Are Gaming Stores Still Relevant?
I often get asked the question, where should I buy At-43 and I used to always give the same answer.
Your Local Gaming Store (LGS) is the first place you should always check out for any gaming need.
My original thinking was that these guys are the ones that are running tournaments, offering prizes, building awesome gaming tables, great scenery and providing that great atmosphere for your local gaming community. If you take part in the events thrown by a store, you should at least throw some business their way.
The flip side of the argument, especially in the current age of social media, is that people are self organizing, gaming tournaments are becoming player driven with sponsors that may be globally based. The LGS is becoming less relevant to players and you only have to look at the number of player groups to validate this.
All people need is a space, some game boards (which in AT-43 are supplied by Rackham for the campaigns) and someone to do a little bit or organizing. Things like Google Groups, Twitter, Facebook, and blogs have made this sort of thing extremely easy to do.
My Question is this. While the LGS was the cornerstone of table top gaming 10 years ago, where do you do you think it stands today? Is the LGS relevant to you as a gamer anymore or has it faded from view, a relic of a less connected world.
I think that LGS aren’t as relevant but are still the better model for the sake of a gaming community. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be a great business to be in.
LGS aren’t relevant for me anymore, cause they don’t support the games I want to play =p
Personally, I think the LGS is still a very valid place to congregate at. It isn’t always as easy for a group of players to get together in their own homes and ‘nerd’ it up (as some of us put it locally). Having a LGS to hang out at, buy a few immediately needed items, and generally have fun is definitely still a requirement, at least for me.
Besides, unlike a previous poster, my LGS is up for supporting any games that the locals decide to suddenly take up/try out!
Well put busby. I would say the environment that the LGS provides goes way beyond what you can get “nerding it up” at someone’s house (we use the same term here too). Nerding it up does have its advantages though. You can enjoy a nice pint of beer and you get to choose what tunes get played.
I think that LGS are becoming less and less relevant when it comes to product sales. Almost everything you can purchase in a LGS you can purchase online for enough of a discount to warrant purchasing off “teh intrawebs.” Our hobbies are massively expensive, and in this economy, discounts become particularly important.
LGS are still relevant for play areas…but now we have the conundrum.
The only reason for a LGS to provide play areas is if the players are purchasing product from the LGS.
Some people are willing to spend a little extra coin to support their LGS. Myself, I only pick up things like paints, or if I need a single box of models such that the shipping cost I would pay equates to the savings off the retail price such that I may as well give the LGS my business, and it most certainly means more to them.
But for large purchases? I go straight to The War Store when I am starting a new army and need a large number of units all at once to get them on the table.
One of the things I did very quickly after getting into tabletop wargaming was to build my own table for play at home. It is not very difficult: two 2′ by 4′ pieces of MDF, some paint, a bunch of wood glue, some brushes, and some sand. Takes a few hours. Done.
Of course, with AT-43’s gaming tiles and all our containers and walls thrown in, you don’t even need the table built. Throw down a poster to mark the play area, place your terrain, and get to rolling dice.
Rackham is regulary selling off their stuff for -30 to -70%, thus basically eliminating the LGS, which can never offer this prices and stock.
Which I personally find a pitty, because the LGS is what promotes the game in our country.
I found that meanwhile I can get almost everything cheaper at Amazon or Ebay. Unfortunately for the LGS. But I’ll keep buying there from time to time for the sake of loyalty.
If I find more space for more games.