This morning I was browsing the Screenplay forums on The Age website (which I do from time to time) and I came across the following article:
Now if you’re like me, there are any number of things on this list (or things that are similar) that can be found in your home. I don’t pretend to subscribe to the premise of this article, however this is still a certain amount of truth to some of what it says. It would be an unusual girl who was actually attracted by a guy owning these things. Being a video game blog, the items on this list are heavily slanted to such things as esoteric game controllers and computer games full of boobies, however I draw your attention to the following item:
78. Absolutely anything purchased in a Games Workshop store
I believe that there is a certain amount of condescension amongst the Screenplay community (and potentially video gamers in general) towards the wargaming and roleplaying communities, so I am not overly surprised to see an entry like this in the list.
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| Maybe we need more scantily clad models to objectify women and make them feel a part of the hobby. Maybe it's just really hot where all the female warriors in Warhammer hang out. Too hot to wear clothes. Places like the frozen wastes of Naggaroth, for example... |
I recall stories of a friend who brought home a girl he had met out at a bar, and having to hurry her past the kitchen. “What are those?” she asked, pointing at the remains of a game of Warhammer that were yet to be packed up, strewn all over the kitchen table. Suffice to say that he mumbled something about them belonging to a housemate (not entirely true) and hurrying her off to the bedroom before she could ask more. My friend did not stop and explain to the girl that the table was covered in toy soldiers, and that they did indeed belong to him. I can’t imagine why…
Like it or not, playing Warhammer is not likely to make you a chick magnet. You may be one anyway, but the war dollies are not going to be one of your selling points. I have heard stories of guys hiding their hobby for as long as possible when starting a relationship, and others of girls who would have been interested in a guy, but held back because they knew the guy played Warhammer.
In the current climate, being the sort of guy that chooses to play with toy soldiers is becoming more fashionable. Shows like Big Bang Theory are making “geeks” more popular. Given the choice between geek or a jock, a lot of girls will potentially look favourably upon “brains over brawn”.
However, it’s possible that there is an extra hurdle here. It is one thing to like a guy who might be inclined toward gaming and other nerdy pursuits, but it is quite another to face the practical concerns of a guy who spends potentially extensive amounts of time (whether gaming or painting) and money on his hobby, not to mention gaming materials slowly taking over the house. Really I think it is these practical concerns that can put a strain on existing relationships. I know of girls whose attitude ranges from actively supporting her partner’s hoppy, through varying degrees of ambivalence right to outright hostility and a complete lack of patience for the whole thing. For every “wargaming widow” out there, I suspect there is a player who has given up his hobby in order to save his relationship.
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| Games collections have a life of their own. And they like to live their life out in the living room. Don't we all? |
Obviously there needs to be a balance between a player’s family life and his hobby, and it’s up to each player to work out where this balance lies. As for those still looking for a partner, feel free to let me know if you actually manage to lure a girl with your war dollies – I’m sure we’d all be impressed.
Well said,a dn it parallels my own line of thinking.
ReplyDeleteI have been ina relationship witha wargames widow, and ama currently in another. In the latter, she has taken an active interest and says that she like me more for it. She can even hold a reasonable defence in blood bowl. But I find myself skeptical. There is something so suspicipous about her suggesting that we stay in so I can teach her 40k - what is the ulterior motive?
Just my thoughts.
I'm a wargamer and have been married for over 4 years going strong. Most people that hate Games Workshop and ridiculue people who play warhammer as losers are losers themselves or just plain'ol assholes who nobody would want to be friends with.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how many ex-warhammer players ridicule fellow wargamers as losers on the internet, while it is obvious they are losers themselves who can't get women and blame the hobby as the main reason while it is obvious that it is their own personality or looks that is the reason women find them unattractive/disgusting.
Like you said it's all about balance, I have been to some wargamers house where even the kitchen table is a permament tabletop board and their is boxes upon boxes of Tabletop stuff all around the house, you have to be a retard to not understand that will turn off any woman just as if the guy had a engine and carparts all around the house.
A woman needs her attention, if a person spend more time on any hobby than on her it will mean problems.
The whole Games Workshop players are chickless losers is a huge fallacy perpetrated by video game losers to begin with, all the people in my tabletop gaming group are married, compare that to any MMO player guild marriage rate and you will see who the real losers are.
In any case we are not in high school anymore, who gives a shit if someone has a woman if he is a good person and good friend? People who continue to laugh at Games Workshop players because the theory is that they can't get chicks are childish petty morons and I feel sorry for them.
I suspect plenty of gamers of all sorts struggle to find partners simply because they spend the majority of their spare time with other gamers, rather than mingling more with other eligible people.
ReplyDeleteA lot of the fun-poking at people over not having partners is really just a reflection of how ill-directed much of the mockery and "humour" online is nowadays, anyway.
That's true, I'm just tired of the tedious same attacks against GW players on almost every youtube videos and seeing many online "articles" attacking players of this hobby as if it is something to be ridiculed. This goes for most Warhammer forums as well such as Warseer etc, so many self hating jerks.
DeleteDon't get me wrong, I don't take the game that seriously, having friends, family members and girlfriends come and watch the game for a moment and have a friendly laugh I understand it looks strange and even childish and hey it's just a game we do for fun because we love the gameplay, fluff or just painting. When my friend who is a ATV enthusiast talk about improvements he has made to his ATV or spent $3000 on a new part and describes it to me with passion I smile as well, because to me that is a strange passion that doesn't make sense to me but I don't think any less of him for it ir makes me happy to see him happy.
It seems that these people are just so petty that they don't have anything better to do than to insult other people, and strangely enough most of these haters are previeus Warhammer fans who have given up on the hobby and feels the need to attack GW and players to improve their own self worth. I can understand some of the resentment against GW but most of this issues are just petty and attacking players as losers is just pathetic.
My wife calls them man dolls and now I do too, having found "I play with man dolls" a shorter conversation than telling them about miniature wargames. I'll add that my kids live playing with me, I might spend $100 a year on models, and my wife enjoys the painting side, so it's never been a point of contention for us.
ReplyDeleteI just say that I paint and play with toy soldiers. Often that's enough ensure no further questions on the topic...
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