In a promised second half to the Looking to Media for Inspiration post, today I examination the more general survey question, of What Inspires You the Most?
WSS' 2024 Great Wargaming Survey included two questions on gaming motivation and inspiration. One question asked about a
gamer’s primary source for inspiration.
The other question focused on media and its influence. The previous post linked to above addressed the second question. Today, I examine primary source of wargaming inspiration.
Primary Wargaming Inspiration
Figure 2 |
Does this picture change if the Top 3 choices from each response are aggregated? No. Well, not much.
Figure 3 |
Figure 4 |
Figure 5 |
Does Figure 5 bring forward any age-related tendences with respect to inspiration?
Yes, it does.
As demonstrated in a number of past analyses, younger gamers tend toward fantasy and sci-fi gaming while older gamers gravitate toward historicals. For the younger cohorts, that result still holds in this survey question. These younger cohorts find inspiration in reading about fictional events more so than do the older cohorts. Interestingly, these same younger cohorts find inspiration in reading about historical events as well. Another interesting result of looking at the question by age group is that watching movies or TV shows offers consistently less wargaming inspiration as one advances in years.
Confirming the finding from primary inspiration analysis, manufacturers’ advertisements and well-presented kickstarters provide little inspiration for the masses regardless of age group. An interesting twist to manufacturers' efforts to connect with wargamers is that a manufacturers' website or newsletter offers a small but increasing inspiration as age increases.
Looking at the graphics above, do any of these results stand out to you? Do these results reflect your tendencies for wargaming inspiration? From which of these sources do you draw inspiration? Are there sources of inspiration not included in the current survey?
From where do I draw inspiration for wargaming? While inspiration for my wargaming projects and activities continues to evolve, my Top 3
today are:
- My gaming friends
- Getting in a game or painting
- Following others' gaming activities through their blogs