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I worked last night and didn't have too much business due to it being Christmas morning and all, but the quiet time at work gave me time to think and one thing that I thought about is why do I do this hobby? Why do I spend so much money on these little plastic guys and then paint them? I haven't figured out my reasons behind it but I would like to hear why you guys do it. So please post up the reasons why you spend the money, spend the time painting and then playing.

Because sadly within wargaming is the first "social group" in which I have felt "Accepted"

Plus I am a huge nerd for massive epic battles and I have a love of rolling dice for a weird reason!

I enjoy building things, kitbashing them and making pew-pew sounds when nobody is looking. Though it mostly also has to do with the insane background, I really like it. It's good, harmless fun really, plus it encourages creativity and whatnot.

I have an addictive personality and when my roomates introduced me to this game any hope of me avoiding it was immediately destroyed

Coz it's fun.

I like collecting things. I love to buy a cool-looking model, paint it up, think up a little background for it. It's something to put on the shelf and feel proud of.

Its an awesome hobby that allows my creativity and imagination to run wild. It also teaches you some serious patients and dedication which is a good thing to have

Yeah I understand all what you guys are saying, but I am also sitting here thinking that I am 27 years old and maybe I am just too old to be playing with toys.

Synister_Intent wrote:Yeah I understand all what you guys are saying, but I am also sitting here thinking that I am 27 years old and maybe I am just too old to be playing with toys.

Are they 'toys'? Does it matter? And what has age got to do with playing with stuff? And if you weren't doing that then what would you do instead? If it's just watching the telly or drinking in a bar then giving up toys isn't all that great. I thought it was teenagers that cared most about the opinions of others and felt the pressure to give up things to fit in. As I've grown older I've realised that it's best to do what makes you happy, and to hell with everyone else and their boring opinions.

My dad is buying and painting models and he's 62. He's looking at doing his chaos dwarves in his retirement. He buys Star Wars figures, mainly clone troopers. I doubt he's ever considered that he's 'too old' to play with toys.

I play 40K because I love the story behind the game, I find the game enjoyable, and I like building the model's. I have always been a geek, and as such enjoy most tabletop games I've played. Then on top of that it's also a good socially, I've met a few friends while gaming in local stores as well.

Synister_Intent wrote:Yeah I understand all what you guys are saying, but I am also sitting here thinking that I am 27 years old and maybe I am just too old to be playing with toys.

You are never too old for anything. The moment you start thinking you're old, thats when you'll age. Never stop doing what you enjoy.

Do you enjoy it? If so, continue doing it. If not, stop doing it. Why should age be a factor? Hell, my grandpa builds model planes and cars.

Its an addiction. Also, I think it is a great thing to see your idea come to life as you build and paint a model.

Thaanos wrote:
You are never too old for anything. The moment you start thinking you're old, thats when you'll age. Never stop doing what you enjoy.

I think that is the best piece of advice I have ever gotten. Thank you.

The writer C.S. Lewis had a few words to say about such feelings, which I have always loved:

C.S. Lewis wrote:"Critics who treat 'adult' as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development.

When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."

And believe me it is not like I have been in this hobby for years, I have only been into it for about 4 months now. I got interested in it when I was in high school, did some reading on it back then but didn't have the money to get into it. Totally forgot all about it until I recently started a new job as a diesel mechanic and one of the guys I work with has played for like 10 years or more. It has taken me 4 months, 5 different codex's, and a few boxes of troops to finally decide on an army to play.

I loved legos

See I really think I started this thread because of my indecisive nature, I can never make up my mind. I guess that is why I spent so much money to finally decide on an army. My buddy makes fun of me all the time saying asking me what army am I playing this week.

To me, its that inner child that loves awesome stuff that is completely detached to reality. Thats why I still love silly video games and stories. I reject your reality and substitute my own!

Ma55ter_fett wrote:I loved legos

so do I

OMG where/how did you get those legos?!


As for me, it's an artistic expression. I loved drawing and painting but got frustrated that I could never DO anything with my art, which wasn't very good. In order to get good, you have to practice a lot - and the problem was that with no real motivation, I couldn't bring myself to do the practice. Enter wargaming. Now, the product of my work could be put into a game where I did something else I enjoyed, which was strategize and play a game. Now I could have an outlet for it. I love building and painting models [though I'm slow at it, too many hobbies] and now I aspire to have the largest Emperor's Children army in the world. I'm well on my way!

I am 49. When I was a kid I played with Marx toy soldiers. In junior high I built Tamiiya model tanks. When I read the LOTR I thought: wouldnt this make the coolest set of toy soldiers ever. Along came D&D with its minis to paint and I was hooked. WHFB followed later and I jumped right in.
I just opened a gift certificate from my wife for my FLGS. I have had to set this all aside from time to time but I will never stop.

snurl wrote:I am 49. When I was a kid I played with Marx toy soldiers. In junior high I built Tamiiya model tanks. When I read the LOTR I thought: wouldnt this make the coolest set of toy soldiers ever. Along came D&D with its minis to paint and I was hooked. WHFB followed later and I jumped right in.
I just opened a gift certificate from my wife for my FLGS. I have had to set this all aside from time to time but I will never stop.

And your wife supports your geeky hobbies?

A more pertinent question would be: should a woman who doesn't support your hobbies be your wife?

The Dreadnote wrote:A more pertinent question would be: should a woman who doesn't support your hobbies be your wife?

That is a really good question, I just haven't met the right woman yet. My last girlfriend made me (and I'm an idiot for doing so) quit playing World of Warcraft for her.

Let's not be too hasty. A person who helps you quit WoW may be a great person.

There have just been a couple of big threads about people's relationships with their girlfriends or wives and their hobby.

Many folks give up a hobby for a short or a long while; especially if their situation is dire, and the family needs the time or money more. But in the long run we all need hobbies. Stuff to spend time on that relaxes us and gives us enjoyment.

perezba7 wrote:
Its an awesome hobby that allows my creativity and imagination to run wild. It also teaches you some serious patience and dedication which is a good thing to have

This.
Painting, writing, crafting, it works.

It's enjoyable.

Synister_Intent wrote:

snurl wrote:I am 49. When I was a kid I played with Marx toy soldiers. In junior high I built Tamiiya model tanks. When I read the LOTR I thought: wouldnt this make the coolest set of toy soldiers ever. Along came D&D with its minis to paint and I was hooked. WHFB followed later and I jumped right in.
I just opened a gift certificate from my wife for my FLGS. I have had to set this all aside from time to time but I will never stop.

And your wife supports your geeky hobbies?

Sure does. Over the years she has given me 3 large display cabinets to keep painted figures in. She likes to show them to her friends, although she doesnt game herself.

I started for two reasons. I wanted an interactive hobby for my husband and I to engage in together. I also needed to engage in something that was not related to the computer. I consider it creative and interesting. I enjoy painting the most.

Mostly because I like taking taking parts and combining them in new and interesting ways and 40k models are perfect for that.

I think it's because I'm a gamer... but my favourite part of wargaming in general is the idea of "being part of a story" (ref. Dakka Code).

I've spent over half my life painting and collecting Citadel miniatures, and although I've dipped my beak into other products, GW's combination of high detail models and incredible background material has never ceased to inspire me onwards and upwards!

Although for most of my life as a hobbyist I was just a collector/painter (I grew up in a small town where no one else did it!), I've always been an avid gamer (video games, board games and PnP) and nowadays I play a hell of a lot.

I enter a lot of tournaments (they inspire me to get my painting done) and I love 'playing the game' as much as I love enjoying the game, if you know what I mean. IMO the most important things in wargaming are having - and sharing - great games with a well-painted and inspiring force on either side. Winning or losing makes little difference, but I'm definitely a challenging opponent... if I do say so myself.

To address the OP specifically; Why do I spend the money? Because that's what money is for. I spend about the same amount on video games, computer gear, literature and booze.