How long until game stores are gone?

[ExploderWizard]

I don't see it happening as much as the game stores changing. While there are a few places like the War Store, and of course ordering online, part of the hobby, that of miniatures, tends to rely more on seeing what you're getting in the first place. The miniatures, paint, brushes, etc... are generally not available at the massive discounts Amazon.com orders and they're expensive enough that some stores are dedicated to them.

I am totally with you on this. Sadly, minis that require assembly and painting are getting less popular with some gamers. The NOW generation wants to be able to play out of the box and there are some older gamers who might enjoy painting but lack the time due to the demands of real life. I still enjoy painting my own minis but it's becoming less common for the average rpg player to do so.

As far as seeing what you are getting, I enjoy that aspect of game stores for rpg books as well as mini related product. Stores that shrink wrap everything and don't provide a flip through copy of products kind of defeat the purpose of having physical inventory. If I want to buy something without examining it at all, then online buying will serve just as well.

 

[PaulofCthulhu]

Yet, how do you expect them to stay open if no one is buying books, cards, etc... there? Do you expect fee's to be paid? If so what amount do you think will be charged that players will be willing to pay to play? Or do you think enough people will keep paying premium prices for books, etc... to keep the location open?

Fanboy 3 in Manchester has a game space (unusual for the UK). it used to be free, but now they charge £2.50 per head per game session. I guess enough people were coming in, using the space then leaving (and buying elsewhere) that they had to start charging. I couldn't tell you if the numbers had dropped because of it.

 

[carmachu]

As I said, I use the internet to run my meetup group, but we still need a place to play. Part of the purpose is so you can meet new gamers before bringing them to your house. Without a place to game in peace, it wouldn't work. Gamers networking online will strengthen game stores, not weaken them.

Uhm, no actually. I dont need to meet them at the game store to gauge them. A bar or Ihop or the mall work just as well. Hell thats how our DM got our last guy, met him at teh bar for a drink and talk....

I think its more a mixed bag, rather than strengthen them. It can, if you use it for a meet. But it'll weaken it if you dont.....

 

[carmachu]

I don't see it happening as much as the game stores changing. While there are a few places like the War Store, and of course ordering online, part of the hobby, that of miniatures, tends to rely more on seeing what you're getting in the first place. The miniatures, paint, brushes, etc... are generally not available at the massive discounts Amazon.com orders and they're expensive enough that some stores are dedicated to them.

Not really. Having bought miniatures for decades, its much easier with the internet. I can see them quite well on pictures and home pages of the manufacturers, and there are plaenty of discounters online that I can get miniatures from without ever going to a gamestore. I can find miniatures 20-35% off easily depending on the manufacturer.

You dont need amazon for that. There are plenty of places to go beyond the warstore(although he is very good). Malestrom, chaosorc, miniature giant among the many others.

 

[maddman75]

Uhm, no actually. I dont need to meet them at the game store to gauge them. A bar or Ihop or the mall work just as well. Hell thats how our DM got our last guy, met him at teh bar for a drink and talk....

I think its more a mixed bag, rather than strengthen them. It can, if you use it for a meet. But it'll weaken it if you dont.....

There's an advantage to actually gaming with someone before getting them into your home game. Sure, at the IHOP you can tell if they creep you out, but gaming with them you get a feel if their game style will mesh with yours. Sometimes people can be perfectly fine human beings, but be looking for something different than your group in a game.

 

[carmachu]

There's an advantage to actually gaming with someone before getting them into your home game. Sure, at the IHOP you can tell if they creep you out, but gaming with them you get a feel if their game style will mesh with yours. Sometimes people can be perfectly fine human beings, but be looking for something different than your group in a game.

Thats what trial periods are for. *shrug* We had a very dynamic group of 7-6 plus DM, and then one guy moved due to work. It was the third guy that ended up staying as the players voted him in.

The first one didnt keep up with the online dynamic. The second was disruptive, but seemed ok and then dropped due to moving. The third guy worked out ok.

But even still, you still didnt need a game store for it.

 

[Umbran]

Yet, how do you expect them to stay open if no one is buying books, cards, etc... there? Do you expect fee's to be paid?

Yep. The CCG, MMO players, and live-action players are already well-acquainted with the idea that you have to pay to play. If you're using someone else's space for tabletop, you should not expect to be able to do so for free.

If so what amount do you think will be charged that players will be willing to pay to play?

That's going to vary greatly depending on the location - having a good space in Cambridge, MA, is much more expensive than having one in Blacksburg, VA.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Well. . . I pretty much said what I was going to say, in another thread just now.

But anyway, they ain't goin' anywhere. That's all.

 

[The Ghost]

So assuming you can agree with my "theory", how long do you think it will take for the last LGS to disappear?

There are quite a number of factors to consider before making any kind of reasonable assessment. Production costs, rents, ancillary products & services, energy costs, changes in transportation, increasing mixed-use development, growth of technology, etc.

You are asking us to guess how all these factors (and more) are going to change over the next ten-to-twenty years. This is something I cannot do and my job is as a financial analyst! The best I can do is look three-to-five years out and reassess on a regular basis. Anything more than that is wild speculation.

 

[Mistwell]

Well. . . I pretty much said what I was going to say, in another thread just now.

But anyway, they ain't goin' anywhere. That's all.

I thought your reply was worth repeating here.

I don't think anything 'needs to be done' or what have you. The numbers have fluctuated since the beginning, and will continue to do so. Game stores will still be around, for the foreseeable future, I suspect. Yes, that's conjecture, but no more so than any of the regularly scheduled repeats of doomsaying and all that stuff, from (often) the same rather small number of interweb voices, give or take a few.

Ryan Dancey, IIRC, is one such voice, foretelling imminent death and destruction (er, of industry/hobby, that is) at slightly irregular intervals for some time now (and we'd be talking years here). Please, correct me if I'm wrong there. And well, if I'm not, perhaps there's a millennium cult still hiring?