The 2021 Great Wargaming Survey contained two questions related to wargaming inspiration. One question asked about a gamer’s primary source for inspiration. The second question focused on media and its influence. In this installment of analyzing the survey data, I examine primary source of inspiration.
Primary Wargaming Inspiration
In the 2021 survey, respondents could choose up to three primary inspirational sources. Each response was aggregated to generate the summary table shown in Figure 1.
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| Figure 1 |
Notice that a manufacturer’s advertisement rounds out the Top 10 sources of inspiration at about 2.5%. Do advertisements no longer inspire? Has this percentage declined with the passage of time and availability of more accessible inspiration sources?
Primary Wargaming Inspiration by Age Group
While there are a number of attributes that can be utilized in classifying and breaking down these summary results, this installment focuses on Age Group only.
Are there tendencies that emerge from these results?
Do certain age cohorts gravitate toward certain sources for inspiration? Figure 2 illustrates these aggregated results by examining Age Group distribution by Inspiration Source.
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| Figure 2 |
Anything else of note? Notice that the 51+ groups derive inspiration from manufacturers’ content and reviews of rules and figures more so than the younger age cohorts. Also notice that the 50 and under groups find inspiration from movies/TV and game reports more than the 51+ groups.
What if the data are transposed to show Inspiration Source by Age Group? Figure 3 illustrates what that manipulation produces.
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| Figure 3 |
While wargamers seem to rely on historical events for inspiration increasingly from age 31 and above, it surprises me that only a small percentage of respondents utilize fictional accounts for inspiration. This result is especially startling in the younger age groups where past analyses show a definite leaning toward sci-fi and fantasy genres.
Also of note is that manufacturers’ advertisements and Kickstarters provide little inspiration for the masses. Outside of articles on historical events as described above, reviews, reading about another wargamer's models, and gaming friends tend to offer the most inspiration. None of these three sources dominate the pool. Interesting.
Do these results reflect your tendencies for wargaming inspiration?
From which of these sources do you draw inspiration?
As thoughts of Wargaming projects and direction are constantly evolving, so is inspiration. From where do I draw inspiration from the list in the survey? While many of the survey choices provide inspiration, my top 3 today are:
- An article or post about another wargamer's models
- A game report
- My gaming friends
I can vaguely remember putting friends as number one and blogs or articles as number two, so it is interesting others have done the same. In my case friends are important as a source of potential projects as we generally share the same broad interests and, as I am not a solo gamer, they would otherwise sit in the cupboard. Advertisements are important to me once I have settled on a project and am trying to decide on actual purchases, but rarely are a source of inspiration in their own right. Now and again I have however stumbled across something, such as Khurasan Miniatures or TAG Renaissance figures, where I can't resist and find myself in the middle of new project inspired by the manufacturers' websites.
ReplyDeleteHi Lawrence. Good to see that you could recall what you put down on the survey from last summer. Very good!
DeleteLike you, manufacturers' websites are secondary (or even tertiary) sources of inspiration for me and represent an evolution after having been inspired by another source.
I appreciate your thoughts on the topic.
For me, I take most of my inspiration these days from Blogs and other social media. Seeing nice painted figures, battle reports often remind me of neglected periods. Adverts from manufacturers don't hit the mark, I kind of already know for my existing projects who I need to contact and what they have as additional ranges
ReplyDeleteThanks, Neil! What other social media draw your interest besides blogs?
DeleteSeeing work of others on blogs attracts me to the possibility of a new project like a moth to a flame.
I also browse quite a few groups on Facebook
DeleteWhile I do not use FB, I can see its influence.
DeleteMore interesting analysis Jon. I agree with Scotty and Lawrence...manufacturers advertising is only useful in as much as finding figures to populate a project AFTER a decision on what the next project shall be has been taken. Friends are the biggest inspiration ...my GNW project is entirely due to my mate Nick suggesting this era. Currently, a slight expansion of 20mm WWII is underway, based on a recent game. Potentially, the next project may be 20mm SCW. That could be blamed on manufacturers (Minairons) advertising....so, a variety of sources for my inspiration, I guess.
ReplyDeleteGlad you find these analyses interesting, Keith! Receiving encouraging feedback with individual perspectives prompts me to continue these series.
DeleteWe take inspiration from many sources and all of them have a place in focusing (or refocusing) our attention.
20mm SCW will be interesting to see. What level of engagement are you considering? Skirmish, small unit tactical, battalion-level, operational, or something else?
My idea for SCW is to use the Iron Cross rules we have played recently at Julian's place Jon. It was revisiting our 20mm figures that pushed me in that direction. Our gaming mate Rick already has an impressively large 28mm collection comprising every troop type from the excellent Empress Miniature range, so I thought I would do something a bit different!
DeleteSounds like a great idea, Keith! Looking forward to following your progress. Having played a lot of SCW using Graham's rules, I am tempted to dive into the period myself. What am I saying? I already have too many projects!
DeleteLol...never too many projects are there Jon?! If following Gaemes lead, you would be looking at 15mm SCW presumably?
DeleteIf I seriously considered it, yes, I think 15mm would be the way to go.
DeleteI think ALL of the above apply to most of us in one way or another. I'd say gaming friends is still the top influencer (I am starting my WotR project now to provide some of the figures for the Test of Resolve games that Tim, David and I are running at Historicon, my Scotts ECW project was an outgrowth of the scenarios for FK&P that we have been playing locally, and my major Russian Napoleonic expansion of 2011 - 2012 was driven by Barry's planned Borodino game for Historicon 2012). I also agree that manufacturer adverts and websites primarily play a role AFTER the tentative decision has been made to take the plunge.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Almost anything can provide that spark of inspiration.
DeleteYou certainly helped spark and foster my interest in the Great Italian Wars. I await to see your new WotR project and to see reports back from Historicon later this summer.
While I already maintain large ECW armies and favorite rules, your work with FK&P sparked an interest in exploring those rules for ECW.
I have many friends to thank for expanding my interests and collections into many, many periods. Perhaps 'thank' is not quite the right word for which I am searching.
Your blog, among others, is having the same effect upon me as far as the AMR; I'd like a tricorne subject, and I really should do Americans in some era, so the AMR may make a good "Retirement Project"... assuming I ever do retire!
DeleteGreat Italian Wars look to be on the schedule for Historicon 2022.
FK&P works really well for the ECW, I think. It has certainly caused me to use my ECW figures, among the oldest and least used in my collection, and then expand them significantly. So there's a case where a set of rules was an inspiration!
Yes! Time to start an AWI project! You’re not planning retire? You need more time to play with your toys.
DeleteAre you planning both Great Italian Wars AND WOTR at Historicon this year? If so, you are going to be busy!
Interesting stuff as always Jon, but for some reason when I click on the images to get a closer view of the data, it takes me back to my Blogger homepage! No idea why when this has never happened before.
ReplyDeleteLooking at my notes I put down historical articles, friends and Blogs as my sources of inspiration. Many of the latter can be classed as friends in the sense that I've communicated with them off line (yourself included of course) as IMHO we tend to share the same sort of interests, games, rules etc.
Generally an article will tend to point me towards a new area, conflict, period etc, whilst friends & Blogs will do the same, but also suggest new rules for said periods/conflicts. Personally it was quite hard to separate one from the others these days.
Occasionally a range of figures may pique my interest in a period, such as happened with the League of Augsburg range from Pendraken. They were intended for some generic pike 7 shotte games, then moved towards the Glorious Revolution, Monmouth's Rebellion and the Wars in Ireland.
Thanks, Steve! A special thanks for bringing the image anomaly to my attention. I am very glad you did! I am not sure what caused the issue either, but it has been corrected. Maybe since I moved these graphs to another folder on my PC after I imported them into blogger?
DeleteI agree with your assessment completely. The lines between the different inspiration sources do tend to blur, don't they?
As for bloggers, I classify all of the repeat visitors (your good self included!) as friends. Many are valued close friends even though we have never met F2F. As you say, we share many of the same interests, games, and rules.
I don’t recall what my responses to that question was because I am guilty of all of those potential causes: my Vikings and Saxons from watching the TV series Vikings, the Carlist War collection after reading an article Wargames Illustrated, the Paraguayan War and French in Egypt collections after drooling over examples on the Perrys’ website and Facebook pages, the French AWI because no one else in the group has them, and always because I enjoy the company of my gaming friends.
ReplyDeleteBut one cause is missing - travel. On numerous occasions I have been inspired by places I have travelled to. My first example is a trip to Switzerland in 1986 when I liked the terrain and buildings so much (and I like making buildings as you may have gathered from my blog) that I sought out wars to fight in the Alps, although this project never got off the ground. Another example is when on safari in East Africa I thought of the First World War in that part of the world and led to me building forces for it.
Thanks for the informative response, Mark!
DeleteTravel is important and inspirational for me too. While you may use travel as a spark for a new project, my travel has primarily been used to reinforce interest and gain more inspiration for existing projects.
Is it a sign of the times that "a book" was not included as an option?
ReplyDeleteMany of those things have played a part for me at some point in time but when I look at what has persisted, books (inc classics illustrated when I was a kid though usually I later read the books that they were drawn from) and the toy soldiers that I had as a kid seem to have had the largest and longest influence.
Hi Ross!
DeleteYou and I are from another generation...
Books were listed in the second question on media. For this question, I suppose, "article" would be as close as you get to book.
A really interesting article Jonathan. Thank you for the time that you have put into the analysis.
ReplyDeleteFor me a lot of my wargaming inspiration comes from discussion with my wargaming friends (Rejects in this case). Though I have to say that looking at blogs tends to create a sense of intrigue. But what usually happens for me is that I develop an interest then start rooting around to find inspiration on that topic. So, whilst blogs and articles etc. can inspire, it is often that the germ of interest has already been sparked.
Most of my wargaming interests have really been formed by what I have taught (I am a history and politics teacher by profession) or studied.
I do not regularly subscribe to a magazine so seldom find unexpected inspiration from them via articles, reviews etc. If you speak to my fellow Rejects, they will tell you that it is notoriously hard to get me to start a new wargaming project. It takes both a lot of research and time before I dive into another wargaming period. I have a golden rule - get excited about a period/war, do the research, make the lists and wait. If the enthusiasm wanes after a month or so then it is project that will never go anywhere.
Glad you enjoyed the analysis, Richard!
DeleteGreat to see sources of inspiration for your wargaming projects. From your account, you are methodical, measured, and focused on your approach to the hobby especially when striking out on a new period. While I do my research before embarking upon a new project, I do not have your discipline and restraint.
Good stuff!
I have definitely drawn inspiration from seeing others doing something, one of the strengths I believe of the wargame show/ con.
ReplyDeleteBlogs can cause a similar 'spark'. I would also rate rule books as being a sole generator in creating the right gateway into wanting to move a project on and get things painted.
The age group thing, with a tipping point at 50 years is both interesting and perhaps unsurprising, though I might have expected that line to be drawn a bit earlier, say at the 40 years cross-over.
In many regards, I believe that much of my likes and dislikes that set the groundwork to allow the spark of inspiration to ignite, were actually formed in my teenage years of wargaming, I doubt my tastes and therefore buttons to be pressed, have varied much since then ..... I must get out more!
Norm, with your attendance at Hammerhead this weekend, you likely drew some inspiration from the show.
DeleteOn the topic of fostering wargaming early on, do you believe a person is born a wargamer or transformed into one? Since I have ALWAYS had an interest in toy soldiers, military history, and gaming, for me, I lean toward the former.
That makes sense to me - advertisements are more for choosing products AFTER one's been inspired, rather than being an inspiration themselves. I mean, I don't see an ad, and think "I should buy these without any specific purpose", but having decided to do a project, I will remember the pretties I saw in an ad from 6 months ago.
ReplyDeleteWe are in the same camp, Markus! Perhaps if I bought magazines, I would be more drawn to advertisements for inspiration?
DeleteI remember answering this question on the survey, and like Ross, was looking for "Books" as an option. Books are a primary inspiration for 100% of the subjects that I game, and without them, I'm pretty sure that I would not game over half of the subjects.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your feedback!
DeleteAs mentioned to Ross, in my reply above, the second 'inspiration' question in the survey asked about media. 'Books' are listed as a choice in that one.
Books are a great inspiration for me too. You should see my library!
From the list I think I put down friends and battle reports/articles, basically I find inspiration in what others are doing from the various media options in addition to my own studies of history, but that wasn't listed.
ReplyDeleteChristopher
Thanks, Christopher. How would you classify you own, independent research work?
DeleteBooks basically.
DeleteChristopher
Without getting too deep into the statistical analysis, I'd say my inspiration for the hobby is a combination of nice figures (fancy uniforms and armor being a plus) and the end goal of using those figures in a game for a few friends - with rules that I like (read: understand). This answer probably didn't address your specific question, but that's it in a nutshell for me :)
ReplyDeleteDean, this is a perfect response! Thank you!
DeleteIt’s always fun to read these breakdowns of the survey data and peoples responses. For me; a good rule review will get me excited for a new project besides the historical setting. 😀
ReplyDeleteReading responses is my favorite part of these exercises too. A good rule review does it for you, Stew? Are there any rules or reviews that have triggered a new project for me? I must think about that.
DeleteI think my responses broadly followed your summary, I wouldn't have WW2 Soviets and Germans except my nephews we're hell bent on bolt action, we all had a chat and decided on the English civil war and later Napoleonics, and also the war of the Roses, the great Italian wars is just me and they are doing the ACW which doesn't really interest me,fun analysis as always!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Thanks, Iain! Looks like you are influenced by friends and family quite a lot!
DeleteThat's a great summary Jon. For me, it started as being inspired from history that seemed either forgotten, or less well known, though I'm heavily influenced by other blogs these days, especially if they go a bit retro and develop fun rules.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Darren! What type of retro blogging topics catch your attention?
DeleteI have probably followed the age groupings nicely. Initially, it would be things like films or Commando books. As I grew up and joined a club, it would be gaming chums and the articles in wargaming mags (when they were inspiring). Now I’m old and hate people and remember when all this were fields, it’s books and blogs. I’ve never been tempted by adverts.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughts, Jeffers! Perhaps there is a lifecycle in inspiration although hardcopy media may be out for the younger generations.
Delete