Would you pay to play?

[malcolypse]

Never will I pay to play an MMORPG.

A real game however, with my actual friends physically present, supporting a local business that was started to support my chosen hobby. Yeah, I think I'd pay.

My FLGS (GeekTOPIA in Jonesboro, AR, USA) doesn't charge for space. When I go in for the bi-weekly game I run there, I try to buy a gaming book or whatnot when I can afford it, and I prefer to buy sodas and candy from there while I'm running the game, because that's a good chunk of profit for them.

My wife is about to give in to her hankering (Hankering is an amazingly useful word that I believe is almost exclusive to the american south, for the international posters.) to play Warhammer 40k, which is an enourmously expensive game to play. All her dice/figures/rulebooks have been purchased through our FLGS.

I still wish I could do more to support them, though, because they give us a place to gather where we can feel comfortable, be exposed to new games and gamers, and have access to a community where everyone is welcome.

I think when I go this weekend, I'm going to drop a twenty on my host and thank him for the fine service he provides.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Small financial return for the store.

Participants feel that since they have paid to play, they don't need to feel guilty about not spending money in the store (less unplanned, random purchases).

Likely to generate ill will with customer base - and if an alternative establishment is available, will likely incentivize them to go there instead.

Except the numbers don't necessarily bear that out.

I don't have access to industry numbers, but I do have access to owners of 3 stores and a chain within a large metropolitan area. Each has a pay to play area that is making significant income for them. They have indicated to me that- similar to prople on factory tours- people at their tables tend to spend additional money in the store.

And in one case, they can't do vending due to their lease agreement.

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

Except the numbers don't necessarily bear that out.…I do have access to owners of 3 stores and a chain within a large metropolitan area. Each has a pay to play area that is making significant income for them. They have indicated to me that- similar to prople on factory tours- people at their tables tend to spend additional money in the store.

This is what will ultimately decide whether "pay to play" is "valid" or "good:" whether it's profitable and sustainable. Do enough people think that the store is providing something of value, such that they're willing to pay X amount for it?

And that is the question you should ask yourself: is it worth it, to me, to pay the $5 (or whatever) to play here? All the sturm und drang boils down to that.

 

[MichaelSomething]

This reminds me, I should buy more stuff from my FLGS the next time I go there!

 

[Kzach]

I have to ask - why aren't you playing there instead? It sounds like they are offering a lot more of what you want than this other place.

Two reasons.

Until a week ago, all the stores they had were too far away from me to be realistic options. They opened up a store that is near enough to me to be a real option about two months ago, but I only learned about it last week.

The second reason is the atmosphere. It's just colder. Put aside the monetary considerations, and I like the people who run the store I play at currently (well... aside from one person who needs some education on etiquette and customer service), and the people who play there. My hope was that this was the start of a great RPG community that would grow and really prosper and that I could be a part of that.

The other store, although they are far more organised, don't currently even run D&D games (most of their other franchisees do, just that this particular one hasn't gotten that far yet), so there's not even a fledgling RPG community there and the atmosphere is just isn't the same.

But yes, it is an option I'm considering at the moment, it's simply not an option that was on the table until recently.

 

[Gentlegamer]

Does hell go with no?

 

[sheadunne]

The store I frequent pays DMs store credit to run games. $5. No cost to players. The idea is that getting people into the store is the hardest part. Once they're in the store, then you can proceed to sell them your goods. If they're not there, you're not making any money. The system makes perfect sense. It's the same system that works for time-shares. Here's a free night in a hotel if you listen to our promotional pitch about our time shares. The system works. The hardest part about running a business is getting customers in the door and keeping them there to spend money. I can pay $5 a week to advertise (which amounts to 0 advertising) or I can pay you $5 to bring your 5 friends to the store to game (for 3 to 4 hours) and possibly purchase snacks, books, dice, miniatures, stuffed cthulhu toys, or whatever. It's just good marketing sense. Stores already have a hard enough time competing against online retailers for their RPG books, why make it even harder.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

The idea is that getting people into the store is the hardest part. Once they're in the store, then you can proceed to sell them your goods. If they're not there, you're not making any money. The system makes perfect sense.

You're absolutely right that foot-traffic is the life-giving river of retail sales, at least for most small operations. (The internet is changing that, however.)

But you can try to sell all you want; they still don't have to buy. There have been posters on this very board who have stated that they don't- and will never again- buy from brick & mortar stores because purchasing online is cheaper.

Again, here at ENWorld, numerous store owners have pointed out in thread after thread that online mega-retailers like Amazon sell books for less than the FLGSs can purchase them for. The physical stores don't have the same purchasing power as do the Amazons, etc. of the world, so they don't get the kind of discounts Amazon does. And Amazon simply doesn't have the same overhead issues that your FLGS does.

Now, I'm not saying that the store you mention is following a business plan doomed to fail. But it may not be a business model that is going to work in the long run for most FLGSs. We have no idea how many gamers feel that Amazon is all they need. There is no way of telling how many people feel that pressure to buy out of politeness.

The success or failure of such a business plan depends upon exactly what that ratio does. The more gamers who don't feel the extra cost of buying a game book at their FLGS over Amazon, the less sustainable that model becomes.

 

[RedTonic]

As far as I know, there's no FLGS in my area. Borders doesn't count; they have about 3 D&D books and tiny, tiny tables mostly taken up by hipsters writing the next great American novel. I've lived here for almost 2 years, and I don't actually know anyone in this state; I commute out of state for school, and as far as I know, none of my peers are tabletop gamers. My apartment is tiny, I have a cat, and my partner works strange hours. It's not terribly conducive to live gaming.

If an FLGS opened up and asked $5 a pop to play, I would fall all over myself to be at the head of the line to get in, and I'd be damn happy. But back when I lived in Knoxville, I'd laugh at anyone suggesting I pay to play, because I knew tons of gamers and there were many perfectly good places to roll both at our homes and beyond. I guess it's a function of what's available to you.

 

[Dice4Hire]

I agree stores need to get people in the door. Once that is done, hopefully they will buy something. I think the secret to that is having things of all price ranges. Most people probably will not plunk down 25 for a hardcover every week, but 5 bucks in snacks might go over better.