So how frequently do the respondents from the survey game? Today's analysis examines total responses by gaming frequency with breakouts by Primary Interest, Age Group, and Location.
Total Counts by Gaming Frequency
First up is a summary of total respondent counts by gaming frequency. The totals suggest that weekly gaming is, by far, the most popular gaming interval. Monthly gaming is a distant second. Until my switch to remote gaming during COVID and my own past experience, I figured weekly gaming was unattainable. Who is able to game on a weekly basis? Well, according to the survey, plenty of gamers do!
Gaming Frequency by Primary Interest
What does the survey suggest with respect to gaming frequency and primary interest? The results suggest that "Mixed" wargamers, on balance, game more frequently than the two groups that specialize in either fantasy/sci-fi (non-historical) or historical gaming. Historical wargamers tend to game more frequently than non-historical gamers. Non-historical wargamers tend to choose "infrequently" gaming more often than other groups. I suppose it could be argued that "infrequently" may mean different intervals to different gamers. Across all groups, roughly 30% of wargamers game on a weekly basis.
What if the data are segmented by Age Group? The survey results suggest that weekly wargaming sees a monotonically increasing march in percentage as one ages. Not a surprising result given that younger wargamers likely have more competing demands on their time. Notably, about 32% of gamers in the 21-40 age groups game less frequently than monthly.
Gaming Frequency by Location
Does a wargamer's location influence gaming frequency? This is an interesting question. What do the survey results suggest? While I was surprised to discover that about 30% of gamers participate in weekly games, bifurcating results by location was the biggest surprise.
Of the respondents from Continental Europe/Scandinavia, only about 23% of the gamers game on a weekly frequency. For the Australia/New Zealand and USA/Canada respondents, about 30% marked weekly gaming as their gaming interval. For UK/Ireland wargamers, 36% listed weekly as a gaming frequency. Compared to the rest of the world, wargamers in the UK/Ireland game a lot! This result may be due, in part, to the relative size of the countries and the availability of club wargaming groups.
Summary
- Contrary to my own wargaming experience, weekly wargaming intervals are not unusual. In fact, about 30% of respondents wargame on a weekly basis.
- When results are segmented by primary interest, gamers with broad interests of both historicals and non-historicals tend to game more frequently than do gamers that hold specific interests in either historicals or fantasy/sci-fi.
- Segmenting results by age group, the results suggest that gaming frequency increases as one ages. At least 70% of gamers in all but the youngest age group (20 and under) game no less than once per month.
- When considering a respondent's location as a factor, about 36% of UK/Ireland wargamers game on a weekly interval. This is more than any other location. In contrast, only about 23% of gamers from Continental Europe/Scandinavia tend to game on a weekly basis.
For me, the pandemic has pushed me from, at best, a monthly wargamer to a weekly gamer. In fact, I frequently have more than one game per week.
Are there other attributes in which to extend this analysis? For sure. A few of the possible cross-tabulations could include:
- Gaming Frequency vs Figure Size
- Gaming Frequency vs Game Type (skirmish, big battle, scenarios, etc.)
- Gaming Frequency vs Game Era
- Gaming Frequency vs Favorite Hobby Facet (gaming, painting, hanging out with friends, etc.)
I look forward to your feedback.
I keep a record of my games. In recent years I have managed 100 plus games (maximum 121) Last year was down at 86.
ReplyDeleteI have a regular Monday night at my primary club, a small group of friends that I also play with regularly and others that fit in around that. Numbers are boosted by some shorter games, for instance I have a friend that I only play against 2 to 3 times a year but we typically get through 4 DBA games in an evening. I also attend 10 - 12 wargaming shows or events on weekends. The events are game driven and I always try and get in a game or two at a show despite the other attractions.
David, I am always astounded at the number of games you get in each year. I look at your game tally and think "how is this even possible?"
DeleteIt is good to see what you feel anecdotally plays out in the actual numbers. I felt, from what I've read on TMP, that we wargame more regularly with toy soldiers in the UK, and it turns out we do.
ReplyDeleteHaving dedicated space and wargamers close at hand helps a lot. Until I blogged I never kept track of my games, but I tot them up every January now, and since we started online games I'm back to where I'd like to be, which is one a week regular, with occasional days with extras.
What's the point of the toys if they just live in a box?
DeleteYes, always good when your data supports your conclusion!
Having a dedicated space for wargaming is a contributing factor to frequency, I am sure, but a wargaming room has not helped me! I don't always track my solo games but I should.
My toys seem to be happy in boxes. Well, perhaps not happy but they are not complaining...
You say that, but they probably aren't aware how often some of my fellows get out and about....
DeleteYou are right but comparison is the greatest thief of joy.
DeleteMy own gaming is at least weekly, but my engagement with the hobby is daily.
ReplyDeleteRe the specialised interests playing less, i wonder whether that is to do with them being more inclined towrds social play rather than solo play being added into the mix.
Norm, my hobby engagement is daily, like yourself, but until late fall 2020, my gaming frequency was sporadic at best.
DeleteAs for specialized vs non-specialized play, my thought was that opportunity may be a contributing factor. A "Mixed" gamer could get in games with both the historical groups and the non-historical groups opening up more chances to play.
Wetend to game weekly if possible. With schedule clashes, still 35-40 games played a year. Funny, don't know how many painted figures I have, how many in the lead piles, how many games played in a year. Child of the 60's, I guess.
ReplyDeleteAnother vote for weekly games. You guys game a lot!
DeleteWe have the time, and have settled on games either playable in the 3 to 4 hour window and fit on the available table.
DeleteGood to see that you have reached a comfortable routine with respect to your gaming.
DeleteI'd say that establishing a routine AND STICKING TO IT is the key to playing more games.
DeleteYep!
DeleteFor many of us, circumstances play a major role in how often we play.
ReplyDeleteFor several periods of my life I played weekly games with a small group of friends for a stretch of years, but people would move or drop out and eventually there would be a time of drought.
At other times it was work that interfered with projects, travel, overtime etc and it was me that didn't have time. So I painted and read and longed.
But always things would settle and I would find another gamer or two, chat with someone in a hobby shop, find someone online (the heck with secret liaisons for sex, I'm looking for historical miniature wargamers!) etc.
At times I had to bend a little and play a board game or scifi/fantasy just for the social hobby contact. At other times I just painted, even on the road.
The internet and social sites were a blessing when they arrived and I found online hobby friends and at least one weekend of gaming a year even if I had to travel a thousand miles to get there.(OK I've been perioducally traveling to conventions since '77 but more often since '97).
Once or twice I experimented unsuccessfully with solo miniatures, including dragging a small box of 15's on the road, but couldn't quite "get" it. Without an opponent to pit my wits against, and the camaraderie, it just didn't work for me. It took a combination of retirement, moving to the country and another shift in friends coming and going to finally make the effort to teach myself how to ENJOY solo games.
So finally we come to the answer.
Its a rare year when I play less than 60-70 games. Of those (apart from Covid years) usually 3-4 or double that if I get to two, will be at a convention, 9-15 will be face to face with friends anywhere from 1 on 1 in a basement to a dozen or more in a public setting, 2-4 will be via video chat and the rest are solo.
Interesting analysis again Jon. For several years, I enjoyed almost weekly games hosted by my friend Julian...occasionally we even managed to sneak in a second. But this has dried up somewhat in the last eighteen to twenty four months and I am now lucky to get in one game per month. A lot of my gaming group play virtually every second Sunday but I have other pulls on my time at the weekend and really prefer a weeknight after work if possible.i have toyed with the idea of solo but it doesn't really appeal much and in any case I don't really have any space available to use, so I think about eighty per cent of my enjoyment at the moment is derived from painting and blogging about painting...maybe I can't even really claim to be a wargamer at present? I have never been a member of an organised club and doubt I ever will/would be. I would like to get back to weekly gaming for sure but I am reliant on others hosting me so, as they say, beggars can't be choosers!
DeleteExcellent feedback, Ross! You are yet another gamer for whom I have great admiration for the number of games you get in every year. I have not been a frequent gamer until late but perhaps 2020 was a watershed event for me with respect to gaming frequency?
DeleteKeith, I am glad to see you continue to be interested in these analyses. Based upon you and your groups blogs, I figured you guys played much more frequently than monthly. Perhaps once we all open back up, your gaming frequency will return to levels seen in the past?
DeleteYou are not alone in deriving great pleasure and contentment from painting and blogging about the hobby.
Interesting point about age. I used to game much more when I was a "lad" (late high school going through college) than I do now (despite the fact that I'm currently in a formal club with monthly meetings and side games among members).
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ed! I wonder if your gaming will increase once you decide to put away your shingle and retire?
DeleteI realise that I've only had one game this year, down to work/covid and also I guess because painting reading and planning is a big chunk of the hobby for me, with the gaming a bonus, once we're out of lockdown we're planning a nice big celebratory game!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Until the last six months or so, painting and research were my big occupiers of time too. Boy, has that changed! I think I can finally call myself a "gamer!"
DeleteI await your Big Celebratory Game!
To be honest, its supposed to be a hobby. I don't see more gaming or more research or painting or better painting vs more painting to be more desirable or more worthy etc. If you're enjoying what you do with your time and not hurting anyone else, you're doing it right!
ReplyDeleteI agree!
DeleteGood to see the stats Jonathan, which make for interesting reading. From my point of view:
ReplyDeleteBefore Covid I was gaming either weekly or bi-monthly, depending largely upon whether my regular wargaming chum was down for work or not. So on average I was getting 25 games in a year more or less. Since Covid kicked off, gaming has dried up in comparison with motivation for solo gaming very low.
I do not have a dedicated games room, which makes setting up and taking down a game a bit of a pain. I'm sure if I had a dedicated room, I would certainly game a lot more.
As others have said, I engage with the hobby daily in one form or another. At the start of this year I was beating myself up a bit for my lack of games, which is silly as it's a hobby to be enjoyed, not endured. So I game when I'm ready and in the mood, which at present with some stunning Spring weather is a way off at present!
I no longer belong to a club, but I have two within a 10-20 minute drive from my house, depending upon traffic. However I now much prefer gaming at home with close friends rather than a club for a multitude of reasons.
Thanks for your feedback, Steve!
DeleteHaving a dedicated gaming space is a big plus in my book. I am not sure what I would do if I didn't have one. Having a dedicated space for gaming and painting was a requirement for each of my last two houses.
I have never lived where there was such a thing as a wargames club. We always meet in one guys house and game there in small groups. Typically, we rotate who hosts and who chooses the game. Works for us.
With good Spring weather are you out cycling now?
Not as much as I'd like Jonathan. A combination of family stuff and gardening has kept me off the roads this week. Also the traffic is back to pre-lockdown levels and so not fun to ride on the roads during the week. I need to re-route me rides a bit to make things safer and more fun too!
DeleteI agree with the need for a dedicated gaming area at home...I don't have one, which is probably about 50% of the reason I have not really made any attempt at solo gaming!
DeleteSteve, traffic has increased a lot here as well especially since we are experiencing an influx of new residents. One must always cycle defensively.
DeleteKeith, solo gaming can provide much entertainment even when you have F2F opportunities. It gives me a chance to test and figure out rules as well as developing tactics.
DeleteYes I can see how it works well for many people Jon...maybe I need to adjust the impact of a lack of dedicated gaming space up to 80% of the reason I don't solo game!
DeleteSoon you will be at 100%!
DeleteIf you include rpg gaming (dungeons and dragons, etc) then I manage to play about fortnightly (minis are used so I guess it’s a form of tabletop, right?).
ReplyDeleteBut actual wargaming? Even before Covid I maybe got one or two games in per month and about 75% of those being historical, the rest split between scifi, fantasy and zombpocalypse.
A fresh marriage I will say is not conducive to regular gaming tho! Especially when ones spouse does not support the hobby one bit considering it childish at best.
I will say tho in conclusion that my fav aspect to our hobby is actually the construction and painting of the minis, time where I find my “zen”.
Thanks for your response, Dai! Painting has been a big part of the hobby for me with a slow but steady stream of games. Painting has always been a way to relax and unwind. One game per month was typically the best I could muster unless it was a quick session of Commands & Colors.
DeleteNo support from the spouse? This is hard comment to read...
Re spousal support or otherwise, I would say my wife tolerates my hobby but she would probably prefer if I didn't do it! Put it this way, if I was single, I would be at virtually every game at our mate Barry's place, whereas I am lucky to get to half a dozen a year. At least she doesn't object too much when we take off for our week long wargaming session at Lake Tarawera each year!
DeleteGetting away for a week of gaming with your pals is a luxury I envy.
DeleteI am very lucky. Mrs T is a jewel beyond price, who knew I was a toy soldier man when we first met, knew I was never going to give them up when we got married, and is supportive even if she doesn't fully understand, even after we've known each other more than 40 years. She even project managed the building of Shedquarters for me.
DeleteRE spousal support; my wife does not begrudge me leaving or hosting the occasional games days. She wants me to have fun. Where we do run into problems (looks left, looks right, coast is clear) are nights when I want to do some hobby time with painting or what not and she wants to spend time with me. Especially weeknights when she’s been with the kids all day with no other adult and I come home from work and chip in, spend time with the kids, etc.. and when everyone is tucked in I’m thinking it’s time to relax and do some hobbies and she’s thinking it’s our time to talk. 😀
DeleteThanks for your perspectives on spousal support Graham and Stew. Always good to keep a state of calm on the Home Front. That way, when we march off to war, we will be welcomed when we return.
DeleteI'm in pretty much the same boat as Stew,my wife is happy for me to host a game or go and play a game but it's the week day evenings when she gets fed up with me painting little men instead of talking to her!
DeleteBest Iain
Bit of a mixed bag really.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was running a campaign I would regularly be doing 'something' related to it every day.
Since the tables were spread all over the globe, there were times my own game table was quiet for more than two weeks, then other times where I was hosting 3-5 games per week.
With the start of COVID I decided to push for some online games via video - since it looked like no-one was going to get any games done together otherwise.
So last year was really busy in March-September time frame with at least something every week, with some weekends having 3 games!
The more intense lock-down since January has seen me concentrate on the painting pile and pump out a ship and crew for pirates along with another 4 pike & shot units.
Plans are resuming for about one game a month over the coming summer - likely under tents.
Thanks, MurdocK!
DeleteI need to pay more attention to your blog. I did not realize your campaign was fought on tables across the globe.
I did enjoy your pirate ship building exercise and really enjoyed seeing your work on Eureka Crimean War project.
One game per month is a realistic and attainable goal. Good luck in F2F gaming this summer under the tent!
Thank you Jonathan, yes the painting has been a good release to the otherwise 'dead time' from the game table.
DeleteI had also been slotted into an international project doing Seelowe (Sea Lion) 1940 in kriegspeil using a few different visions from folks. Sadly the daily demands of COVID just overwhelmed some of the players and the project fizzled in January.
Game tent is ready to go back to the ECW in May!
I look forward to seeing your outdoor ECW battles this summer. Are you on Vancouver Island or the mainland?
DeleteMy ECWQ collection has not been in action in a good, long while. I ought to remedy that.
I am happy to discuss ECW game control and process flow some time. I have not updated the gallery for a long time. I should make a note to bring the collection up to date. Maybe even reshoot the whole collection since most photos were taken pre-lightbox days.
Once a week for me, with a Napoleonic group meeting on Monday nights (although there are often a few cancellations) and an Ancients group every second Saturday. No-one is more disappointed than my wife though when gaming sessions are cancelled due to other commitments.
ReplyDeleteThanks for you input, Lawrence! You made me laugh reading your last sentence. My wife likely feels similarly.
DeleteDuring the pandemic so far my wife has played one game of AD 1666 and a Mansions of Madness. Sign of the apocalypse, I tell ya!
ReplyDeleteYou have accomplished more than I! Mine has been convinced to try Flamme Rouge and M.U.L.E..I have been suggesting Commands & Colors but no dice. She is not quite that desperate yet. With the country opening back up, I likely have lost my opportunity. Still, she is very supportive of my hobby.
DeleteWe have always played board games since we first got married and couldn't afford to go out much, due to mortgage commitments and setting up home. It's a pleasant way of whiling away an hour or two in each other's company, and there are so many good games out there that look great and play well. Have a look at Takenoko. Everyone loves pandas.
DeleteThanks for the suggestion! With restrictions easing on small group gatherings and vaccinations, we have been gaming more regularly with another couple. The guys play a wargame while the girls play another or we play a game we all can enjoy. After gaming we order take-away for dinner. Something I hope we continue once life returns to normal.
DeleteSeveral times a week was the norm for me in High School, and I managed nearly weekly games in my 4th year of medical school (combination of better schedule and a number of new and old freind local opponents - one of whom was the State Insurance Commissioner). Those times aside, I have played more games in the past year than any other, even if only one of them was in person! I look forward to more FTF gaming, but I think some on line gaming is here to stay as well!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your insights, Peter! Like you, I have played more games in the the last six months than I have typically played in two years. Unbelievable, really. Remote gaming is here to stay, I wager.
DeleteI hope so. I'm not sure how we mix face to face and remote games. I might be forced to wargame on a Tuesday face to face, then fit in a remote game with you and/or Ian on another day. Get myself up to twice a week.
DeleteIf remote gaming fades away after restrictions lift, I may be back to infrequent gaming. I still hold out hope that some remote gaming endures since it allows gaming with friends not possible in a F2F setting.
DeleteAs for gaming with my wife, well - tried that once when we were dating; it was clear that another time would have been... unwise. She'll play cards or backgammon under some duress, and my younger daughter is about the same. My older daughter likes games a lot, though, and she's the mother of my two grandsons, so there is hope there, LOL!
ReplyDeleteNancy taught me cribbage during lockdown and we do play card games occasionally with friends but that is about it.
DeleteGood luck with the grandsons!
It's funny. Modern board games for adults are a big growth area - I believe it's the largest category of project types on the Kickstarter platform. We always take a few pocket games on holiday with us - Zombie Dice is great, you can play it in a bar over cocktails. We met another couple on holiday through playing it a few years back, discovered they only lived 40 minutes a way and started meeting to play board games once a month. We've been playing Clank! and Dominion by Zoom for the last few months every week on a Tuesday afternoon (yes, JF, my Tuesdays have got a bit hectic). Another gateway "board" game is Apples to Apples. I defy anyone not to enjoy that, although it is a four player game minimum.
DeleteSome more good recommendations! Thanks!
DeleteThanks Jon, very interesting. Since starting my blog, 100% of my games are reported there, and I count 9 games in 15 months. So, not even monthly, must do better! But that is infinitely more frequent than before - put it down to the motivational power of blogging..
ReplyDeleteGlad you found this interesting, David. Blogging can be a motivational tool for both painting and gaming. Besides motivation for yourself, you offer motivation for others. You are providing a public service.
DeleteUntil Covid hit I was weekly thanks to the club with an additional game now and again here at Casa Anderson. I predict that Covid may push me into a fortnightly/monthly gamer because the club meets in a school, at least for this year. Weekly is perfect for me.
ReplyDeleteYou are another weekly UK gamer confirming the survey results. Your remote gaming is picking up. Perhaps those games will continue after restrictions lift and you may still claim as a weekly gamer?
DeleteThis is one of those questions where I’m less interested in the answer; because I don’t want my suspicions confirmed that everyone is having fun without me. 😀
ReplyDeleteTo much social comparison can decrease the fun of having a hobby. I know that I don’t play that much or as nearly as much as I would like.
The amount of gaming I actually get in has varied with the seasons of life. I’ve gone from weekly gaming to nothing and anywhere in between.
When life is normal; I’m happy if I get in 1 game a month. And the occasional gaming convention where I spend the weekend playing. I’m really hoping that when the kids get older that I can become the center of a gaming group that will meet at my place and play games on the regular, all of us taking turns to host or whatever. Time will tell. 😀
Stew, don't let these analyses wreck your enjoyment of the hobby. Notice that gaming frequency tends to increase with age. You still have plenty of time to ride the curve into the Promised Land.
DeleteIf we really want to game more frequently, we may need to consider moving to the UK!
Keep at it Stew, my boys all took turns as my opponent at times and they all learned different things from our encounters.
DeleteThe idea of this post from Jonathan as I see it, was to spark us to look at what we were doing from an outside perspective, then decide if that was what we are still seeking.
Thanks guys! 😀
DeleteInteresting read Jonathan. I suppose the answer from me is that I don’t play often enough. My best in the last few years has been 26 games in a year, with 18-20 being the average. Like you and Norm my engagement is daily and her indoors would probably say it is too many times during the day...and possibly so...but how else to retain sanity in this insane world of ours?
ReplyDelete
DeleteThanks for sharing your experience, Mark. How else to maintain sanity, indeed!