New-Gen Roleplayers: Where's the incentive?

I had a very nice talk with a good, well-informed friend of mine earlier today about the sales of table-top role-play game systems, and how the number of younger consumers seems to have dropped dramatically from the late 90s. Yes, the economy is rough, but there are a number of worrisome factors:

• MMORPGs allow for (technically) instant gratification when it comes to play-for-accomplishment. Managing a table-top session requires commitment, an administrator (GM/DM), and a schedule. There are merits to the latter, of course, but instant gratification is pretty enticing in itself.
• Are parents put off by scary, violent, and possibly "blasphemous" covers of role-play books? It's a distinct possibility, and trends point towards yes.
• The math of role-play games can be complicated; the math of digital games are less, as you've got a computational unit built into the process (the computer). However, this is a great selling point to parents! Role-play can make statistics fun! You hear that?
• There haven't big any big-theme replications as of late (Supernatural, Smallville have made it, but aren't blockbuster enough to turn things around). The lack of any official Harry Potter representation in role-play gaming has dealt a meaningful blow to the industry. That in and of itself could have added thousands of players and millions of dollars to the cocktail.

Other thoughts? This makes me wonder if parents from the height of the table-top years still take their children aside and teach them the ropes. I've been under the impression that they are, but I suppose that's not enough to keep the industry going, alone. This means something's going to have to be done to renew interest, or the current generation of table-top lovers are going to age along with the product, and there won't be much left in 30 years aside from the occasional hail of rats in the basement from digital games.