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The guys at my FLGS all seem to be working professionals and teens. The working professionals all come in with thier laptops bags and other assorted working gear (at my FLGS there are lockers for rent). The teens (myself included) bring thier girlfriends to the FLGS and most of the time it has a clean, comfortable and relaxing environment. So I don't think there is much of a stereotype. Sure there are the occasional big guys, but they don't stink, are hygenic and get along well with everybody, even the ladies.


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Conservationist wrote:The guys at my FLGS all seem to be working professionals and teens. The working professionals all come in with thier laptops bags and other assorted working gear. They store thier completed models in the store's lockers and take them out when they are at the store(at my FLGS there are lockers for rent). The teens (myself included) bring thier girlfriends to the FLGS and most of the time it has a clean, comfortable and relaxing environment. So I don't think there is much of a stereotype. Sure there are the occasional big guys, but they don't stink, are hygenic and get along well with everybody, even the ladies.

Hey Wrex

This subject was touched on in my recent thread about hobby shame. My personal believe for the stereotype still being present is that there are not enough "normals" actually admitting to liking the hobby.

If the only people who admit/advertise the hobby are the crazy, smelly kids then what do you expect other people to think. The problem with this I found is that it appears to be a self defeating circle because "normals" don't want to admit to hobby because they don't want to be associated with the perceived image of war gamers.

Don't get me wrong I'm probably not far off the stereotype and can by no stretch of the imagination be described as cool, I’m slightly overweight, with a beard, don't go clubbing, don't get sports, wear tank tops and I'm quite happy to admit my hobby. However I don't smell or live in my parent’s basement, I have a girlfriend and friends who have nothing to do with the hobby. I might be wong but I generally consider myself as a normal guy, geeky but normal.

Most of the people I know who wargame are socially-adjusted, normal human beings. That said, most of the people I game with enjoy the game first and background second. Not to say there's a 1:1 correlation here; but the folks I know who take the "fluff" of a game super serious +1 tend to be the ones who fall into the category of TFG (also, tend to be the ones who yell the loudest on the interwebz. Go figure).

I look at wargaming as being akin to being a Red Sox fan: its something I'm not ashamed of, but its probably not something I'd yammer on-and-on about on a first date/job interview/when making small talk.

mauler78 wrote:I think you have to examine where the stero type stems from.

First, before there was the FLGS to help support these types of game they would mostly played in the dark dank basements of some guys house.

Second, 30 years ago or more some of these wargames require a degree to play. Furthermore they took multiple weekends to complete from start to finish. Yes, I am refering to the forgotten hex-n-chit games.

Third, I think there is just an assumtion that if you play these games you are a geek and therefore socially crippled, hence the reason you lock yourself in the basement to push little fake armies around.

And finally, would be how we interact with the public. Have you ever been standing next to that guy on day 3 of a Con and he could peel the paint off the wall.

I would definately say that we have come a long way and the sterotype does not quiet stick as much since there is a much wider crowd that now plays games. But I think to disolve the sterotype we need to police ourselfs.

I'm not sure what a time in the history of wargaming prior to FLGS was. I was first introduced to the local FLGS in 1985.

Seriously, guys, be honest. If you have a FLGS, you are fully aware of the percentage of regulars who have more qualities in common with the gamer stereotype than the have dissimilarities.

Personally, I'm kinda in the middle. I'm not particularly thin and not particularly fat; I'm hoping to lose 10-20 lbs 'cuz I'm trying to improve my competitive volleyball and get into ballroom dance competition. I bathe regularly, but that's because I have a regular day job, and I do respect others' olfactory senses. I'm 39 years old and single, never been married. Though I date from time to time, it has been 15 years since I had a serious girlfriend; it's ironic how much easier it is to pick up a girl in a bar for an evening than it is to actually find someone compatible. My degree is in Medieval English Literature; I've studied martial arts, but had to accept the fact that getting punched and choked really wasn't that much fun.

Every one of you could go through that paragraph and pick out the elements that fit the gamer stereotype and the elements that are different. The stereotype exists for a reason, and there are more people in the gaming community that resemble fully that stereotype than there are people that share no features of it.

SpankHammer III wrote:Hey Wrex

This subject was touched on in my recent thread about hobby shame. My personal believe for the stereotype still being present is that there are not enough "normals" actually admitting to liking the hobby.

If the only people who admit/advertise the hobby are the crazy, smelly kids then what do you expect other people to think. The problem with this I found is that it appears to be a self defeating circle because "normals" don't want to admit to hobby because they don't want to be associated with the perceived image of war gamers.

Don't get me wrong I'm probably not far off the stereotype and can by no stretch of the imagination be described as cool, I’m slightly overweight, with a beard, don't go clubbing, don't get sports, wear tank tops and I'm quite happy to admit my hobby. However I don't smell or live in my parent’s basement, I have a girlfriend and friends who have nothing to do with the hobby. I might be wong but I generally consider myself as a normal guy, geeky but normal.

I totally agree with your point, as much as I love to get friends into the hobby, there just arnt enough people admitting that they play wargames, either becasue its not a topic that crops up regularly or that it is 'uncool' to wargame. Im a self proclaimed geek, but i have many close friends unrelated to perceived 'geeky' stuff.

On a separate note, I actually enjoy the fluff more than the game

I've been into warhammer for about 15 years now, back when dwarfs were squat, fat, with axes raised high, same beard clasps and glue on sheilds, and that's the way we liked it!

well not really. But I will comment on some of the trends and commonalities I have noticed with most gamers I've run into.

1- Most are very friendly. A bit socially awkward, sometimes obessive, cracking constant inside jokes about warhammer or anything else they are into, and then snickering when you dont know what they are talking about...but for the most part, very friendly.

2- Most seem to be average joes. Not huge and buff, not 400 pounds and obese either. I will say that some oldschool gamers I've seen tend to fit that persona much more, but the new generation of gamers seems like your everyday clark kent.

3- Most enjoy a good laugh. Sometimes at the expense of others, but if you can't laugh at yourself when your fanatics roll your BO unit and general, Or when your vampire lord slays a giant in hand to hand, then gets squashed when it falls on them, then you're the one with the problem.

I think most gamers are pretty average people. I relate to the poster, Im a tall strong guy in average shape, worked in construction for 5 years and I run my own company with my fiance now. I shower regularly, and can joke with the best of them. The real interesting thing is most people i've met and played warhammer with over the years fit this description. Just normal people who happen to like war gaming.

That being said...I will say that the FLGS tends to attract many levels of social awkwardness. Usually its pretty good in calgary, but occasionally the store is flooded with 12-14 year olds who all seem to scream and yell while surrounding one gaming table watching 2 people play, throwing fits when their unit didn't preform as they wanted too, trying to bend the rules when their tank should be destroyed, or when their general is toast they come up with the 'alternate' ward save that no one knows about....but thankfully, that's why the local GW staff are always there to assist and figure out any rule descrepancies. Im telling you, GW staff would make good preschool or elementary teachers.