If you follow a big bunch of wargames related blogs like I do, you probably already caught up on some repeating subjects. Some of them comprise almost the integrity of some blogs, which is rather sad.
There are 3 main types of posts going around, which in my opinion says a lot about the hobby. #1 and #2 are mainly found in historical gaming blogs, while #3 is found mostly on fantasy/sci-fi players’ online homes.
#1 The self ball licking questionnaires
Oh yeah, you’ve seen those. A list of 20-50 questions about wargaming, spending habits, movies, music, and all kinds of stuff nobody gives a fuck other than the one filling up the survey. Most don’t really care to read what their blogmates put down, they just want to copy and paste the questions, and start babbling about themselves only to read it themselves as well. I don’t care what music you like or what actress makes you horny, all I want to see are your toy soldiers.
#2 The chain/spam (neighbor ball licking) blog awards
Well these have been on for a while now, but I’ve seen a bit of a comeback. Some idiot makes up an “award” and gives it, somehow, to other bloggers. Then they are forced to give the award to another bunch of bloggers who they seem to enjoy reading. It turns my Reader into a happy place when I see so many updates on my wargaming folder on a certain day, to find out half of them are copy and paste “awards” and ego boosts that have nothing to do with wargaming.
Like I said, these two types are mainly found in historical gaming blogs, which clearly shows how stagnant the hobby is in that scene after the plastic historicals fever passed, and finding out there’s still no unifying ruleset to set the standard, but a lot of small, some of them incredibly good but very apart from each other, rulesets for the different periods.
#3 The justify post
These posts are somewhat creepy in a way. They normally talk about a new release, be it a game, new models, a kickstarter, or a rehash of old shit like Malifaux in plastic or the new LotR bullshit coming up. The writer goes on about the product, and then about the price. Normally, the shinier the toy, the more expensive it is. Some of that stuff is stupidly expensive if you ask me, but then again I’m not writing a “justify post”. What the blogger does immediately after whining about product and prices, is saying something like “though I will be getting most of those figures anyway”, or my favorite “then again, going to the movies is also expensive and less rewarding” or something in that vein. They always whine with reason, and even with logical points being made, and a paragraph later the braindead wargames addiction kicks in and they come clean: “I’m going to buy this crack anyway… so why are we even talking?”
Of course this is mainly seen on fantasy/sci-fi gaming blogs, where novelty has its price. What it shows in this case is that the hobby is getting more expensive every day, kicking people out of it silently, whether the outspoken with big paychecks like it or not, but the good news is they have us by the balls. As long as the crack is good (enough… let’s be honest), we will keep paying whatever prices you throw at us… after all the movie tickets, console games and nights out also get more expensive, right?
oMAD 