"Have you ever given up on the hobby?" Topic

Have you ever just given up on the hobby for a while, even going as far as to sell/give most of it away? If so, what were the circumstances? Was it harder coming back to the hobby or did you find you had more focus and a better appreciation for things?

I took a sideways diversion in my teenage years: I went from starting with miniature wargaming but got put off by grumpy adult gamers so I moved into board wargaming and role playing games for a number of years. I now consider RPGs a bit tiresome because it's become a haven for whiny gamers demanding maximum reward for minimum effort.

I was away for ten years. Sold some stuff to friends. Kept the rest.
Why I was out is really nobody's business, but you are free to guess, and will probably get the right answer.

Out for awhile, but I never gave up.

almost a few years ago

Annually.

Stopped to pursue women when I was a teenager, stopped again some years back until I bumped into my wife. Same basic reason both times. Never really gave up, just put it on hold.

No.

Never. Didn't even consider it.

Yes, several times over the decades. Gave up on RPG's and board games in the 80's, again in the 90's, but have been pretty consistent since getting into Battletech in the mid-90's and then Historical minis shortly after.

Never gave it up but there were a few years when about the only participation was via the three HMGS East conventions.

No.

Come close to it once or twice when work-related stress caused me to have a long period of depression.

Part of my therapy was to try to paint figures. I managed quite a few ACW Confederates and a few Union troops. I never used them, and gave most of them away. That actually helped me get through my depression, almost as if I was 'giving away' my illness.

On hold for a time. Friends mostly played RPGs. I've since given up on them…mostly. But miniature gaming has always fascinated me. Likely I will never give up.

I have had times when the hobby dropped to the bottom of my list. In fact the past few years I have had life intrude on the hobby. I have given away stuff or sold it cheap just to clear out the clutter.

Dropped out when I went to college, was in the forces, had my family and lost anywhere to keep the lads. Started again after my second divorce, but my new partner is fascinated by the hobby and wants to learn how to play.

A few times.

No. Some times I've not been as active as others but after 44 years still plodding on.

Dormant but never dead.

Even managed to get some painting done while at university and working away from home on a sabbatical year. Helped start the first Wargaming club on campus and helped run a small convention in 1970 or 71.

Always plenty of reading though, never got too far away from the roots of my interests.

Gave up for eight years. Two reasons: I became very uncomfortable with the notion of making a game about the death of others and I had a career to pursue. I really need to take a break from it again to realign career but the painting part remains a good stress buster.

No, not really …

Phil

Put it down for periods but have always gone back to it. I just started painting and hadn't for a little over a year. Did work on other things But have been doing this since 1980.

Not really. I once was part of a group of completely toxic Napoleonic gamers once which caused me to give up on Nappies and give away my 1,000 Scruby minis, but I never gave up on the rest of it though. I still won't play Napoleonics to this day but I never really gave up the hobby.

If I gave it up I would have nothing worthwhile to spend my money on.

Not so far.

But the fat lady – gamer? – ain't sung yet…

John T

No, at least not gaming in the widest sense. Sometimes figure games have been on the backburner relative to board games or computer games though.

Never given up on the hobby, given up on a few of the guys I gamed with though. Not that they did anything wrong, it is just that life gets in the way, they stop showing interest, so I stopped asking them to games.
Still friends, we just don't game anymore.

Not the hobby, but definitely toxic acquaintances that did nothing but spout hatred and bigotry! I guess every hobby has the type and one person in particular is in various hobbies!

yes

No, but I've taken some fairly long breaks.

Never.

Yes – right at present.

In my teens I gave up building plastic models for display in favor of looking cool to impress girls. But I never stopped studying history. I didn't discover real wargaming until my 20s, and since then there's been no turning back, or even looking back.

Nope. Short breaks but never gave it up.

I'm about to give it up

Yes, for about 15 years. I simply got tired of playing rule sets that were complex dice-fests and could never be played to completion.

No but I wasn't very active during my mid twenties. Much more active now.

I had a heart attack in 2000 and lost interest in gaming for about a year. It came back, though.

LT

Never

My interest in the hobby has waxed and waned over the years. In my teens I gave it up for doing other more typical teenage things but after I got married and my kids were past toddler age I took it up again to distract myself from daily responsibilities. In more recent years I've had even more kids and a burgeoning career, leisure time is hard to come by and I often have to make hard choices about what to do with it. Several times I've taken a couple of years off of the hobby. But through all that the only time I truly gave up on it, i.e. put most of my stuff in the dumpster, was when I started grad school and needed to focus on doing lab work. Didn't last very long though. The internet was reaching critical mass at the time (late 90s) and made it much easier to build things back up from scratch. By the mid aughts I had my own personal lead mountain just like everyone else. I haven't touched it for a couple of years (another one of those fallow periods) but I'm starting to make plans again. We'll see if any of my paint bottles hasn't dried out…

I never took a break since I entered into this hobby at age 12. Never had any issues fitting it in around all the other distractions of life…or to be more precise fitting life in around the gaming, and model railways.

Never saw the point of hiding it or trying to appear cool…if anyone had a problem with it it was their problem, not mine…and you know the funny thing…nobody I met ever had a problem with it. leastways, not to my face….

No. I have gone long periods with no time to play, but I've never given up.

Yes currently, uncertain for how long or whether it is for good. Still checking in obviously.

Yep. Especially now.

Same here brass1, same year too. 4 buypasses. But the hobby did not let me down. I was so bad that I could only walk from the table to the window. I never painted so much as then.

Long breaks and currently in one. Haven't painted or gamed since Fall-In.

No. But I've given up on plenty of hobby-ists who whine in the key of B major..

Still gaming though not as often as I used to. Painting now more than ever. Never totally gave it up.

Just curious about DA THB, why are you about to give it up? Could you elaborate?

Pared it back,never completely gave it up,years ago.

I have put it on pause occasionally but never given up on it.