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How much spent in life time on role-playing gaming?

by Hawke Robinson published Jun 20, 2015 05:05 PM, last modified Feb 05, 2023 12:22 PM
This was recently asked, and I hadn't really stopped to calculate it, until now. Gack!

This thread here: https://plus.google.com/communities/101509275664581560702 "Question to every one. Over the course of you're entire gaming life how much money do you think you have spent on books, pdfs, software, ink and paper? Plus anything else tog gaming related?"

This will have to be estimated of course, at least up to 2004, after that I have more accurate tracking due to a couple of related companies created.

Beginning with gaming in the late 1970s, when I was introduced by a cousin, I don't think I actually bought my own first books until around 1980/81 or so, with AD&D 1st edition. But it took off from there.

I had my first paid job when I was 9 years old, working at family mine (above ground), by 12 I had my first paid programming gig.

I used much of the money to buy more gaming supplies (as well as G.I. Joe action figures, and other kids stuff).  By 13 I was GMing weekly 1-3 groups (2 on Saturday one on Sunday or similar variations), for an average of about 20+/- players.

With their permission, I began charging $1 per player per session. They readily agreed, knowing tha,t when I indicated, it was specifically to go straight into purchasing more gaming materials (books, cminiatures, etc.). This was roughly about $1,000+ per year (circa 1983), paid for (by paying me) indirectly by the players. And of course my own jobs I purchased even more. Back then, an AD&D 1st edition rulebook was only about $12 USD, most of the regular size miniatures (lead) were about $0.25 to $0.75 cents each, so $20 a week went a long way.  My summers and holiday jobs, and side programming gigs would typically, around this time, earn me anywhere from $500 to $6,000 a stint, much of which went back into gaming (as well as skateboards, novels, computer upgrades/software,