First off...no I am not leaving the hobby.
I have been pondering the reason why someone would leave the historical miniature wargaming hobby. I know many people that I game with that really enjoy the hobby and from what I have seen online around the world, lots of people are enjoying the hobby. Some have been in the hobby for quite some time. So when we see someone completely get out of the hobby, it makes me think why would someone drop the hobby?
I do not think there is a single answer, but here are some of my theories
- Bankrupt. Like many gaming hobbies, it costs money. If your personal finances are a shambles, then usually the non-essential things get the ax. Hobbies are in this category. I would hope this would be temporary, but it may not be of interest or financially viable in the future.
- Maybe rather than going bankrupt, they find the hobby is too expensive. This is not a good enough reason as I encounter gamers at conventions that do not own miniatures or do not belong to a club.
- Some unhappy experiences. Usually this will involve gaming with people who you end up not enjoying their company. This would be at a club or convention. Home gaming you just do not invite them again. It could also involve theft of miniatures. I find this a weak argument, because there are all types of gamers out there.
- Switch to a different hobby. This I find plausible. I used to game a bunch of hex games back in the day. I gradually migrated over to miniature gaming. I guess I get more enjoyment out of miniature gaming. So if you have to focus on a single hobby, then maybe historical miniature wargaming is not it.
- Family circumstances. Some sort of family pressure results in leaving the hobby. I'm not sure how this can happen as family should be supportive of your interests. I'm sure someone out there can explain this one for me.
- You die.
- All of the above.
