaign is definitely following a trend, for instance, not leading one and the Toys R Us aisles are full of pink-washed, girl-friendly versions of classic games. Interestingly, games also appear to be gaining ground and legitimacy both in public libraries but also as a healthy means of social interaction within church groups. Within the mass market, games are still mostly oriented towards children and teens but, one tier below the mass market, games are beginning to explode out of their typical hobby-oriented niches.

A couple of excellent sites for following this interesting hobby games market that exists just below the mass market are Board Game News (www.boardgamenews.com) and Board Game Geek (www.boardgamegeek.com). Both are large sites with lots of content and can be somewhat overwhelming for newcomers but the information they provide are well worth the effort.

Rob, excellent response! Interesting article in the Chicago Tribune today about board games countering gangs in neighborhoods and being played by mixed groups chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-edgewater-loitering-city-zonjul29,0,3535893.story

I disagree with the earlier comment about the adult game market being predominantly male. As companies have continued to refine their approach the female game market it has continuing to grow. Let us not forget about The Sims and World of Warcraft. Also, with the release of 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons we have an example of a game company (role-playing game in this case) trying to reach this common denominator.

There is a lot of cultural resistance in the general public to buying any of these games though (I could hold Sophie’s post up as an example). So, unless something changes I don’t think the shift will be all that noticeable by the giants of the respective game industries. I wish I could say differently, but I feel this demographic will continue to be left out in favor of “less risky” approaches.

What we have noticed at the San Diego Comic-con is that females are more prominent than earlier years. It used to be predominantly male oriented the first few years we exhibited but not anymore.

Comic-con sells everything ranging from comics, graphic novels, toys, figurines, posters, clothing and is a great way to launch or develop your brand. There are still more males but closer gender results are easily noticed. The gender playing field is almost equal now.

Even the majors like Hasbro, Dreamworks, Sony, Xbox, Marvel, DC, Image, Darkhorse, and other corporate giants exhibit at Comic-con.

If you've never attended the best pop culture event on the planet - you should.

Sandford Tuey
www.Playdigm.com

I think the point was about the comic and figurine market being primarily male, which I would agree with. (I've been to Midtown Comics too.)

I've noticed a big shift in the gender balance of our local board game meetup. When we were in the basement of a board game store (until about a year ago), the attendees were around 80-90% male. In the past several months, we have moved to meeting in cafes and restaurants, and the balance has shifted to around 50% male. I suspect that seeing more women made more women comfortable in attending and that started the exponential change as much as the change of venue.