GWS 2017 8/31 questions - Wargaming is ‘awsum!’ vs ‘meh’

Superfans and the less enthusiastic

One question in our survey looks at the future of the hobby for the responding wargamer. Is an end in sight, or will a future heir be stuck with a large collection of miniatures, lovingly played with till the day the wargamer died? Or as the survey put it: Do you expect to keep wargaming for the foreseeable future? This time, we juxtapose those who gave the extreme answers "Absolutely, I love this hobby and I'm determined to keep going" and "No, I find I'm losing interest". Perhaps differences in preferences can be found?

We could take it as a good sign that only a tiny number of respondents (0.4%) indicate a flagging interest. Realistically though, if your hobby-mojo is on the wane, you're probably just less likely to take this survey. So take the results posted on this Sunday-night blog with an extra pinch of salt.

Significant differences

To start with the most obvious difference: if you're losing interest, you're a lot less likely to spend a lot of money on your hobby (though some still do!)

Perhaps more interesting is the fact that the social aspect plays less of a role. Those respondents who state they're losing interest are more likely to prefer solo wargaming, less often play at a club, and are less interested in finding new wargaming friends via an app (one now exists, by the way: GameFor).

Are there any differences in gaming preferences? Not very many jump out. Respondents losing interest indicated significantly more often that they were not at all interested in Ancients and Age of Sigmar and indicated a great interest in WW2 significantly less often. That's about it. If you find you're losing interest in wargaming, find more friends to enjoy your hobby with! That seems to be most likely to work.

Contribute to our 31 Questions challenge

Have any questions about the results of the Great Wargaming Survey 2017? Feel free to submit them here, but try to keep in mind what we can and cannot answer based on the questions and possible answers to the survey. To refresh your memory, check out a preview of last year's questions and possible answers.