Are people in game stores typical of gamers?

[msd]

First off, pardon what are inevitably going to be some overly broad generalizations...

As someone relatively new to gaming, I've noticed (somewhat strangely, to my mind), that the group of gamers I know are not really like the kind of people you typically see hanging out in the local game store. Please note that that's neither good nor bad in my mind.

I was just wondering whether some of you who are more experienced can speak to whether the game store culture typifies the members of your gaming group or whether I just have stumbled on the exception to the rule.

Thanks,
matt

 

[Dimwhit]

Sounds about right to me. For the most part, my gaming group is a bunch of married guys with kids and full-time jobs. We don't have time to hang out in gaming stores. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I think the guys that hang out in stores are (generalizing here) high school to college folk who can kill a Friday night or Saturday at the store and not have to answer to, for example, spouses who would rather they were home helping keep the kids from driving him/her insane.

But that's just my experience.

 

[Crothian]

The people who hand out in gaming stores from my expeience think they know a lot mor ethen they do. But that also works for the people working at the stores as well.

Those people are not anything like the people I game with. Like said above, we are an older crowd and have more to our lives then gaming.

 

[DaveStebbins]

People who hang out in gaming stores are people who like hanging out in gaming stores. I don't have anyone in my group like that, but then my group and I probably aren't typical gamers either.

 

[diaglo]

i think there is a difference between those who hang out and those who frequent.

hanging out... means they have nothing better to do with their time.

frequenting ... means they stop by, pick up what they want, and leave in a short time span.


i tend to equate most of the loitering game store gamers as the comic book guy from the simpsons.

and the drive-by shoppers as homer.

 

[johnsemlak]

It might also be interesting ot ask what kind of people hang out at RPG messageboards

i tend to equate most of the loitering game store gamers as the comic book guy from the simpsons.

and the drive-by shoppers as homer.

I'm trying to figure out what that means.

 

[diaglo]

It might also be interesting ot ask what kind of people hang out at RPG messageboards

comic book guy from the simpsons.

I'm trying to figure out what that means.

me, too. sometimes the pop culture references he uses just lose me.

 

[alsih2o]

There are people who buy stocks, and there are floor traders.


I buy stocks, so do the guys I game with

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

At the two game stores I frequent (note, I didn't say hang out at) there seem to be two types of people that hang out.

1. People who think they know everything about every game, comic book, movie, etc. I have no idea how they know so much about these things, since they are always in the store talking about what they know, not playing a game, watching a movie, or reading a comic. I also can't figure out how they get the money to buy the games, comic, and movies they know about, since they never seem to be at work.

2. Little kids who want to enter whatever the current flavor of the month CCG tournament happens to be. Even when there is no tournament scheduled. Since when did game shops become babysitters? I swear, I've seen parents drop three 6-8 year old kids off at the game shop and walk down the street and go to dinner. WTF? I wouldn't leave my kids in the hands of some of the people at these stores.

The people I game with don't hang out at game stores, most of us are married, have full time jobs, or are in school and have jobs. Well, one of them works occasionally as a fill in at one of the stores, but thats not really hanging out. Plus he's a PhD candidate at UVA, and doesn't really want to know that Green Lantern could kick Darth Vaders butt or if Emma Frost is hotter than Catwoman. Really, some guy tried to start a conversation on those two subjects with me last week.

 

[Mystery Man]

i tend to equate most of the loitering game store gamers as the comic book guy from the simpsons.

Best line ever, when the meteor was about to hit Springfield the comic book guy looks up and says "I've wasted my life."