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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Olaf the Stout" data-source="post: 2683370" data-attributes="member: 13703">I think that bricks and mortar gaming stores are still needed to keep the hobby alive.  Sure there are plenty of options available for people to get the books they want online, find a new group online, talk about their favourite RPG online, etc.  But how does the total newbie gamer ever find out about the game in the first place.  I imagine that a lot of the general populace would not even be aware that the roleplaying hobby still exists."Dungeons and Dragons?  Wasn't that some game that people played back in the 1980's when Atari's and Commodore 64's were popular.  Do people still play those games?"Where is the new blood going to come from to keep the hobby alive if they never even know that such a thing exists in the first place?I know that roleplaying books are more common in bookstores and department stores compared to 5 years ago but could the average sales assistant explain to the newbie how exactly roleplaying works?  I doubt it.  Sure word of mouth is a good way of getting the roleplaying game known, and a lot of people probably started playing because their friends had heard about it from someone and started up their own game.  But where did that person find out about the game in the first place.  I imagine a lot of the time it would all come back to the FLGS.That is why I think we still need them to exist going forward if our hobby is going to survive.  We can't continue on forever with a shrinking customer base.Olaf the Stout</blockquote>

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