War Gaming Worse than Porn? Recation to WI314

The current issue of Wargames Illustrated (WI314) has an article in its "fighting talk column" entitled "Worse Than Porn?" (Sorry the article is not on line)The article starts with the following line "Fess Up! Its Easier to slip Wargames Illustrated between the pages of your porn Mag which for some, would be infinitely less shameful to be caught in possession of."  Really?  If you the author (Barry Hilton) is that ashamed of hobby he not only claims to enjoy but is presumably paid to write about maybe he needs another way to spend his free time, and earn a living.

This isn't the fist time I have run across this attitude, I've never understood it not since I was a teenager playing D&D at an all boy's high school.  War Gaming is done at West Point, Sandhurst, and other military academies not to mention various war colleges and government agencies surely that make it masculine and adult enough for anyone concerned with image.

I display painted miniatures at my desk at work far from making me a social pariah they generally impress my co worker (those who even notice them) and even help make good fist impression on a new boss about year ago.  He latter related to our team at a meeting "when I met and shadowed Adam I saw the toy soldiers at his desk.  I asked if he collect them and he said yes and that he had pained them all himself.  When I saw how small they were and how much attention to detail he had paid in painting them I knew I had the right man for the job.  I knew he would bring the same attention to detail tot he work he did for us."  I would like to think I have held up on that impression too.

I consider myself an average to slightly above average painter and modeler.  I can design a decent scenario for a game and set up a reasonably pleasing table with the terrain I have.  I think of my self as a journeyman rather than a master in this hobby-craft of ours.  Why should I be ashamed, why should those who actually get a pay check out of it be ashamed?  that's a mystery to me on the contrary I feel pride in what I can do.

Sure there is a certain stereotype associated with war gamers but why should that matter in the 21st century and why are we helping perpetuate that stereotype when we ought to be stepping into the light and sharing what we do, not trying to hide it or apologize for it.

So yeah I paint and play with toy soldiers you have a problem with that I think that's your problem not mine. Your a war gamer and your ashamed of it?  maybe you should take up golf or something else you won't feel the need to hide.

War gamer and proud!