Warhammer on the BBC

[Rik Lightstar]

Hey folks,

 

Following on from Henry Cavill talking briefly about Warhammer on the Graham Norton show at the weekend there's an article on the BBC news pages about Warhammer and Wargaming in general and the way it's becoming more mainstream and more socially accepted.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-59563630

 

Rik

[Ruskinses]

I think as people have grown up there is a better general acceptance for the nerdy pursuits.

 

I used to play a lot of PC games when I was young and that was seen as a pretty odd by most "normal" people but now every kid in the world plays Fortnite and you can earn a living streaming stuff on the internet. Same for warhammer, it was for "losers" when I was young but now all those "losers" have grown up and have money and recognise the mental health benefits of the hobby and the community. 

[Halandaar]

I think as people have grown up there is a better general acceptance for the nerdy pursuits.

 

I used to play a lot of PC games when I was young and that was seen as a pretty odd by most "normal" people but now every kid in the world plays Fortnite and you can earn a living streaming stuff on the internet. Same for warhammer, it was for "losers" when I was young but now all those "losers" have grown up and have money and recognise the mental health benefits of the hobby and the community. 

 

Agreed to some extent; while the people I know who were nerdy kids (myself included) progressed to be nerdy adults, the same people who used to sneer at us back then still do 20 years later, with few exceptions.

[Rik Lightstar]

I think as people have grown up there is a better general acceptance for the nerdy pursuits.

 

I used to play a lot of PC games when I was young and that was seen as a pretty odd by most "normal" people but now every kid in the world plays Fortnite and you can earn a living streaming stuff on the internet. Same for warhammer, it was for "losers" when I was young but now all those "losers" have grown up and have money and recognise the mental health benefits of the hobby and the community. 

 

Totally agree, it certainly does no harm to the perception of the hobby and hobbyists to have a successful Hollywood actor saying it's acceptable.

 

Now GW just need to arrange for Superman to teach Spider-Man how to play 40k at Warhammer World.

 

Rik

[Lord Marshal]

If you're rich, handsome and famous then your 'geeky hobbies' are obviously going to get perceived a lot differently to a stereotypical neckbeard 'playing with toys'.

[Ruskinses]

 

 

I think as people have grown up there is a better general acceptance for the nerdy pursuits.

 

I used to play a lot of PC games when I was young and that was seen as a pretty odd by most "normal" people but now every kid in the world plays Fortnite and you can earn a living streaming stuff on the internet. Same for warhammer, it was for "losers" when I was young but now all those "losers" have grown up and have money and recognise the mental health benefits of the hobby and the community.

Agreed to some extent; while the people I know who were nerdy kids (myself included) progressed to be nerdy adults, the same people who used to sneer at us back then still do 20 years later, with few exceptions.

Probably true but Ive not had to spend time with those people for 20 years, so :cuss them :)

Edited December 8, 2021 by Iron Father Ferrum

[Verevolf]

Why don't people say the same about Chess... its effectively toy soldiers.

[Dark Shepherd]

Theres also been big boosts to hobbydom/nerddom from the perception of who is into it changing, Marvel and Star Wars being so huge now, shows like Stranger Things pushing D & D

 

Theres a lot of mainstream related things now

 

Someone needs to hurry the hel up and make a Necromunda or Varagantua tv show with Cavil as a corrupt Arbites commander or governor or probator

[Rik Lightstar]

If you're rich, handsome and famous then your 'geeky hobbies' are obviously going to get perceived a lot differently to a stereotypical neckbeard 'playing with toys'.

 

 

Awwwwww man, if only I was famous 

 

Rik

[WarriorFish]

I think 40k is more prevalent than many may realise especially in the UK as it's long been pretty common have some exposure to it at school. This doesn't mean everyone plays, or continues to, but they won't forget it exists I've found fellow hobbyists at several jobs that I wouldn't have known about had it not been directly brought up (like that time I used a datasheet from FW as a test document ).

[Charlo]

If you're rich, handsome and famous then your 'geeky hobbies' are obviously going to get perceived a lot differently to a stereotypical neckbeard 'playing with toys'.

 

Except, they didn't.

 

And that's the point of the article.

 

Graham was still taking jabs at Henry playing with his toys, he just has the Charisma to stand up to that sort of thing and jokingly put people in their place.

[Dark Shepherd]

I think 40k is more prevalent than many may realise especially in the UK as it's long been pretty common have some exposure to it at school. This doesn't mean everyone plays, or continues to, but they won't forget it exists I've found fellow hobbyists at several jobs that I wouldn't have known about had it not been directly brought up (like that time I used a datasheet from FW as a test document ).

Also the videogames have been huge.

And a highstreet presence

[LemanPuss]

Unpopular view, but I love that my hobby is very niche, and hope it remains so.

[N1SB]

Brothers, I need to jump in.  1st things 1st, here's the actual conversation:

 

 

I wanted to say 3 things:

 

• Neither you nor The Hobby was as unpopular as you thought you were in school
• This article followed a standard human interest story format, wasn't denigrating anything
• Graham Norton sets himself up as the pantomime villain, to make his guests the heroes

 

+++ Neither you nor The Hobby was as unpopular as you thought +++

 

 

I went to a boarding school south of the Thames.  We had a homeroom thing for the 1st 15 minutes everyday, different grades all mixed-up.  Not much to do, so I was reading White Dwarf and an older Boy was all "Nnngh, White Dwarf, Warhammer, nerd."  Whatever I was reading, I was really into it, so I actually replied I was looking at a new 40k unit or whatever it was.  I finished the article, put down the White Dwarf, and there was like a 1-second beat before the same dude asked, "Could I borrow your White Dwarf a second?"  I handed it to him and he started diving in, and it was clear that HE played Warhammer at some point, that's how he knew what I was reading in the 1st place...but he was an older Boy and it was customary to take a mickey, lest his senior status be questioned.

 

Everyone thought they were unpopular, or picked on, or bullied, or excluded from the Cool Kids Table when they were in school.  Even the Cool Kids thought they were excluded from the Cool Kids Table, because they thought someone else's table was the Cool Kids Table.  It was the inherently dysfunctional social setting that is school.

 

If someone gave you a hard time about Warhammer when you were in school (or are in school now), it wasn't about you nor was it about Warhammer.  It was simply what teenagers do.  If they didn't give you a hard time about Warhammer, they'd have given you a hard time about something else different about you, and if there was nothing different about you, they'd've given you a hard time for being too samey.  No one meant anything by it.

 

 

+++ This article followed a standard human interest story format +++

 

 

I once shared the key point from what I learned in media training for when I have to go on camera, and it's that journalists...whatever you may think of them...do what they do because they have to turn in A Story.  If they don't find A Story, they'll make up A Story.

 

The authour of this article had to turn in a human interest story.  To set up said interest in the humans in the story, they have to make them seem like a rare breed and that their revelation to the world at large is like some major anthropological breakthrough.  It's like, "Here we observe a Warhammer Hobbyist...scientifically known as homo grimdarkus...in his natural habit of a mancave.  He has adapted to use tools, with which he paints.  Unlike other types of homos, who do wall paintings, he paints miniatures.  Remaaarkable."

 

Also, the article was very positive about The Hobby!  And did you see the miniatures?

 

That girl's Stormcast HQ unit, she heavily modified its base to have this cloud effect with that rose tint...seriously, look at how she uses pink, THIS is why we need more girls in The Hobby, they work with a totally different palette.  Did you notice she dyed her hair pink and her fingernails are a pastel baby blue?  I wonder if she plays Tzeentch.  And that dude's Rohan army looks amazing, I feel really bad about my spedpaint Dead Men of Dunharrow now.

 

 

+++ Graham Norton sets himself up as the pantomime villain +++

 

 

Graham Norton collects Barbie Dolls.

 

That's not a joke or insult, it's one of the things he was famous for.  His tone about our Henry collecting Warhammer armies isn't even the pot calling the kettle black.  It is one of the tricks in his interview style, to ask the most cynical questions in the most obnoxious way, to make people sympathetic towards his guests.  Easier to show than tell, and Hobby-related:

 

 

Elijah Wood a.k.a. Frodo Baggins, Frodo of the 9 Fingers, Ringbearer is talking about Hobbiton.  He's sharing the couch with Robin Williams (reminder: he's One Of Us too, he had a few Eldar titans) who's clearly interested and Jennifer Saunders in the middle clearly moves from a neutral stance to Elijah's side when Graham gets on his case.  She's reacting exactly how the viewer is supposed to react, you clearly take the guest's side because you can't take Graham's side.  Graham sets himself up as a heel, so his guests are the faces.

 

Also, Tom Holland probably will become a Warhammer player now.  So there's that.

 

 

+++++

 

 

I interject with all this because I think you guys are being harder on yourselves than other kids back in school, this BBC article or Graham Norton is.  But what Henry Caville should have said was, "Hey Graham, didn't you use to collect Barbie dolls?  At least I can play strategy games with mine."

Edited December 8, 2021 by N1SB

[WarriorFish]

More to the point, who really cares what some overpaid BBC numpty thinks?

 

This is a popcorn piece, no need to over analyse it - certainly not enough that you need to rush to get your oar in quick now.

[Raktra]

The fact that people are making such an embarrassing, dramatic fuss over a talkshow host whose entire schtick is ribbing everyone who comes on his show, is more of a damning indictment of the people who get involved in this hobby than the bullying we got when we were kids.

[phandaal]

 

I think as people have grown up there is a better general acceptance for the nerdy pursuits.

 

I used to play a lot of PC games when I was young and that was seen as a pretty odd by most "normal" people but now every kid in the world plays Fortnite and you can earn a living streaming stuff on the internet. Same for warhammer, it was for "losers" when I was young but now all those "losers" have grown up and have money and recognise the mental health benefits of the hobby and the community. 

 

Agreed to some extent; while the people I know who were nerdy kids (myself included) progressed to be nerdy adults, the same people who used to sneer at us back then still do 20 years later, with few exceptions.

 

 

Pretty much. You just get old enough and/or confident enough to stop being embarrassed.

 

Niche hobbies becoming mainstream is not always a good thing. It is better when they are "nerdy" enough that someone like Graham Norton can use them for his schtick. Otherwise you end up with the mainstream bullying the nerds out of their own hobby once it becomes "cool."

 

So yeah, let Graham have his fun. Henry has no trouble taking a ribbing.

[Dark Shepherd]

Unpopular view, but I love that my hobby is very niche, and hope it remains so.

Play Dreadfleet or go home :)

 

In general/back to the O.P its good that Warhammer has been trending, gone viral, etc this week whether Mr Norton annoyed you or not

[Doghouse]

I've been through all the stages within this hobby having started way back when hardly anyone had heard of it and it's been fantastic to go through all the highs and lows as it evolved and grew

 

Initially back in the mid eighties as a kid I found no one really knew anything about it and getting people into it was difficult. Wargaming was very much the domain of the older historical games and D&D was what everyone thought it was which was back before mainstream acceptance of such cultures. Getting people to play was a struggle outside of immediate family and friends and it was very much a social stigma. With the advent of the Internet that has changed so much. 

 

Over the years with the rise of hobby cultures/interests in general I personally feel it is far more accepted than it has ever been. I personally think that while not 100% the norm just yet I find myself more open in explaining what I have done and achieved since I started and the pros and cons of the hobby.

 

I do feel that people like Henry are a great spokespeople for what we do in our spare time, although he is far from the first celebrity to talk about his passion for it I think he does the job extremely well and is a good role model.   

[Jacques Corbin]

Also, for WWE fans, Shayna Baisler is one of us, and she recently took Cesaero to Warhammer World, and now he is deciding on a faction to play. He is like a real life Imperial Fist.

 

I would love a game versus Henry Cavill. I would love to get his opinion on a lot of things about the hobby. Is there any intel on what faction Henry Cavill plays?

 

In my head, during the filming of the Justice League movies, Henry Cavill tells Jason Momoa about Carcharodons lore, and the gets Jason Momoa into the hobby as well. I could easily imagine Jason Momoa as Tyberos.

 

Also, the Crimson Fists need some love too. I really want to see Danny Trejo voice Pedro Kantor!

[N1SB]

I would love a game versus Henry Cavill. I would love to get his opinion on a lot of things about the hobby. Is there any intel on what faction Henry Cavill plays?

 

 

Custodes for sure, don't know if he plays others.  He was painting up some Custodes and posted on his social media awhile back.

Edited December 8, 2021 by N1SB

[Rik Lightstar]

Whatever the outcome for the nefarious overlords you seem to believe are manipulating the media for their own personal gains.

 

That doesn't change that the fact participation in Wargaming as a hobby grew hugely after the release of The Lord of the Rings movies and the licensed GW game, it has subsequently grown again over the last few years.

 

The massive success of screen offerings like Game of Thrones, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Witcher, Stranger Things and others have opened up acceptance of Sci-fi and Fantasy settings with people who previously weren't interested.

 

I don't think anyone was proclaiming we'd reached a "State of Nerdvana" or that now is the "Age of the Geek".

 

For me it's just nice to see a community that I've been a part of for more than 30 years growing.

 

Rik

[phandaal]

I don't think anyone was proclaiming we'd reached a "State of Nerdvana" or that now is the "Age of the Geek".

 

 

In my head it is always Nerdvana. Does that count?

[MegaVolt87]

For me growing up, in school the nerds were into PC's and MTG so they didn't really have money left for warhammer. I never had the money for PC's or the patience for card collecting MTG so I was the only one in my entire grade into warhammer right through highschool. And yeah, I got a hard time but not too much because I was one of the biggest dudes in my grade and even bigger than some of the seniors. Things have definitely changed- MTG is still going along, Pokemon TCG went more mainstream as a CCG, many people are into PC's and videogames/ consoles, comics are mainstream, adult colouring books etc. 

 

Oh and Cavil plays Custodes and Irom Warriors, absolute legend. 

[Dark Shepherd]

Isnt there a big Lord of The Rings TV show coming out soon (on Amazon)?

Thats another big boost for GW/hobbying especially if they tie into it or try to caoitalise on it.

 

The Battle of Hallins Hall sic sold out in jigtime recently