Carrying over from another thread:
Should the question in this thread title have "relatively" in it? In any case...
I would argue that any hobby can be made expensive. One can spend upper three figures on an ultra-light tent and similar amounts on the ultra light sleeping bag and on top of the line versions of other backpacking gear. But one can also buy functional things for a lot less and be fully set to go reasonably backpacking for significantly less than the other person spent on just their tent (and that's without buying used). Backpacking also often needs one to pay for use of the campground and maybe drive there, and I would happily accept that backpacking is certainly more expensive than, say, walking. But many walkers would like a semi-comfortable pair of shoes. Is something like bridge or euchre that only needs a deck of cards an example of a truly cheap hobby? (Have you seen what CVS or Walgreens is getting for playing cards if they've sold out of the few cheap ones and only have the fancy Bicycle ones left?).
Is the $150 on a book or two for a game they might never play the RPG version of the ultra-light camper example? What is the minimum cost to play an RPG that has published rules? For D&D is it one person in the group having a phone to get the SRD, there being one set of dice or sharing a dice roller on the phone, and some paper and pencils. Google says one study found that even 94% of the homeless had a cellphone. That feels like it means it can be done "non-expensively".
As far as laughing at a $50 price tag on a gaming book, I would wager that for almost all the folks with the leisure time to get over to and then wander through game stores, that they are laughing because they don't think this particular thing is worth the money, but that they spend amounts on other "luxury goods" that show that it wasn't the $50 (a couple going to the movies and getting popcorn? a week and a half of getting a froofy coffee each morning? a new video games? a few streaming services? regular comic book reader? a group going bowling or mini-putting once? etc...).
Should the question in this thread title have "relatively" in it? In any case...
I would argue that any hobby can be made expensive. One can spend upper three figures on an ultra-light tent and similar amounts on the ultra light sleeping bag and on top of the line versions of other backpacking gear. But one can also buy functional things for a lot less and be fully set to go reasonably backpacking for significantly less than the other person spent on just their tent (and that's without buying used). Backpacking also often needs one to pay for use of the campground and maybe drive there, and I would happily accept that backpacking is certainly more expensive than, say, walking. But many walkers would like a semi-comfortable pair of shoes. Is something like bridge or euchre that only needs a deck of cards an example of a truly cheap hobby? (Have you seen what CVS or Walgreens is getting for playing cards if they've sold out of the few cheap ones and only have the fancy Bicycle ones left?).
Is the $150 on a book or two for a game they might never play the RPG version of the ultra-light camper example? What is the minimum cost to play an RPG that has published rules? For D&D is it one person in the group having a phone to get the SRD, there being one set of dice or sharing a dice roller on the phone, and some paper and pencils. Google says one study found that even 94% of the homeless had a cellphone. That feels like it means it can be done "non-expensively".
As far as laughing at a $50 price tag on a gaming book, I would wager that for almost all the folks with the leisure time to get over to and then wander through game stores, that they are laughing because they don't think this particular thing is worth the money, but that they spend amounts on other "luxury goods" that show that it wasn't the $50 (a couple going to the movies and getting popcorn? a week and a half of getting a froofy coffee each morning? a new video games? a few streaming services? regular comic book reader? a group going bowling or mini-putting once? etc...).
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