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.
