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We all see those kids in gaming stores, right? From the peewees to the pre-teens who have a raging passion for Ultramarines. What's your opinion on these younger gamers? How do you interact with them?

Now, I'm one of the younger people at my FLGS (at least, one of the youngest who play competitively), but I don't really feel any sympathy towards kids. They swagger in, all confident that their Ultramarines/Cadians/generic whatever army is the best in the store. Then when you wipe the floor with them, they get all butthurt about it and storm out of the store following a lot of crying and accusations of cheating.

There should really be an age limit on this hobby. If kids weren't allowed to play, Space Marines wouldn't outsell everything else.

Thoughts?

If kids werent allowed to blow all their cash on marines there would be no hobby, besides, we were all space marine collecting kids at some point.

Cheese Elemental wrote:There should really be an age limit on this hobby. If kids weren't allowed to play, Space Marines wouldn't outsell everything else.

Thoughts?

You're wrong on pretty much all counts, but you know that well enough since you know everyone hates you.

Good idea, then we wouldn't have whiny kids like you playing.

There are some incredibly LOUD kid at my club, and a few who are quite reasonable. Some want to learn, others do not listen (or learn).

For most it is a fad they will outgrow. Some kids will stay in the hobby.

I wish I could put Cheese Elemental on a pizza and bake him in the oven.

Then he would become...Pizza Elemental. Four times as delicious.

Anyway, as far as kids go...the only time I don't like it is when some little kid comes into the store and immediately runs over to the table to look at my horrid unpainted army eagerly, and then starts crawling around underneath it and forcing me to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't run off with any of my dead models from my case, since his parents are too busy browsing for new dice and talking about RPGs with the guys at the register to watch him.

Other than that, I don't think kids are really the problem, and if you start banning people then it should be based on maturity level and not age. There are plenty of guys in their 20's or 30's even who act just as bad as the kids do at times, or worse.

I can see this thread isn't going anywhere but a bash-fest for me.

Hey, don't blame us, Mr-nobody-likes-me-everyone-hates-me. You started it.

Besides, even some grown-ups act childish at times.

Nine of the ten worst experiences I have ever had in my 18 years of playing games were all from adolescents or teenagers. In fact it is the main reason I no longer play 40K.

What? No I didn't. Bookwrack started it by being a troll and digging out a thread nobody cared about anyway.

I'm gonna EAT YA!

[/fatbastard]

Cheese, I have dealt with plenty of people who fit your definition. Alas, not all of them were under the age of 12. I have played grown men who pout, shout, throw tantrums and dice, and generally make me embarrased for the hobby.

This weekend, I played a game of WotR against two young men (I'd have to guess middle-schoolers. 7th, maybe 8th grade tops.) One has played LotR in the past, the other, his cousin, has extensive Yu-Gi-Oh! skills but had never played a wargame before.

It was a pleasure to face them. They took correction graciously, asked intelligent questions, and did not complain when things went against them. I wish all my opponents behaved with such maturity.


So if you want to put a maturity limit on the game, I agree. An age limit is just too arbitrary.

fellblade wrote:So if you want to put a maturity limit on the game, I agree. An age limit is just too arbitrary.

We should all have to pass some sort of test.

Said test could even be made standard in some way. Perhaps with No. 2 Pencils and some sort of sheet that can be read by a computer.

Then, if you don't pass, you can't get into coll... er, play wargames.

This thread makes me feel like I got into the hobby far too late. I didnt even know what a space marine was until I was 19.

before that I would have assumed you were talking about the guy in DooM.

Almost every single bad experience ive had at gaming in general has been at the hands of someone over 25 or 30.. Teenagers who are reasonably mature make the best opponents

They adapt better, they bitch less and most importantly they have less preconceptions about how their army SHOULD play

More often than not they're gamers and not "collectors" and enjoy the game for the game..

Ive found all my challenging opponents to be teenagers who have grown into adults where most of the "older players" have been unable to adapt to new rules and tend to cry more

I blame GW. If they put less effort into promoting Spess Mehrens, there wouldn't be as many kids playing the hobby, because it seems that the majority of young boys are obsessed with killing things. Space Marines don't do anything but kill stuff, so they must be awesome. It's the same issue we have with toy guns.

Hey hey hey hey heyheyhey.

Don't be talking gak on toy guns.

Cheese Elemental wrote:I can see this thread isn't going anywhere but a bash-fest for me.

Given your opening post, what were you expecting?

Kids have to learn somewhere. If older gamers aren't going to take the time teach them how to play and how to behave in a sportsmanlike manner, where are they going to learn it?

I've had more bad games against adults than I have against kids.

Platuan4th wrote:We should all have to pass some sort of test.

Can you find three or more badly written rules, unclear examples or ambiguities in [Insert Codex Here] on your first read through. Those that can't are either too young to play, or GW apologists.

[EDIT]: I also find it hilarious that Cheese's own 'attack me' thread was locked for not being polite. Dakka Dakka - the only place where the Mods can warn you for insulting yourself!!!

It's not fair, I say. Stelek got his own 'attack me' thread. I demand equal rights.

Cheese Elemental wrote:I blame GW. If they put less effort into promoting Spess Mehrens, there wouldn't be as many kids playing the hobby, because it seems that the majority of young boys are obsessed with killing things. Space Marines don't do anything but kill stuff, so they must be awesome. It's the same issue we have with toy guns.

Ummmm,Do orkz hold bake sales when they're not killing things?It's a WAR game man.
But more OT, I take everyone on a case by case, person by person basis when ever possible,so just because a gamer is young I don't automaticly view him/her as an annoyance...or even someone who plays with toy guns.

Back when I played Dungeons and Dragons there was this guy in one of my games. Every time he rolled poorly (He was a monk in 3.5 and his character already sucked, because he wasn't a caster) he'd get this super pissed look on his face. I could see his blood pressure just rising in his face. He was in his mid 30s and was a career firefighter. I could never get how immature that guy was. He was fine in every other aspect of his life, it's just when he games he would do this. He flipped out a few times too, so I had to leave that group. I completely despise people that get that emotional over a few dice rolls. I should have told him to just reroll druid/cleric/wizard. He might have had a better time. Because he rolled a lot of dice with flurry of blows and he almost never hit.

Yes, but the only thing cooler than big hulking fungi that like to kill things for fun, are brainwashed fascists that kill things for THE EMPRAH.

Dakka Dakka - the only place where the Mods can warn you for insulting yourself!!!

You'd think this place was run by the British or something.

HA HA OHHH.

seriously though. You cant do that. You might end up hurting yourself or someone else, and we cant have that. not at all.

I actually like the kids that frequented my local store. The annoying people are the guys that are in their 20's and 30's and bitch constantly about RAW and how awesome they are. The guys who complain when they lose a game and give their opponents bad sportsmanship scores for it are bad too.

Cheese Elemental wrote:It's not fair, I say. Stelek got his own 'attack me' thread. I demand equal rights.

That might not be the wisest thing to wish for...

You know, seeing a child behaving badly is one thing. There is a certain expectation for a limited amount of it directly proportional to their age. However, seeing a grown man exhibit the same behaviors in the same situation is infinitely worse.
I've faced my share of gakky little kids. Their full-grown equivalents are where the true "awkward moments" are at.
But no one, Cheese, is going to respect a pity invitation. no one. And as you can see, you will get called on it. As a child (certainly in the standard age-based definition of said if nothing else), you have a choice: modify yourself or defy everyone around you. For your own sake you should modify your behavior enough to get by in society without giving up your individuality; this will allow you to do things like get laid regularly with higher end women, get and retain better jobs, move in better social circles. However, from the point of view of many here who would be vastly amused by further stories of your spiral downward as your maturity levels remain unchanged and your age increases, we would be very entertained if you chose defiance. Because seeing you come apart at the seems and take your own life apart bolt by blessed bolt would be worth a chuckle, and nothing more, but that makes it worht it to us.

*Face palms , i can see where this is going

No, Luna; you can see where he put this. It's not like this thread is spiralling downward, it started in the abyssmal pit of gak that is self-pity.

Hmm , im not sure how old cheese is , but im guessing same age . So what age group are we talking about? under 12?

But basically there is a few things :

1) Spoiled brats stinks and you can smell them the moment they enter the game place . Its rather easy to avoid playing them (saves yourself the grief)
2) Spoiled jerks arnt limited to young kids , there are tons of older TFG everywhere and they travel in crews.
I guess some just cant grow out of it , instead they grow bitter . And uses war gamming to attempt to make up their lack of accomplishments in life.

3) I have seen very young gamers ( like 10? ) incredibly polite , asks before they can see my minis , and very carefully handle them as well.
Human beings arnt really to be stereotyped , the difference is too great.

I've had 40K games with kids that I'd never want to sit at the same table with again. I think everyone has.

I can also say that with one or two exceptions, the 'kids' where I play tend to be pretty well mannered. One of our youngest gamers is also one of the best people I've ever played with. His father really took the time to teach him the etiquette of playing in public and getting along with others. In fact, I think his being there has a lot to do with making the older kids better to game with too.

My two cents at any rate. Well, it was probably more than two, but you all get my meaning. Unless you don't.

I'm going to stop now.