I would say that enshitification has multiple tiers in tabletop at this point. The Mount Everest of enshitification is obviously WotC. I could go into detail on this, but the short version is that their market is highly susceptible to the glam of product design and also quite disconnected from the hobby's history. Stranger Things also added fuel to that fire. So it goes.
Then there's the indie enshitification. The indie (i.e. self-published) market is such a tiny, insignificant sliver compared to the professional market segment. But, you can apply
Sayre's Law to this scene. I would say that I've seen things in this scene that are just as reprehensible and shady as WotC's practices, but they are more likely to fly under the radar because the stakes are so small. However, among pure gamers (as opposed to gamer/"designers") there is a growing antipathy towards the indie scene. For example, there is a well known entry to the scene that has frequently been criticized by players for going overboard generating their own hype and falling way short on the *-+deliverables.
And then there's the culture tier of enshitification, and OSR is a part of that. Long story short, OSR wasn't something that started. It was always there, and then it was eventually branded, and then it was watered down by indie designers co-opting the label out of desperation for additional visibility for their (likely sub-standard) product. It's all a mess. There's a split in the OSR where some of the OGs are rejecting the folks watering it down, which has created a new subgroup (NSR or NuSR) to highlight the difference. But then you have people who are put in that group whining and insisting that they are OSR, regardless of their critical reception. Professor DM (your video) and other YT creators have actually become a part of the problem. Most of these channels are monetized so, once again, they are following the money and not what the hobby actually needs. I think the only YTer that I used to watch that I still hold in high regard is Bandit's Keep. But, his channel isn't about the scene or game reviews, it's about creating clickable content.
I'm talking about the Tabletop game, believe it or not
Therein lies the rub. From the early days, TTRPGs have been a DIY hobby. It does not lend itself well to commodification. Meanwhile the more visible aspects of the culture are usually trying to sell something. So, at this point, you can kinda put it all on a spectrum that ranges from the spirit of the game to product. The more $$$, the less it is actually a TTRPG.
What are your thoughts on the TTRPG industry in 2026? Anyone still playing? Are there any new systems that you like?
Oh, how do I answer this and stay within the character limit for posts on this forum?
The industry? I just don't care. I have enough experience in the hobby that I don't have to care. I don't need the industry to teach me about TTRPGS. I've been homebrewing since WotC bought D&D and have built systems from the ground up when needed. It's not rocket science. If one understands the essential process of tabletop gaming, it's pretty easy to build what you need for the game you want to play. I've built games in as little as 15 minutes (albeit it was just for lighter one shots).
Is anyone still playing? Probably. There's relatively many WotC D&D groups out there, some even with paid GMs (like, people pay someone to run the game for them). It boggles my mind. For the kind of low-brow gaming that D&D now provides, you're better off playing some kind of lizard brain video game. I'm sure some indie games get to the table on the regular. However, the problem is that there's oversaturation in the indie market along with increased provincialism. You could have two people who like indie games, but they each only like their particular indie game and it's not the same. As for me, I haven't been able to get a local gaming group together in forever. I had hit up a local game shop recently and offered to run some old school products that they wanted to move to help generate interest, just to get something going. That went nowhere. I have been considering getting back into play-by-post (which has a high failure rate), but I would use a system I build specifcally to be amenable to play-by-post. There hasn't been any movement on that because I know it's harder to get people to sign up for homebrews and that undermines my motiviation.
New systems? I still have feelers out there, but I don't pursue it aggresively. That being said, I haven't seen anything new in quite some time that evolves the model of actual gaming. The only "evolution" I've seen has been more focused on cutural content production and product design. I kinda feel bad that your feed is getting it with TTRPG content creators because there are so many better uses for gaming time.
