Three takeaways from the 2023 Great Wargaming Survey are resin printers are popular, 98% of wargamers are in the hobby for life, and the average age of historical wargamers is rising.
Actually, go watch the video, it's worth watching.
My takeaway, we are all getting older, even us SF &F wargamers. The survey while an outstanding achievement is still self-selecting for those who know and can be bothered to answer. Caveat, none of us are getting younger.
That's all. Sharing because I care about stuff I do.
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It’s an aging hobby that is slowly going under.
ReplyDeleteWhile the West has an aging demographic and historical miniatures are an acquired taste, I'm not sure that the hobby will go away. Playing games is baked into the human psyche, and we truly never grow out of play.
DeleteThey sort of hand-waved the eternal comeback of "The hobby's been graying for 50 years" , but they admit in their reports that their data has been skewed from in recent years, (as well as the tripling of respondents). If you toss that aside, that means the "magazine readers" this survey is directed to are getting older, with not replacements (no surprise there)? I also have biases towards the folks in the video and their heart-hearted (re: almost non-existent) attempts to help turn this apparent tidal wave coming.
DeleteAgreed. Not to be flippant about it, but who reads magazines nowadays?
DeleteThe issues I've read of WSS are good, better than the alternatives, except for perhaps the old Battlegames under Henry Hyde, but I can't afford to buy a copy every month.
In fact I can't remember when I last bought an issue, which is sad.
Call me insane, but I know the truth of "who reads magazines anymore?"
ReplyDeleteTried and failed at a US based magazine.
And while I agree, the hobby is greying? I did see quite a few twenty somethings at Historicon this year. Chatted with them and asked why this over say, Xbox? Their answer? "It's more real."
My condolences on trying and failing. I know the feeling all too well.
DeleteGreat to hear the story of the encounter at Historicon.