The Culture of Miniature Gaming
There's a culture for miniature gaming?
You bet absolutely! Although it does have regional influences.
While I can allude to other miniature gaming cultures from a far, I can only really discuss my own experiences as a Canadian in a rural setting.
For myself, the miniature gaming hobby was an escape. At the time I lived about 45 minutes out of town, *fun fact, I don't discuss distance as a measurement, instead I use time, since it takes nearly 5 hours to travel to a larger city centre...* so as a student who couldn't drive and the internet didn't exist really for us... things got boring.
Thankfully, through the discovery of the White Dwarf magazine, I could enter a world full of miniature mayhem and discover my passion.
Through this magazine and later the Internet, I was able to meet and discover like-minded people. We created a local Facebook Group, which has lasted nearly a decade and is always growing.
So what about the culture... you got off track?
Oops yes, so once I was able to drive I visited the Friendly Local Game Store (FLGS or Flag) and thankfully they had a massive area to setup tables and play games.
Play games? I thought you just paint/build them?
Yes a large part of the hobby is using the miniatures we spend hours painting and assembling. Part of the drive to do the hobby is to travel and compete in tournaments *which we can talk about in future posts*.
Over the years, I found that the culture of miniature gaming can be broken down into four key areas: The Collector, The Painter, The Builder and The Gamer. Check out the definitions down-below
The Collector:
"Yoh, I like collecting stuff. Not necessarily taking stuff out of boxes. I love owning and viewing my collection."
The Painter:
"Painting is pure bliss, if you imagine it, you can make that dream a reality."
The Builder:
"You know, I really wish there was this awesome (new miniature kit that doesn't exist yet), why don't I see what's in my bits box."
The Gamer:
"GG- good game, #Sportsmanship, #NarrativeGamer #ProGamer."
For the record I have been every single one of these "stereotypes" and honestly the best thing about the hobby is you get to enjoy any or all aspects of it. When I started I cared more about the gaming side with combos and unit synergies. Now I'm the most casual painter you can run into. At the end of the day it's your journey, embrace it!
In terms of diversity, miniature gamers are fairly diverse to a point. Again regionally this will differ quite a bit. If you are from a larger urban centre, obviously this increases. Our area is a bit of an outlier compared to other rural areas. Tons of people move here for work and as a result the diversity can be all over the place at times. I have met teachers, doctors, lawyers, welders, post office workers and more.
We try to be as inclusive as possible, because you never know what a fresh new perspective can bring to your miniature gaming group. It's easy to become an isolationist and while I don't favour that mindset, I can understand why it exists in today's modern world. Where people just want to escape their daily lives.
In future posts, we will discuss some more of the regional differences and miniature gaming cultures around the world.
If you want to share your's let me know on Twitter @ATT64
I would love to hear from you.
You bet absolutely! Although it does have regional influences.
While I can allude to other miniature gaming cultures from a far, I can only really discuss my own experiences as a Canadian in a rural setting.
For myself, the miniature gaming hobby was an escape. At the time I lived about 45 minutes out of town, *fun fact, I don't discuss distance as a measurement, instead I use time, since it takes nearly 5 hours to travel to a larger city centre...* so as a student who couldn't drive and the internet didn't exist really for us... things got boring.
Thankfully, through the discovery of the White Dwarf magazine, I could enter a world full of miniature mayhem and discover my passion.
Through this magazine and later the Internet, I was able to meet and discover like-minded people. We created a local Facebook Group, which has lasted nearly a decade and is always growing.
So what about the culture... you got off track?
Oops yes, so once I was able to drive I visited the Friendly Local Game Store (FLGS or Flag) and thankfully they had a massive area to setup tables and play games.
Play games? I thought you just paint/build them?
Yes a large part of the hobby is using the miniatures we spend hours painting and assembling. Part of the drive to do the hobby is to travel and compete in tournaments *which we can talk about in future posts*.
Over the years, I found that the culture of miniature gaming can be broken down into four key areas: The Collector, The Painter, The Builder and The Gamer. Check out the definitions down-below
The Collector:
"Yoh, I like collecting stuff. Not necessarily taking stuff out of boxes. I love owning and viewing my collection."
The Painter:
"Painting is pure bliss, if you imagine it, you can make that dream a reality."
The Builder:
"You know, I really wish there was this awesome (new miniature kit that doesn't exist yet), why don't I see what's in my bits box."
The Gamer:
"GG- good game, #Sportsmanship, #NarrativeGamer #ProGamer."
For the record I have been every single one of these "stereotypes" and honestly the best thing about the hobby is you get to enjoy any or all aspects of it. When I started I cared more about the gaming side with combos and unit synergies. Now I'm the most casual painter you can run into. At the end of the day it's your journey, embrace it!
In terms of diversity, miniature gamers are fairly diverse to a point. Again regionally this will differ quite a bit. If you are from a larger urban centre, obviously this increases. Our area is a bit of an outlier compared to other rural areas. Tons of people move here for work and as a result the diversity can be all over the place at times. I have met teachers, doctors, lawyers, welders, post office workers and more.
We try to be as inclusive as possible, because you never know what a fresh new perspective can bring to your miniature gaming group. It's easy to become an isolationist and while I don't favour that mindset, I can understand why it exists in today's modern world. Where people just want to escape their daily lives.
In future posts, we will discuss some more of the regional differences and miniature gaming cultures around the world.
If you want to share your's let me know on Twitter @ATT64
I would love to hear from you.
