My husband, Karl, and I opened the Last Square just a little over six years ago. A common theme we hear as we listen to other shops, customers, game convention managers, etc., is the concern regarding the "graying" of the hobby. What will happen to the future if new war-gamers don't enter the arena? Where are all the young people? Obviously, as shop owners we are likewise concerned about this! So what to do?
Over the years we've tried different things to encourage young people to get involved with war-gaming. As the mother of three pretty-much-grown sons I am totally enthusiastic about the hobby - all our boys war-gamed - and still do!! From it they've learned how to conduct themselves around adults, they've gotten to listen to some very intelligent people discuss some pretty heavy topics, and they've gotten to experience the fun of painting and playing!! And this is all before we even get to the topics of learning about history and following the rules!!
However, as a mother who has never painted a miniature or played a war-game in her life, I can appreciate how hard it is to find a foot-hold in this hobby. Young kids come into our shop and they're SO excited, dragging Mom or Dad from one end of the store to the other. They want to take home a pack of miniatures! They want to put together a game just like the one set up in the back room! They want to be in charge of a tank platoon!
But, where to start? When we first opened our shop we would patiently explain that in order to paint that package of figures the youngster will need to clean the figure, prime it, do research on the figure colors, buy the right type of brush, etc., etc., - and eventually they'll have a painted figure. Well, you can imagine by the time we got through that speech Mom, Dad and the youngster had pretty much decided that though it looked cool, this probably wasn't something for them right now.
Eventually we figured out we had to have ready-made classes to offer youngsters, so when they were standing at the counter full of exuberant enthusiasm, we could hand them a flier with class schedules and say - "Just show up!! If you really want to be buy that pack of figures today - go ahead - but bring them to class next week and we'll show you what to do with them."
Over time our experimentation has developed into a series of classes for beginners - both painting and gaming. Our initial efforts have over the last year and a half resulted in a monthly flier that is mailed out to nearly 80 kids. It seems every week we're adding at least one or two names of kids who walk in or buddies of kids who already come to our shop. The flier has all our free painting and gaming classes listed. We likewise keep an extra supply of fliers in the store for first-time families coming through and asking questions. Finally, we post our gaming schedule on our web-site, with all the beginners events listed likewise.
Did all this come easy and without cost? Of course not. We have invested time, materials and wages into ensuring we have qualified staff to set up and run the classes. We've also started a program called "Just Rewards" where gamers who run games for beginners can earn discount coupons in the shop.
Finally, we work very hard to make certain our shop is parent-friendly and generally a wholesome environment for kids and families. I've heard it said before that the older, experienced gamers need to have more patience with younger gamers - that to not include them or be inpatient with them or intolerant of them is to discourage them. On the flip side of that, as I watch our older customers come in to play a game, I'm acutely aware these folks have likely worked hard all day long - they just want to relax and have some fun. Their mind set is not focused on such illustrious goals as expanding the horizons of the gaming industry - but just to kick back and have a good time with their buddies and not have to spend time and energy explaining rules to inexperienceci gamers.
Think of it this way - is it the responsibility of the older, more experienced bowlers to keep the bowling industry alive and well, introducing new bowlers to the sport? Some experienced bowlers may say YES!! Others may say NO!! I say they're both right. As a shop-owner, however, I certainly think it's OUR responsibility. Furthermore, I'm happy to make it my responsibility. But what about the rest of the world?
I hope this article encourages each of you to continue to think about what gamers, shop owners, manufacturers, distributors, gaming clubs and gaming associations can do individually and cooperatively to promote the hobby. I know many of you are already thinking about it since as I said in the beginning of the article, it's a common area of discussion and concern. I also know that many of you are actively working to promote the hobby. Hopefully we keep pooling ideas and suggestions for each other and work together in this regard.
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© Copyright 2001 Hal Thinglum
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