3d printers are coming along nicely.

[WestRider]

How many here are collectors?  Do you name all your models?  Do you paint them all up, each and every one of them, to the very best of your ability? Do you display them in your home?  In the living room or dining room?  How many models that you have assembled and painted merely sit on your shelf because you bought it with the intention of painting and displaying the model, with no intent on playing the piece?  Because if you do, then, in my opinion, you are buying GWs product, a collectible, and this is what GW thinks they are selling you.

 

In my opinion, these forums are much more focused on games.  I'm not saying cool models get no play, far from it, but I am saying that the focus that I see from members of the table top community that I am exposed to is the gaming, not the collecting.  In fact, I see some shame when it comes to having 'too many models'.  

 

For me, I buy game pieces, that's all they are to me, that's all they will ever be.

 

 

People on forums, yes, do tend to be more in to the gaming aspect. On the flipside, people who are more into the gaming aspect tend to be more visible, both in terms of online presence and presence in game stores and such. But the success of all the LE products from GW has definitely shown that there is a significant collector market in addition to that. I don't know what the precise breakdown is, but much of the LE stuff has sold out on preorders, which seems to me to indicate a pretty substantial demand there.

 

I certainly put a lot of emphasis on the gaming aspect myself, but I also have a number of Models, like Fabius Bile, the Goff Rokkerz, and a number of SM characters, that I got just because I wanted to paint them up, just because I thought they were cool.

[spagunk]

Why not both (Gamer AND collector)?

 

I kind of like the collecting of things but with the intention of playing with them at some point.

 

Don't have enough room in my house to display my stuff though.

[pretre]

Why not both (Gamer AND collector)?

 

I kind of like the collecting of things but with the intention of playing with them at some point.

 

Don't have enough room in my house to display my stuff though.

I'm focused on Gaming when online, but I spend more time collecting and trading. And I have enough room in my garage to display everything. :)

[dashneeb]

but it's not, it's all the entertainment dollar, which is the most volatile dollar in most peoples budget.  Do I go see the Sounders whoop FC Dallas's ass in the playoffs OR buy a new unit of Tac Marines?  Do I go see the Guardians of the Galaxy OR buy a new unit of Tac Marines?  Do I pay for a yearly subscription to World of Warcraft or buy a Wraithknight?  Do I buy a sealed box of MTG or a WraithKnight?  Do I buy that awesome new Kickstarter board game OR do I buy a LandRaider?

 

It's apples to apples in my opinion, based upon myself and what I've seen the people around me do.

 

and I won't even touch your Yo gi ho comment :D  I know of, for a fact, 3 FLGS that make their living from MTG.

 

The most volatile?  How so? 

 

The thing about the entertainment dollar?  It's always there.  Maybe one week you see a movie.  Maybe another you go out to dinner.  Maybe one day you go bowling.  However, GW understands this, which is why they don't cater to the veteran gamer.  Because the norm of the veteran gamer isn't where the money is at.  It's the new guy. You can say that the entertainment dollar is in everything, but if you break it down it does more than just entertain, it's what we like to call disposable income.

 

It's apples and oranges, because most people won't put buying a Land Raider and seeing a movie and getting a bucket of popcorn in the same realm.

 

So what if 3 local gaming stores make their living from Magic?  Does that discount the sales numbers?  No. Helps most stores, absolutely. Keeps a ton afloat.  However, it's not a: all game stores and b: not all sales.  Pokemon, Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh and My little pony sell in a lot more places than a local game store.  That's why the argument doesn't always hold weight.  GW isn't going away, and if it were to go away, it would probably be very bad for mini's gaming, much like if Magic were to disappear.

[intrizic]

I'll just bring it back to my original and only point, price matters when picking up a game or continuing to play a game.  In some fashion or another you've all agreed to this point.  I never said anything about the imminent destruction of GW, that was something that someone else injected.

 

GW wasn't built in a day, and it won't disappear in a day. 

[Guest]

I still think it roots to the gamer population being much larger than it was even 5 or 10 years ago. GW can grow, but unlike before, the market can support other games too. This isn't GW getting weaker, it's the market expanding faster than GW can (or is willing to) expand.

 

Think about it, what percent of people that you know are likely to enjoy one of the many types of gamer activities? Is it higher than 10 years ago?

 

I suppose this could be an illusion created by being a more dedicated gamer now than before, but I don't think that is it.

 

I know it is for me, people I knew used to have physical fun, like exercise, which seems to be a dying fad these days...

 

PS: Those GW shops having reduced play space isn't GW getting weaker, it's GW realizing that they no longer need to pay for the play space to promote gamers. The point of the GW store is to create the demand and sell models - between the online sales and FLGS, they are just wasting money by having play space. Why pay to provide what is already provided for?

[Bosco]

... PS: Those GW shops having reduced play space isn't GW getting weaker, it's GW realizing that they no longer need to pay for the play space to promote gamers. The point of the GW store is to create the demand and sell models - between the online sales and FLGS, they are just wasting money by having play space. Why pay to provide what is already provided for?

 

Or a a sign of GW failing to adapt their business model to capture impulse purchases and food/drink items.  

If every FLGS had an alcohol friendly area like GG in Portland (including GW stores) numbers would kill.  The margins on food and drink that players regularly purchase because they're in the store for 2-4 hours at a time is a serious source of $, especially booze.

 

As far as 3D printing goes, I still strongly contend that the model files, and control of them, is what will dictate whether GW is seriously threatened by 3D printing in the next decade.  The physical printing technology, affordable to the hobbyist, can and will improve to provide SLA/SLS layer resolution which can match GW plastics quality in a reasonable amount of time (5-10 models/day), but without detailed source material to print in the first place it will still look like garbage; another likely case of GW tightly controlling the IP and protecting their bottom line.

[Guest]

Or a a sign of GW failing to adapt their business model to capture impulse purchases and food/drink items.  

If every FLGS had an alcohol friendly area like GG in Portland (including GW stores) numbers would kill.  The margins on food and drink that players regularly purchase because they're in the store for 2-4 hours at a time is a serious source of $, especially booze.

 

As far as 3D printing goes, I still strongly contend that the model files, and control of them, is what will dictate whether GW is seriously threatened by 3D printing in the next decade.  The physical printing technology, affordable to the hobbyist, can and will improve to provide SLA/SLS layer resolution which can match GW plastics quality in a reasonable amount of time (5-10 models/day), but without detailed source material to print in the first place it will still look like garbage; another likely case of GW tightly controlling the IP and protecting their bottom line.

You could be right on the GW store thing. I've only been to a couple from before the Portland one was installed.

 

On the 3d printing, yeah, Its going to be interesting. It think GW is poised to be able to adapt, but I'm not sure they will. Too many iffy things in the future.

 

I am very curious how the US/international legal system will respond to 3d printing. I think that will have the largest impact on this subject. Even if they officially rule against copied armies, it still boils down to how enforceable the law is on a small scale (like individual hobbyists).

[dashneeb]

As one who can tell you with some authority, the GW store doesn't care about play space.  Policy is that they don't keep a club atmosphere.  It depends from shop to shop how much the operator wants to keep that going.  However, they're not trying to capture the market with food and drink.