How They See Us.

[YorkNecromancer]

So somewhat bizarrely, I've been browsing Mumsnet, and come across these two threads:

[url]http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/teenagers/a1595971-Tell-me-all-about-Warhammer[/url]
[url]http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/a1349374-to-think-that-8-is-too-young-to-start-playing-Warhammer[/url]

The first one got me thinking: why is there no well-written, easy-to-follow document created by us fans, not for newbies to the game, but for family members like the ones in this thread? The ones who have no interest in the games, don't get them, aren't interested in getting them, but suspect that the games might be good for their children.

Could we not write up a simple, fan-perspective piece that people could then refer family members to? Not just stuff like How To Play, but realistic things - how much will it cost (RRP and eBay price breakdowns)? Will my child be bullied because of it? What skills does it teach, and why those skills? What are tournaments? I hear that the Imperium are space fascists and they fight Satanic demons; is this true, because that's worrying material to give to children? and so on.

All those concerns raised in the threads are pretty valid ones, and they're not ones I've seen GW address on their website, as they only write in their usual excessively hyperbolic way for the pre-existing fans.


Just seems like a good idea if there was some kind of link we could give these people that shows "Hi, we're not mad, and this is a positive hobby." Something friendly and cheerful, with pictures of people being nice and 'normal'.

[Mr Mystery]

I think the best advice there is to send them to their local GW. I know the hatemob might bray and beat their chests at that, but the staffers (used to be one) are really good at explaining what it's all about.

Plus, it enhances reading stamina, patience, mental mathematics, social skills, sportsmanship, all sorts of stuff which is nothing but a positive influence.

I've signed up on Mumsnet now, though both those threads are currently dead, so may not threadomance them. But given the main benefits, I think most parents would be happy for their kids to give it a bash. As much as any hobby, it's as expensive as you let it get.

[daboarder]

And here I thought the whole thing could be summed up as "plastic crack"

[Mr Mystery]

Yeah well that too of course!

It's surprisingly easy to sell it as a family activity. Painting is always therapeutic, and worth anyone's effort!

[Denzark]

Whilst I don't go to other 40K sites (unless for something very specific - I have no profiles), I am a denizen of the Army Rumour Service aka ARRSE. Those chaps loath Mumsnet as a bunch of shrieking harridan harpies. Their site is general scorned, particularly the sexual advice pieces (just google them unless that was what you were on there looking at Yorkie s******).

They are clearly loonies though - 'it is not particularly violent' - apart from the xenocide, chaos orgies and bayonetting whenever you can't get your chain axe in. 'It is good for socially awkward boys' - really, or is that actually where you find them?

Amusingly enough I think 8 is probably too young - if we still had a live heroquest or space crusade maybe not.



As to what they think of it/us, who cares? @*%! 'em in the ear.

[eldargal]

Mumsnet is just disgraceful. Misogynist religious conservatism with a thin veneer of civility.

[Psychosplodge]

I've never heard a good word said about mumsnet.
It apparently makes warseer look civilised...

[Wolfshade]

Ignoring the craziness that is Mumsnet, there is generally a problem with most groups when looked at from the outside.

[YorkNecromancer]

Yeah, Mumsnet isn't really the issue. More people who are never going to play, but support those who might.

I know my mum banned me from loads of stuff she knew nothing about because to her it just seemed wrong. I was banned from reading any kind of sci-fi or fantasy book for a two-year period because they were making me "too weird". All it was was I was scared of everyone and everything, and fiction was an escape, but I lacked the emotional vocabulary to express this to her at the time.

That's my suggestion - providing someone like that, who fears a thing they do not understand - with some context, so they do not percieve it as a threat.

"Normalising" us in other words.

[Nabterayl]

Also, some of those responses are actually quite useful things to remember, I think. Is 40K violent? Well ... yes and no. I think a lot of fans tend to say yes, because the story of the game involves body fluids being flash-boiled, faces being pulped, and guts being skewered, and that's only what a bog standard Guardsman does.

But when you're talking to a concerned parent, in many other ways the answer is no, because none of that stuff is shown. What you actually see are static pieces of plastic and resin being moved around a table or floor. Contrast that with an M-rated videogame and it's totally valid to say that 40K is not "violent" (i.e., does not show violent imagery) at all. In most videogames, you perceive the violence and imagine the context. In 40K, you imagine both the violence and the context. Worth remembering when talking to concerned outsiders.