| Brood Brother |
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Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2005 2:00 pm
Posts: 2277
Location: Suffolk, United Kingdom
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Let's play a bit of Devil's advocate here: Are computer games reallycheaper?
For example, if you want the latest Spec Hardware/Games, you might need to buy an X-Box 360 (?200-?300), or PS3 (around ?400), or a PC with all the top-spec hardware (anything up to ?1000)? Then there's games - ?30-?60 a shot.
As a parent, what would you rather buy your child, or have them doing: spend up to ?1000 to have them shut themselves away from other people on their own; or an initial outlay of ?200 on an army & paints, to bring them in to a hobby where they can interact with other hobbyists, go to gaming clubs, etc etc etc.
 
But it's not for the parents to decide; my fiancee's 9-year old son developed an interest in Warhammer after seeing me paint stuff. He wanted to do a Guard army, so I let him have a handful of Cadians, but when he played a game and discovered that Marines don't die as easily as Guardsmen, he wanted to do Marines. So I bought him 10 marines and a tank, and he got bored painting them - even thought they're Black  However, shortly after this I discovered I had an excess Epic Marine army from a lot I bought off eBay, he asked if he could have them so I gave them to him, encouraging him to put them in to a 'proper' E:A Marine army. He occassionally decides he wants to paint some - in 8 months, he's painted about a third of the army.
But, I don't pressure him to do it - he does it when he feels like it (he's already showing a remarkable sense of good taste - he says he prefers painting Epic miniatures to 40k ones - probably 'cause they're quicker to do!  ). When I've finished the bulk of the terrain for our Wargaming centre, I'll sit down with him and see if he wants to finish this army. He's only 9, so it'll be there when he wants it.
However, he is really in to the PSP he got for his birthday, something he's wanted for months. To concur with what many other people are saying on this thread, that'll always be the problem when young people have to decide over video games or painting miniatures: you can just pick up a game and start playing, as opposed to the hours of time to finish an army before it's ready for gaming (no neccessarily painting, but just assembly time).
And yet I think young people can like both, and not neccessarily detract from the other. I used to be involved in running a Gaming Club aimed at 10-18 year olds - it was always packed with an average of 30 of them each Sunday afternoon; all of those had Warhammer/40k armies, and for the most part too they had Play Stations etc. But I guess they had support and encouragement to stay with the miniatures hobby at the same time, through the club, which is something I guess many young people don't have, hence they drift.
Well that's my lengthy diatribe on the subject!
As for me, well I think I'm a Class A pewter addict, hooked for life! There's no competition in my mind over which I'd rather do: paint an army, or play a video game...
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). While this has a lot to do with GW, and its treatment of SG, it goes beyond this.
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