[kleiba]

So, you're not supposed to buy stuff for your hobby nor build stuff for your hobby? I think it depends on how you define "the hobby" - is it really just the part where you use your equipment? I find that too narrow. A good counter example could perhaps be table top wargaming, e.g. Warhammer and the likes. Surely, people who call that their hobby like to play the (various different) games. But a lot of people love building and painting their miniature armies just as much. And some people hate it. So what's the scoop? If you enjoy the building and painting of new minis more than actually playing the game they're made for, you're doing it wrong?

Look, hobbies are for your enjoyment. If buying gear or trying to build it yourself gives you joy, more power to you.

I for one like to buy power tools just as much as the next guy. And often times it's hard to justify falling for a good sales offer when you don't really have a specific need for that tool at that point in time. But on the flip side, there have been quite a few moments where I was tinkinering about with some home improvement projects and a tool I might have bought a long time ago and never really needed since came in handy just at that very moment. And so I was glad I had it. Especially since I don't live very close to the next DIY store. So, yeah, is that a good justification for spending money on power tools? Probably not - but it's what I like, and so I do it.

The acquisition of gear (be it buying or building) is not a means to an end - it is part of the hobby.

[lmm]

> A good counter example could perhaps be table top wargaming, e.g. Warhammer and the likes. Surely, people who call that their hobby like to play the (various different) games. But a lot of people love building and painting their miniature armies just as much. And some people hate it. So what's the scoop? If you enjoy the building and painting of new minis more than actually playing the game they're made for, you're doing it wrong?

If you enjoy building and painting miniatures then it's not wrong. It's a different hobby from wargaming though.

> Look, hobbies are for your enjoyment. If buying gear or trying to build it yourself gives you joy, more power to you.

Sure. But a lot of people find themselves accumulating a closet full of junk that was supposed to help with a fun part that they never actually get around to. Which is really just another form of consumerism; while I'm open to the idea that some kinds of collecting can be good hobbies, there's definitely a kind of pseudo-hobby of buying things that all too often ends up as an addiction-like behaviour that doesn't actually bring people much joy or satisfaction.

> The acquisition of gear (be it buying or building) is not a means to an end - it is part of the hobby.

If it brings you joy, yes. If it just quiets the cravings for a while, no.

[kleiba]

> If you enjoy building and painting miniatures then it's not wrong. It's a different hobby from wargaming though.

See, and here I disagree, and I think at least a non-trivial number of players would too.

> If it brings you joy, yes. If it just quiets the cravings for a while, no.

Too hard to reliably distinguish between the two.

[samus]

> See, and here I disagree, and I think at least a non-trivial number of players would too.

Good for them! They are not the ones we should be concerned about.

> Too hard to reliably distinguish between the two.

It's probably hard to distinguish from the outside, but it's important to cultivate that skill [edit: to evaluate one's own habits] if living in a consumerist society where most cravings can be satisfied by going to a shopping mall or to an online store.

[gilleain]

> there's definitely a kind of pseudo-hobby of buying things that all too often ends up as an addiction-like behaviour

For Warhammer, specifically, that's maybe why I've heard the term 'plastic crack' ... That is, buying large amounts of miniatures that never get painted.

(Always paint your bases!)

[genericuser256]

Based. Kremlo came from space!

[gilleain]

Praise frog.

[taffronaut]

> So, you're not supposed to buy stuff for your hobby nor build stuff for your hobby?

I'm not sure that anyone is proposing that.

> A good counter example could perhaps be table top wargaming, e.g. Warhammer and the likes. Surely, people who call that their hobby like to play the (various different) games. But a lot of people love building and painting their miniature armies just as much.

That sounds perfectly reasonable if the split between crafting and playing is somewhere near the middle. However, in the case that they hardly ever actually engage in a game, I'd maintain that their hobby is not 'wargaming' and is actually model making.

[xsmasher]

Worse if they keep buying paints and models but never even open them.