Okay, with this talk of images I'll add my two coppers to this as well. I
life in the Seattle metro area so am inundated with WotC stores and other
gaming/hobby stores. These places are laid out attractively, well lit,
with wide aisles, nice signage (neon, statues at WotC, high quality art)
and tend to draw in a wide variety of people, from gamers and kids to
parents and grandparents. They've accomplished the Disney Store appeal
without the iron gauntlet tactic for the most part. The key for them is
that they were willing to invest the time and money into making a store
that was comfortable for the shopper as well as the gamer (most of them
have computer terminals for network games and tables for pen/paper RPGs
and card games). Of course WotC has plenty of money to throw around but a
lot of the other gaming/hobby stores in the area are small businesses that
just care about thier public image when it comes to people outside thier
target market. One thing I've noticed that has set these stores apart from
the ones in the discussion is they aren't comics stores. None of these
stores carry comic books outside of ones related to the main products they
sell. The comic stores out here also tend to be the dimly lit, cramped
spaces that I'm familiar with from New Hampshire, Florida, and Kentucky
but they don't have more then a very limited selection of RPGs (usually
smaller then their collection of old tapes/records/cds and their selection
of card games) so never see them as a place to look for RPGs. And I've
seen one comic store that was also a well stocked RPG source in Nashua, NH
that had wide aisles, was brightly lit, and had gaming tables in the back,
a couple out in the main area and a couple smaller rooms for private
gaming sessions that they RENTED out for a nominal fee (I believe it was
like $5/hour at the table, and with a normal gaming group thats only like
$1/hour a person).
Not every place fits this model but there are places that I see gamers
flock to that doesn't fit the stereotype presented in the messages,
especially younger gamers (under 25). We not only have to deal with the
precoceptions non-gamers have about gaming and hobby stores but also the
preconceptions that gamers have about the same places. If the first
exposure a gamer has is to the dingy cramped store then they are more then
likely going to get used to it and be suspicious of any brightly lit,
spacious store as not having a good selection or not being friendly. But
if the first exposure is to a store like WotC runs or another spacious
store that has a good selection of gaming supplies then the dingy store
becomes suspect as being unreliable and probably having jacked up prices
since they obviously don't see as much business. I'll check out any gaming
store no matter how it appears and look at its prices and selection to
decide if its worth shopping there regularly or at all, and overall I've
found the 'Disney Store' model to be the better bet almost every time.
Kele Kravelin
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On Wed, 21 Feb 2001, Margaret C Vining wrote:
> BINGO. Why do you think one of the most successful corporate entities is
> so adamant about attitude and IMAGE? Because if you want to keep your
> customers you have to put them first and exceed your competition in each
> and every way you can.
>
> Yes. They spend a lot of money trying to learn how to attract as many
> people as possible. The fact that their stores are so different from
> comic stores may be a good thing in your eyes, but to me it indicates
> customer service attitudes that the gaming industry might want to look
> into if they want a broader customer base.
>
> I understand that. I do, too. But when you are a young person brought
> up to avoid people who look "rough" you will see their sloppy dress as
> indicative of a lack of self-respect or as a sign that they do not care
> about the norms of society. If you identify yourself as "normal" as in
> "channel 8 news normal" then you (likely) will not like the gamer image
> and you will have to go through some major spiritual growth to see
> through your past perceptions and learn that there is more to a person
> than how they dress.
>
> How do you expect to attract the kind of people who make the kind of cash
> that keeps places like Barnes and Noble and Disney World open if you
> don't alter your marketing tactics? I understand that you enjoy the safe
> haven of individuality that you think gaming stores give you. I also
> understand that you _like_ the demeanor of most gaming stores, but a lot
> of people don't. I feel comfortable in speaking for the people who don't
> because I _used_ to be one of them. That is _all_ I'm trying to
> communicate here.
>
> I want to go places that make me comfortable. I want to plan to spend
> my money in places that I know won't disappoint me. They are out there.
> I am not hard to please. I have never returned food at a restaurant or
> complained to a store manager because something wasn't perfect. I see
> where you are going with this. I never asked for perfection, I simply
> suggested that the image of most comic stores and gamers might be a
> deterrent to most non-gamers.
>
> I applaud your dedication to gamers, but you are preaching to the choir.
> Gamers _are_ my salvation. I just signed on to thousands of dollars in
> legal fees so I could dedicate my life to bringing roleplaying to a wider
> audience. You have misunderstood me. I understand that my words are
> hurtful, but they are _my_ truth. This _could_ be the bridge that
> expands the gaming industry. If we could truly understand how to market
> to a larger portion of the population I think d20 will be just as big as
> Disney. Not the same, but just as big. As a fan of roleplaying, that
> would be a great and wonderful thing in my mind.
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