Warhammer 40k on the BBC!

[Brakkart]

Well on their news website anyway, with a nice article about the games 25th anniversary. You can read it here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17274186

[Necron_Lord]

Actually that was pretty decent and it didn't put the hobby or hobbyists down at all. Conceding that the hobby is a bit 'geeky' is true, and the bit about it skewing heavily towards males shouldn't come as much of a surprise. I wonder what the demographic for Strawberry Shortcake merch is?

Nice to see the hobby getting some decent and non-negative attention across the pond!

[gendoikari87]

Actually that was pretty decent and it didn't put the hobby or hobbyists down at all. Conceding that the hobby is a bit 'geeky' is true, and the bit about it skewing heavily towards males shouldn't come as much of a surprise. I wonder what the demographic for Strawberry Shortcake merch is?

Nice to see the hobby getting some decent and non-negative attention across the pond!

Be ye not ashamed, wear that geek badge proud. AND WE SHALL KNOW NO SHAME!!!!!

[Necron_Lord]

Be ye not ashamed, wear that geek badge proud. AND WE SHALL KNOW NO SHAME!!!!!

I am not and have never been ashamed about being in the hobby. I have always had an artistic bent and found TT wargaming a fun and enjoyable way to spend my time. Playing golf or watching sports all the time has never interested me in the least. Painting my undead robots and drugged-up sadistic space elves and playing war with them is much, much more fun!

[Grenadier]

I revel in my geekery. It is who I am. I found the movies "Revenge of the Nerds" to be an uplifting and self-affirming series of movies. Once, when I was drunk with geekery I stripped naked and rolled about in my bed covered with my 40k models. Alas, it was a bad idea. For many were broken. And spiky bits got lodged in some very uncomfortable places.

[Haggis McMutton]

Hey, at least the article wasn't like that one in the Greek media a few months ago... (the one that basically made 40k gamers out to be devil worshipping, racist anarchists)

[Grenadier]

I'm still incensed by that piece of garbage passing for journalism! Clearly she knew nothing about the game, approached her article with an assumption guiding her narrative, and her interview method was questionable. Likening the Black Templars to the ****s just on the basis of the colors red, black, and white?!? Anyone who knows nothing of them can tell, just by looking at a model, they're based on the Knights Templar.

This BBC article covered "The Hobby" in a very good light and was written very well. And I'm not even fond of the BBC but I'll praise that article. I also liked that it addressed the issue of prices. But I can't help but wonder...

How much does Games Workshop advertise over there in England? If at all? And how do they advertise? Here in America I've never seen any single advertisement (in any form available) for Games Workshop. As a kid a lot of stuff that interested in me would be advertised in comic books. So I'd have thought GW would at least do that. Or maybe even a television commercial. But I've never seen a bit of advertising at all. Is there some reason they don't do it?

[Necron_Lord]

I liked the art on the covers of White Dwarf, Rogue Trader and the Realms of Chaos books. My local comic book store also had gaming stuff, so just by getting their product in comic book/hobby stores, the demographic they wanted to reach would be exposed to it and have a chance to check it out.

[Emerald Rose Widow]

Impressive, I think they put the game in a decent light, with a good level of honesty on the interviewers part. It is true there are very few women like myself in the hobby, but we is here and the community deals with us mostly well in my experience.

Overall though its nice to see an article/video/anything that paints hobbyists in a positive light instead of making us look like devil worshipers.

[Grenadier]

I think some television ads would serve GW well here in America. Especially since video games have spread the word of the game. DoW and Space Marine both introduced a lot of people to the 40k universe who never would have known of it otherwise. And since America is such a heavily consumer based culture I think some TV spots would get more people into the game.

[Emerald Rose Widow]

I think some television ads would serve GW well here in America. Especially since video games have spread the word of the game. DoW and Space Marine both introduced a lot of people to the 40k universe who never would have known of it otherwise. And since America is such a heavily consumer based culture I think some TV spots would get more people into the game.

It would certainly help, but sometimes its difficult to get gamers into this hobby because video games are so much easier. Video games are a lot easier, still enjoyable, and require little to no effort to play these days, hence the appeal. Personally I prefer tabletop as it allows me more creative freedom in my opinion.

[gwensdad]

Hey I sort of kind know that guy in the video.
(well, not really, but we follow each other on tumblr. He mentioned that he had been interviewed the other day. http://cadarn.tumblr.com/ (http://cadarn.tumblr.com/) )

[Grenadier]

Excellent point. Video games are cheaper to buy. And easier. Hell, a new PS3 and some games is much less expensive than a fully completed army. At least a high point army that is. I also think the cost of models makes it harder for me to recruit people to the game. Around here nobody has that kind of money. I'm still puzzled as to how my opponent managed to assemble nearly 20,000 points of Blood Angels, not to mention other armies, with only his wife's income to do it on. And he did this in less than 5 years of playing. Whereas in my 15 years I've spent far less on armies.


It would certainly help, but sometimes its difficult to get gamers into this hobby because video games are so much easier. Video games are a lot easier, still enjoyable, and require little to no effort to play these days, hence the appeal. Personally I prefer tabletop as it allows me more creative freedom in my opinion.

[SotonShades]

I dont believe TV ads would help GW at all. They would simply eat up their profits. In the UK you are hard pressed to find a sizable town or city that doesn't have a GW store tucked away somewhere, and the mystery of what they actually contain is almost always enough to keep them busy (save for those tucked right out of the way!)

I know there are a lot more towns in the US, and I believe fewer GW stores, but the cost of running a national advertising campaign for a year would cripple GW. And then they'd only have advertised what they can no longer afford to sell.

[Kataklysm]

Be ye not ashamed, wear that geek badge proud. AND WE SHALL KNOW NO SHAME!!!!!

Mind if i use this as my signature?:D

[DrLove42]

Actually that was pretty decent and it didn't put the hobby or hobbyists down at all. Conceding that the hobby is a bit 'geeky' is true, and the bit about it skewing heavily towards males shouldn't come as much of a surprise. I wonder what the demographic for Strawberry Shortcake merch is?

Nice to see the hobby getting some decent and non-negative attention across the pond!

What article did you read?

I avoid piece about the Hobby in the mdeia because of the condasending tone they always take

From the headline of "Why are grown men still launching tabletop war" you can already read that is made up its opinion of belittling things

EDIT - Also...don't read the comments. Theres 3 different people all claiming to be Rick Priestly...

[lattd]

He spells necrons wrong the second time he uses it :( But i liked the article it seemed to embrace the geekyness of the hobby, at the same time looking at it from the outsiders point of view.

[Necron_Lord]

What article did you read?

I avoid piece about the Hobby in the mdeia because of the condasending tone they always take

From the headline of "Why are grown men still launching tabletop war" you can already read that is made up its opinion of belittling things

EDIT - Also...don't read the comments. Theres 3 different people all claiming to be Rick Priestly...

The hobby appeals to those who like making things like train modeling. There is also the escapist appeal and the gaming appeal. I am the only person with artistic tendencies in my family, so they really don't understand the appeal of making a decent-looking toy army just as I don't understand the appeal of trying to hit a small ball in a hole a couple hundred yards away while talking about sports and business deals.

Most people aren't into creating things or are imaginative. When you're that way as a child it is seen as a phase to grow out of, and some do. Some are just that way and don't grow out of it, people like me. Say unlike music, being good at painting minis won't make you lots of money or help you get laid, so the majority of people will have some difficulty understanding that. The title is oriented more toward the outsider as a general interest article and some hobbyists tell the reporter why it still appeals to them post-college. I didn't find the article condescending and the fact that some people will put down others who are different is just human nature, at least it is fairly common to observe that sort of behavior.

[The Madman]

Kathryn Turner, 13, is playing a doubles match with her father Stephen against two strapping 30-something blokes. The poker-face calm with which she deploys her Tyranids (world-devouring aliens) is impressive.


been discussed before but man Tyranids are pretty popular with female players.

[Necron_Lord]

been discussed before but man Tyranids are pretty popular with female players.

The Nids may have been 'Dad's Army'. She said that she was interested in doing Sisters of Battle next, armored nuns with flamethrowers.

[Wildeybeast]

I dont believe TV ads would help GW at all. They would simply eat up their profits. In the UK you are hard pressed to find a sizable town or city that doesn't have a GW store tucked away somewhere, and the mystery of what they actually contain is almost always enough to keep them busy (save for those tucked right out of the way!)

I know there are a lot more towns in the US, and I believe fewer GW stores, but the cost of running a national advertising campaign for a year would cripple GW. And then they'd only have advertised what they can no longer afford to sell.

I think also that a TV add would not do the hobby jsutice, nor convey what it is all about. How can you really sell a game that takes several hours to play, never mind prepare for and set up and requires you to consult weighty tomes mid game. I view it like a sport - they are never advertised on TV in the UK because you can't convey what it is all about nor persuade people to join up in a TV. People give the sport a go and either like or they don't. They find out about it from others who already play the game.

On the article itself, nice to see a venerable Biritsh institution giving another, slightly less venerable British institution some coverage. It's also nice to see a British business with increasing profits and good overseas sales, rather than the perpetual doom that seems to be hanging around most high street retailers. Just a shame the Warhammer 25th didn't warrant similar coverage!

[ComradePenguin]

A GW tv ad would be a financial disaster. I'm just imagining some intense music with words on a black background leading to... toy soldiers. Yeah no. GW's best bet of bringing more people into the fold is to support the third party developers that are making their video games. I've met quite a few Dawn of War rookies at game shops over the past couple of years (which is a good thing!)

[Grenadier]

To be sure it would take a marketing genius to make a good GW commercial. I still have high hopes for the video and PC games to lure more people in. Won't work around here since most people here don't play anything more complicated than Farmville on the book of faces. And video games, while popular here, don't seem to have caught on like they have had elsewhere.

[celestialatc]

As a follow up, girls are celebrating the 25th anniversary also:

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/arts-%26-entertainment/girls-celebrate-anniversary-of-warhammer-40%2C000-201203145006/

[gwensdad]

As a follow up, girls are celebrating the 25th anniversary also:

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/arts-%26-entertainment/girls-celebrate-anniversary-of-warhammer-40%2C000-201203145006/

I thought that was serious for a second since I have met a few online.
But then I remembered that's the UK's "onion" isn't it?

[victorpofa]

The CEO is smart to not talk to the media if his brief comment is any indicator of how truthful he would be. He seems to have foot-in-mouth disease.