Teach Your Kids to Game Week

So this weekend that epic cold front that is pushing across the United States skirted us here in Colorado.  I was pretty much snowed in for much of the weekend, so I spent some time getting caught up on much needed Magic: the Gathering card organization.  For those of you who don't know I currently live with a pair of good friends and their young sons to help them out as their father has been unemployed for awhile now.  While I had several piles of cards all over the coffee table, their oldest son and his two friends from down the street who were spending the weekend via sleepover expressed interest in the game.  Fortunately I had a few sample decks that a friend had given me specifically for the reason to teach people how to play.  With the weather outside being so frightful I pulled them all out, let each one pick a color, and dove into the basics of the game.

They all definitely had a great time, and have mentioned they all want to get into the game so I'll probably bring them down to Shieldbreakers with their parents in the next few weeks, but it got me thinking.  Being such an avid casual gamer and not personally being a fan of the tournament scene, I wondered how we continue to get people into the hobby.  I looked at what ages our favorite tabletop systems are recommended for, how and when people were introduced to various systems or how they have or plan to do so with their own little ones.  I reflected on what brought me to the industry, how each game progressed to giving the next a try, and pondered when is a good time to introduce people to various games.  After all, the boys this weekend were between 8 to 12, and while I know officially Magic is supposed to be for ages 13 and up, I also know for a fact I was only 12 myself when I started to play.

For me it all started at the end of sixth grade.  I received my first 60 card starter deck at the end of the year when I "graduated" to middle school.  I acquired the cards from a friend at school, but aside from admiring the art work it pretty much sat on my shelf for most of the rest of the year.  That is, until that fall when I began social studies with our teacher Sacha Gerrish.  Every Thursday afternoon he would run a game club for students to help keep such young impressionable minds away from those things that can start to creep into our lives at that tender age.  Foremost were Warhammer as well as, low and behold, Magic.  I discovered several other classmates of mine met up there every week and begged my mother to let me join them.  I quickly was snatching a booster pack every week with my allowance and played every lunch with my friends at our own little table in the cafeteria.  This was also when I started playing Warhammer 40,000 myself, enjoying the hobby aspect of building up my Dark Angels.

By the time I was in high school my tabletop gaming had dwindled as I became fascinated with music, cars and women.  However, I was soon drawn in to tabletop games again when I joined the United States Army and spent my first year stationed in Seoul, South Korea.  Others in the barracks began teaching me roleplaying games, mainly through West End Games Star Wars as well as Wizards of the Coast Dungeons & Dragons.  I began to play my first video games like Neverwinter Nights and Diablo II.  Then, late one weekend while drinking in the barracks, my battle buddy pulled out his Magic collection.  Immediately I called home to ask my mother to find and mail my old cards, which by the end of the tour my battle kindly donated his entire collection to.  By the time I was stateside at my next duty station in Fort Lewis, Washington, I was again hooked.  Being in the Pugent Sound didn't help either, as I spent nearly all my free time at Wizards of the Coast or Games Workshop stores.  And so I have stayed active in all things tabletop gaming ever since.

Where does that bring me today?  Well, for starters, I already spend a lot of time in Colorado trying to introduce people to tabletop games they may not be familiar with.  I run the weekly Pathfinder Society scenarios every Thursday at Shieldbreakers, as well as their weekly boardgame days on Sundays.  I even own a company that specifically builds affordable custom gaming and hobby furniture as you all know.  The thing is, most of this time I've been either introducing adults to these games, or broadening their awareness of other systems.  Until this weekend, I had never had the privilege of introducing youngsters to the hobby.  Truth be told, I found it to be a very rewarding change.  I now look forward to other opportunities to bring middle and high school teenagers into the hobby.  One of the reasons I've personally avoided most tournaments is that I see a lot of "win at all cost" individuals which, frankly, turn off a lot of people my own age from wanting to play new systems.  Young adults on the other hand appear to still have that innocence of just wanting to learn the game without having to bash everyone's teeth in.  This is refreshing, and something I believe I am going to continue to pursue into the next year.

In essence, it's almost like a new year's resolution.  To openly and proudly share my favorite tabletop hobbies with all ages.  I both encourage and challenge each of you to do the same.  Let's make the first full week of each year "Teach Your Kids to Game Week" then lets spread the word on what we've introduced the next generation of gamer to.  Either comment below or message us at WeekendWarriors@KreatorHobbies.com with how you introduced the hobby with someone you loved.  Furthermore, Happy New Year to you and may you have a fun filled year of gaming yourselves!

-Weekend Warrior CJ