RPG Research
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1977
- HeadquartersSpokane, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
RPG Research firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- RPG Research
- Legal name
- RPG Research
- Website
- https://rpgresearch.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1977
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
RPG Research industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Therapeutic Recreation Services
- NAICS
- Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Narrative/Adventure & RPG Game Studios (MPAFAAAL)
Keywords
Where RPG Research is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Spokane
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices11 records
Markets served
RPG Research business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: 501(c)3 non-profit organization dependent on donations from individuals and businesses. $10/month donation helps provide programs to 30+ people each month. Accepts donations through Patreon, PayPal, Amazon Charities Wishlist, Benevity, and direct donations.
- Volunteer Services: 100% volunteer-run organization - no paid staff. All programs delivered through trained volunteer staff serving as Game Masters, facilitators, and support personnel.
- Professional Services (via RPG Therapeutics LLC): Related for-profit entity RPG Therapeutics LLC provides professional recreational therapy services, professional training workshops, retreats, and therapeutic services. RPG Research maintains non-profit status while related entities provide fee-based professional services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Community Programs - Free with Donation Request |
| Freemium | Others | Volunteer Training - Free |
| Freemium | Others | Knowledgebase Access - Free |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels10 records
RPG Research product offering
Product offeringCore offering
RPG Research is a 100% volunteer-run 501(c)3 non-profit that delivers free community-based role-playing game programs (tabletop, live-action, and electronic) for individuals ages 4-104+ across physical facilities, mobile accessible units, and online platforms. It also maintains the world's largest free open research knowledgebase on RPG effects (10,000+ items), provides a 20-level volunteer training program, and develops accessibility technologies such as BCI-RPG and Braille dice. Programs target therapeutic, educational, and social outcomes for neurodiverse, at-risk, incarcerated, disabled, and general community populations.
Product overview
RPG Research is a 100% volunteer-run 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization that operates as a platform of interconnected research, community, and educational services focused on role-playing games. The core offerings include the RPG Knowledgebase (world's largest free research repository with 10,000+ content items), the RPG Community Center (accessible physical facility), the RPG Museum (historical experiential museum), and RPG Mobile (accessible mobile bus and trailers). Supporting services include the Hero Trainer fitness app, the BCI RPG opensource project for accessibility, the RPG.Education training platform, 20-level volunteer training programs, the RPG Talk Show streaming media content, accessible gaming programs (ASL RPG, Blind/VI RPG), and community workshops. These products collectively enable the organization to research, advocate for, and deliver RPG-based community, educational, and therapeutic programs across six continents.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- RPG Mobile: Mobile accessible RPG bus and trailers providing programs to underserved and rural locations
- BCI RPG
- Hero Trainer App
- RPG Talk Show
Products and services
- RPG Knowledgebase World's largest free and open online repository of information on the effects of role-playing games, containing over 10,000 content items covering research archives, studies, and documentation on RPG formats, populations served, and therapeutic applications.
- RPG Community Center Accessible facility in Spokane, Washington providing tabletop role-playing game programs for ages 4 to 104+, supporting participants with mobility, grasping, vision, hearing, developmental, and other challenges.
- RPG Museum Historical interactive experiential learning museum showcasing RPG history, artifacts from as far back as 1968, and gaming ancestors dating to approximately 3500 B.C.E., with multiple exploration pathways for different audiences.
- RPG Mobile Mobile accessible RPG Bus and RPG Trailers providing wheelchair-accessible, environmentally stimuli-controllable facilities to deliver programs in rural and remote locations serving under-served populations.
- Hero Trainer App
Quantifiable outcome
- More than 100,000 people directly impacted since 2017, with indirect impact on millions more across 6 continents
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use RPG Research
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments10 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
RPG Research technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
RPG Research partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.
- PracticingMusician.comcorePartnership for developing the RPG.Education online training platform, providing improved online learning infrastructure for volunteer and staff training, community engagement, and educational content delivery.
- ClimbHigh.AIcoreAI technology partnership for the RPG.Education platform, providing privacy-respective AI capabilities integrated with the educational platform for enhanced learning experiences.
- Spark CentralcoreCommunity partnership providing space for drop-in RPG programs at 1214 West Summit Parkway, Spokane. Active partnership hosting programs first and third Saturdays 1-4pm.
- Spokane School DistrictscoreEducational partnerships providing RPG programs in school settings, including daily in-school courses since 1985 and ongoing educational initiatives.
- Parks & RecreationcoreCommunity partnership providing RPG programs at parks and recreation facilities throughout the region.
- Beadle & GrimmminorProduct donation partnership - Beadle & Grimm donated D&D 'The Wild Beyond The Witchlight' Platinum Edition to RPG Research for the RPG Center Grand Opening.
- Wizards of the CoastmoderateFeatured guest appearances on Dragon Talk show and book collaboration. Hawke Robinson appeared on show multiple times discussing RPG therapy and social benefits.
- GenConmoderateAnnual convention partnership - RPG Research presents at GenCon TV TableTakes, participates in panels, and hosts gaming events. Featured at GenCon 2020.
- Eastern Washington UniversitymoderateAcademic partnership for research collaboration and educational programs. Emily Messina, Ph.D., CTRS serves on RPG Research Board as Director of Therapeutic Recreation Department at EWU.
- Washington State UniversitymoderateAcademic partnership for research and educational initiatives related to RPG applications.
- Seattle Children's HospitalmoderateHealthcare partnership for therapeutic recreation programs using RPGs in pediatric healthcare settings.
- Saint Luke's RehabilitationmoderateHealthcare partnership providing brain-injury and spinal cord injury rehabilitation programs incorporating RPGs.
- Navos Mental HealthmoderateMental health partnership (King County, WA) providing RPG-based therapeutic programs for mental health patients.
- Game to GrowmoderateProfessional peer organization in therapeutic gaming. Adam Johns, Game to Grow Executive Director, has recognized founder Hawke Robinson as 'The Grandfather of Therapeutic Gaming.'
- RPG Therapeutics LLCcoreRelated for-profit entity founded by same Hawke Robinson. Provides professional recreational therapy services, training workshops, and therapeutic services separate from RPG Research's non-profit programs.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights5 records
RPG Research competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Child's Play Charity: Gaming-focused charity delivering toys, games, and technology to children's hospitals. Comparable in using play/gaming as a channel for pediatric therapeutic and community impact.
- AbleGamers Foundation: Non-profit focused on accessibility in video games for players with disabilities. Comparable accessibility-first orientation, though focused on digital rather than tabletop RPGs.
- Extra Life: Charity mobilizing gamers to raise funds for children's hospitals through gameplay marathons. Comparable gaming-for-good donation-driven non-profit model.
- Stack Up: Non-profit supporting veterans and active-duty military through gaming and community programs. Comparable use of gaming as a vehicle for mental-health and community-building outcomes in underserved populations.
- Game to Grow: Non-profit that uses tabletop RPGs therapeutically for social skills, self-esteem, and mental health in neurodiverse youth. Directly comparable therapeutic-gaming non-profit; its Executive Director has publicly recognized RPG Research's founder as 'The Grandfather of Therapeutic Gaming.'
- Geek Therapeutics: Mental health organization leveraging tabletop RPGs and geek culture for therapy and clinician training. Comparable in combining RPGs with structured therapeutic outcomes and professional training content.
- The Bodhana Group: Non-profit using tabletop RPGs as an alternative therapy approach for at-risk youth and trauma survivors. Directly comparable mission of therapeutic RPG programs for vulnerable populations.
- Take This: Non-profit addressing mental health within the gaming community, including partnerships with game publishers and clinical programs. Comparable overlap between gaming engagement and mental-health outcomes.
- SpecialEffect: UK charity enabling people with physical disabilities to enjoy video games through assistive technology. Comparable accessibility-and-gaming mission, especially relevant alongside BCI-RPG and Braille initiatives.
Others
- American Therapeutic Recreation Association: Professional association for recreational therapists; RPG Research presents at ATRA conferences and shares the recreational-therapy target market, but is an adjacent ecosystem partner rather than a direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
RPG Research social profiles
Digital presenceRPG Research financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
RPG Research leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
RPG Research subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
RPG Research funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
RPG Research M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about RPG Research
What does RPG Research do?
RPG Research is a 100% volunteer-run 501(c)3 non-profit that delivers free community-based role-playing game programs (tabletop, live-action, and electronic) for individuals ages 4-104+ across physical facilities, mobile accessible units, and online platforms. It also maintains the world's largest free open research knowledgebase on RPG effects (10,000+ items), provides a 20-level volunteer training program, and develops accessibility technologies such as BCI-RPG and Braille dice. Programs target therapeutic, educational, and social outcomes for neurodiverse, at-risk, incarcerated, disabled, and general community populations.
Is RPG Research a public or private company?
RPG Research is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was RPG Research founded?
RPG Research was founded in 1977. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is RPG Research based?
RPG Research is headquartered in Spokane, United States, in the North America region.
How does RPG Research make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are volunteer Services and professional Services (via RPG Therapeutics LLC).
Who are RPG Research's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Child's Play Charity, AbleGamers Foundation, Extra Life, Stack Up, Game to Grow, Geek Therapeutics, The Bodhana Group, Take This and SpecialEffect. American Therapeutic Recreation Association is listed as an others.
Does RPG Research have an API?
No public API is recorded for RPG Research.
What industry is RPG Research in?
RPG Research's product category is Therapeutic Recreation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAL, Narrative/Adventure & RPG Game Studios. Its NAICS code is 71 and its SIC code is 7990.