It is late spring/ early summer. That means it is time for everybody to lose their minds again as Games Workshop raises prices.
Now there are two things about this hobby that spin me. The first is codex creep, codex unbalance, codex over power, or codex rumors destroying the gaming universe. The second is the insanity that is caused when Games Workshop raises prices. I’ll only be talking of the second point and save the first point for another time.
Now I’m not a G.W. apologist, but I am a realist. This is a business first and a hobby/ game second. If they want to raise prices as a means to an end then they will. We can do nothing to stop them. All the angry internet vitriol and polite letters to customer service will change nothing. G.W. has investors that want a return, employees and bills to pay. So, if they have to raise prices to get this done they will. What can we do about it? Well we can do a few things, but are any of them useful?
Now we can all nerd rage about it, quit the hobby, find another “cheaper” game, just accept it or adapt. Now nerd raging about price increases does not really help the situation. It does, for the short term, make that person feel better. It also helps that this is the common option among the gaming community. We can get validation if many people get mad and rant about the problem.
The second option is the easiest, just quit. If the hobby is too expensive, stop playing it. There is nobody forcing us to buy, build, paint and play with little toy soldiers. We can stop at anytime. There is nothing G.W. makes that causes a physical addiction. So therefore we can put our toys and paints away and suffer no physical damage.
Third, is to find or move to a “cheaper” game. Well, there are not a lot. Sure there are a lot of tabletop miniature games. However, they all cost something and if they get popular by us all switching to these other game systems, you can bet their prices will go up as well. There is also the chance that the new game you like fails and you now have models and books for a defunct game nobody plays. That can easily lead us to the first point again, rage.
Fourth is to put our heads in the sand and just face the fact that prices will always go up. We can just go all ostrich. This is the easiest solution; however, it is also the defeatist option. We all just give up. Companies raise prices and we just soldier on with the game.
Last we adapt. We become the ant and not the grasshopper (fable reference look it up). We all know G.W. will raise prices. They do it, as do all businesses. So we change our habits. We budget our money better. We don’t buy all the cool new stuff for our army. We only buy what we need. We set aside some cash to get a unit a month. We realize we don’t have to buy the whole force at one time. We can also look for deals outside of Games Workshop. There are other outlets and sources where we can buy our models. We change our habits to make the game affordable for us. Then when price increases come it isn’t so awful.
It really just boils down to where you fit in the scheme of things. Are you a rager, quitter, traveler, ostrich or an ant? This is a hobby. A hobby does require an investment of time and almost always money. If the cost is too great, find a productive way to deal with it. If you dislike the product and where it is going then do what you must. Leaving, ranting and letters will not change the fact that this business will charge what it wants for its product. That is a fact we all have to face. How we deal with that fact is what is really important. Myself, I’ll continue to be the ant when it comes to Games Workshop. I’ll buy what I need when I need it and usually not from them. 
Hmm.. well if people did not tell GW that they are doing things wrong how would they know people aren't satisfied. This is where I must disagree with you, as most people don't rant, more like ask for GW to stop upping the prices etc.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand what you're trying to get across, cos sitting there doing nothing won't help, and people don't "just quit" because they like THE GAME and hope that something they do might just bring GW to their senses
I'm just stating the different ways people react, and the results of these actions over the years.
ReplyDeleteI'm not telling anyone what to do. i'm not condoing any one action.
This is just an opionion piece on the G.W. yearly
price raise and to bring to light the reactions of the gaming community that appear every year on the issue.
Not much of an editorial. More of an observational.
ReplyDeleteThat being said GW runs on an outmoded business principle of brick and mortar and brand control. This worked perfectly through the '80s and 90's but with wide use of the internet things are changing.
Much like other industries (music, film) they refuse to update their model to adapt to world economy changes and simply hold to their old principles.
"We need to make more money so we will charge more." I believe they raise their prices twice a year. I cannot think of other industries that do this and I can guarantee inflation is much less then their increase.
Now they change to limit Northern Hemisphere vendors from selling to Southern Hemisphere vendors. Why? To try and vainly support a brick and mortar model that is well outmoded and basically charge more then clients pay in the Northern Hemisphere. How long before these draconian practices affect their bottom line?
GW Stores are not successful gaming entities. Most truly profitable gaming stores more then likely make their money off of products with a Higher Profit margin (I.E. Card Games, board games, RPGS).
I would say that when GW Stops EU from selling to US I would officially be out of the game. Maybe I will sell all my armies to Australians. As least I would not screw them as bad as GW has.
Yeah the key here is that i think allot of people need to take a close look at the impact this is having on Australians and other pacific rim countries.
ReplyDeleteWe will pay a fair and equitable price for a product but when it is brought to our attention that we are being charged as much as 1.6 times the cost. It has nothing to do with a price rise, it has to do with unbalanced pricing in a global economy.
This may not effect the northern hemisphere but down here, consumer frustration has boiled over.
I have to ask would you be happy with the knowledge that you have to pay 1.6 the cost for the same product and that same company takes specific steps to prevent you from accessing the product cheaper?
GW have done great things for the hobby, and have made great advancements in model design and production.
It dosn't excuse them from being criticized for making bad policy, and like any body or group they should be told and held to account.
I'm walking my dollars to other companies that produce fantasy models and I know another 500+ who are doing the same.
If people really look at the change to the southern/northen hemisphere vendor/shipping change, then bitching about a $5.00 increase to a unit they want is just silly. A lot of people don't get what is being done to gamers in the far south.
ReplyDeleteThe only problem is that I don't think they care what they are told by people, just like any other big company. If they did pay attention to outrage,letters and calls would they still do this? I'm guessing yes.
It is business and if they can turn a profit by stepping all over people they will. I don't like it,nobody does, but it how it seems to be done.
If the investors are hurt, then there will be changes, but until then G.W. probably won't change their ways.
If i lived far south I would tell them with my wallet as you all should. Hurting sales gets attention, not blogs, forums, letters and phone calls.
Best of luck Mr.Black Bob