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This is a good thread to read after a fairly flameworthy thread on cyber bullying.

Good read, keep your head up OP

I consider myself rather lucky. As I'm in a graphic college it's kinda mainstream. But you'll always get gak from the "bro"/asshat/Jersey Shore Zombie crowd, Their only hobby is stuffing themselves with alcoholic drinks the whole week through.

They are just jelly that they don't have a hobby that they can be as passionate about and express themselves. Don't listen to the haters

When ever someone asks how much i spent at my local store i just say "don't worry about it" drives them nuts

Yeah, everyone has given me crap for spending too much on "toy soldiers", but they buy atv's and boats, while I'm scrummaging for deals on ebay. My 6,000pt guard army only cost me about 200 bucks USA. Ebay is where it's at, and if everyone actually thinks I buy 40k at retail price, they're complete fools. I just think of it that way, I'll spend money on my hobby, you do the same with yours

This discussion boils down to a simple fact...

You can spend your cash on whatever you please, and nobody can stop you however much they moan....

And the moaners have their own hobbies etc that cost them money as well...

As I say I spend my money and you spend yours, you cannot complain... as long as the boring things in life are all paid first

I don't really get this problem at my school, because loads of people collect it.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I don't really get this problem at my school, because loads of people collect it.

Honestly i don't see how one can be shamed for anything once he starts getting his own cash.
Before that i guess those giving him the cash have the right to complain.
I never felt shame and am constantly showing off my hobby, attempts to shame me have only ended up in me making others look douchey, which i love doing

I talk to most of my co-workers about it. Hell I fething play with my manager. And regular posts on my facebook are Wargaming related. So I feel absolutely no shame. And those that would try to would be entering a vipers nest.

So i have to wonder. Does anyone else ever get shamed for playing 40k? or feel guilty? Sometimes i do.

Nope. Work hard, earn your money, spend your money.

Darn, sound like a cheap 80s Reagan infomercial or something. Sorry.

Interesting read. Most of you are much braver than I am.

I have to admit that I’m one of the people that hide my hobby. It’s kind of unfortunate that I feel ashamed of it. I have a few close friends who also participate, but it will never be brought up in public with our friends who don’t play, it’s kept pretty hush hush between us ha-ha.

I don’t think it’s the shame of how I spend my money its more the fact that people just seem to see it as grown men (we are mid twenties) playing with toy soldiers. I even kept it a secret form my last girlfriend for several months until I finally felt I should break the news to her, and even then I made it sounds as if I do it mainly for the money (as I’d just sold a few armies for a few thousand dollars at the time) rather than me enjoying it as a hobby.

I think it comes down to the people you associate with as well, for instance my workplace is female dominated by quite young, competitive, ruthless women (marketing beauty products) as much as I’d love to pull out some minis and paint during lunch time I would be absolutely torn apart by them if I did. My friends on the other hand would probably only give me a little grief initially, but I know it isn’t something that would interest them so we just stick to things that we all mutually enjoy and have in common .

It's a hobby. Not a bad one at that.
The fact you have varied hobbies means you're better than the lowest of the low.
If people get on people for wholesome hobbies like painting Khornate Daemons to kill each other in glorious battle they can suck it and like it.
We as the 40k players have more income than most people and I know I rub it in people's faces. /

My two hobbies are beer and 40k. At the end of the month the models are still there.

Edit: @vossyvo. I've been in the same situation. It's difficult to explain 40k to people who don't know what it is. I've hid it from girlfriends and when I finally got tired of packing it all up into the closet when they would come over I would just tell them "yeah it was this thing I used to do as a kid and now all the models I have are worth a lot of money and when I paint them they are worth even more". Eventually they would figure out we were playing with toy soldiers and laugh at me. They weren't laughing when I broke up with them. My new girlfriend is the creative type and encourages it. It sure makes hanging out drinking beer on a Saturday night a lot easier.

40k is expensive for what it is but when you think of what people who criticize 40k spend their money on......

Wargaming is what we love. It is our hobby and it makes us happy. Embrace it.

 vossyvo wrote:
I think it comes down to the people you associate with as well, for instance my workplace is female dominated by quite young, competitive, ruthless women (marketing beauty products) as much as I’d love to pull out some minis and paint during lunch time I would be absolutely torn apart by them if I did. My friends on the other hand would probably only give me a little grief initially, but I know it isn’t something that would interest them so we just stick to things that we all mutually enjoy and have in common .

It really has nothing to do with the people you associate with and everything to do with your own self image and self confidence. Reading your post makes it clear that *you* think that there must be something wrong with your hobby because you hide it from others so readily as do your friends. With all the secrecy between you and your friends about it you'd think you were talking about secretly collecting naked pictures of Ernest Borgnine and not wargaming. Geesh...Who cares if the female dominated offce try to tear you apart? They are entiteld to their opinions and you are entitled to enjoy your hobby. It isn't bravery that makes such comments not matter, It is self confidence and awareness that your life is exactly that: YOUR life and you are free to live it as you choose. If you want to do wargaming then do it, enjoy it and have fun. If the people around you would berate you and ridicule you for your hobbies and the things that make you happy in life then they are most definitely NOT your friends in any way, shape or form. Move on and find other people to hang out with. There are plenty of gamers out there who need opponents and friends and also plenty of non-gamers who won't be bothered in the least by your gaming hobby to spend time with people who you feel you have to hide your hobby from.

Take a deep breath, embrace your inner gamer and ignore what the naysayers try to say about it.

Skriker

 the shrouded lord wrote:
gak yeah. im 14 and just about everyone at school "hates me" (im a fat midget)
ive had models stomped ( a particularly painful example is a termie sergeant that is now a grey smudge)
ive had my box of models hung on the flag pole (multiple times)
I even had a book thrown on top of a building (although that was halo), also a second book was stolen months ago and I haven't got it back yet. the one the roof got rained on and now resides in a garbage truck.

Mmm...don't take your stuff to school I think.
Working out and martial arts may be called for at this point to build up your appearance of self confidence.

Other people and hobbies. The older you get the more you'll realize the importance of "who cares?"