So there is a lot of GW hate going around on the blog-o-sphere currently. Everyone is “up in arms” about decisions that GW is making as a company, and “jumping ship”. I will say that I have not actually purchased a GW miniature in over a year. So to everyone else that is thinking of doing the same, I would say the choice is yours to make.
The fact of the matter is we know that GW raises their prices. I know that I stopped buying things because I can no longer afford that particular system/game, and by not making purchases, I can concentrate on getting what I have done.
Man, I just realized how much I have left “unfinished”! (Get to work! – ed.)
Although I do not wish to get involved with the “great GW debate” of 2011, I will say that I do not agree with their practices as a business. I have worked for GW and I worked for an independent retailer of GW products. I have been doing this hobby for closing on 22 years now. My brand of insight is this. GW may feel the need to raise prices, change business practices, and do what we see as “idiotic” but, maybe it’s not. You may be thinking, “Are you actually defending them?” No. Although, nobody knows the future, not GW, (even though they probably have analysts who try to predict trends.), not you, and not me. That being said, perhaps the future isn’t so “dark”. (No, I am not talking about the game setting!) “But the prices are already too high for me!” Trust me, I am there. Just stop buying unless something uber comes out that you “have to have”. (Myself, I am STILL waiting to buy a Stompa, so I might just have to build one. Like this guy did his Rough Riders.)
Perhaps, the same thing will happen that will always happens. We will complain, we whine, a few people may “jump ship”, but in the end, the hobby will remain consistent. There will still be minis to paint, and games to play. Even if GW went out of business tomorrow, we would still have the current rules and minis to play with. (A special thank you to the guys at theback40k last year, they had an article about that very thing.)
By putting these questionable practices into place, GW has given their competition a bit of an edge, but that does not necessarily mean 10 years from now they will be out of business. Maybe they will and maybe they won’t. Just enjoy the hobby for now. Paint what you have, challenge yourself. If there is something you want and can’t afford, save your money, or make trades. Or, there is always eBay…
Maybe GW would listen to their fanbase, maybe not. Perhaps the faceless entity needs a large portion of the fanbase to write letters to get their attention. I am not going to discourage others to do so, I just won’t for 2 reasons.
1.) I am not sure it would do any good.
2.) I do not want to risk “legal action” on GW’s part.
I fear the day may not be far off, when GW legally pursues anyone with a cease and desist letter/warning to anyone who moderates, writes for, or owns a blog, or forums about the GW hobby, citing their IP statement.
For me, I am just going to enjoy the ride…even if I do have to sit “on the back bumper”.
Perhaps in my ramblings about the subject, I come across “wishy-washy” or “can’t we all just get along?” however the truth is a simple one.
Do what you feel is right./ What you want to do. That’s what people and companies are going to do anyways.
So be intelligent and bring the community together (good luck, not everyone will have the same opinions) to write a seriously professional, worded letter to the execs at GW, or shut up and enjoy the ride.
Ok, now for the fun stuff…
I came into my work this morning, and found liquid spilling out from behind my monitor. (Not huge, because I sometimes leave an unfinished coffee by my monitor.) But, what I saw was funny. First a bit of history…
I have my office “decorated” with action figures. And I keep an “Alien” (from the movie Alien) hanging on my monitor. When I saw the coffee spilled, it looked like the alien peed after his fall. So, I put him back up on my monitor, then he seemed to be smirking…<insert Homer Simpson voice> “Lousy, alien, urinating on my desk, then laughing at me about it…I’ll show you! Ahhh! Mouth inside another mouth?! Ohhh, why I can’t I have two mouths?”
So, looking at the alien, I started thinking of the old Tootsie Pop commercial in the US, about the boy who goes to a bunch of animals, and asks them, “Mr <insert animal here>, how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie roll center of a Tootsie pop?” The boy keeps getting sent to another animal, and ends up at the wise/senile Owl…who then eats the boys Tootsie Pop…a classic!
Which got me around to putting this together just for the fun of it…
That’s all for this week…sorry for not being Thoughtful on Thoughtful Thursdays…
That's a great point on how much you can get finished. I can imagine theres alot of people that add to there army regularly but don't finish what they have.
ReplyDeleteAnd as you say it is a hobby. It's a choice whether to buy and you choose to because it is a hobby.
Hmmmm.... you'd think alien pee would be kind of acidic.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the challenge for GW (or any company that produces widgets that people want) is to separate the people who will change their behavior based on price changes from the people who will only squawk loudly about price changes.