Comments on: Are Gaming Stores Still Relevant?

By: Cairnius

Cairnius — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 21:24:00 +0000

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.

By: Vastatum

Vastatum — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 21:01:27 +0000

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.

By: busby

busby — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:36:38 +0000

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!

By: rabidaskal

rabidaskal — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 04:42:50 +0000

LGS aren’t relevant for me anymore, cause they don’t support the games I want to play =p

By: Goreshade

Goreshade — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:03:26 +0000

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.