Article:
Any CCG/CMG/TCG – Come Out & Stop Whining!

Today’s article is something of a pet peeve, a rant, if you will, about the people who always complain about tournament attendance for their favorite game – whether it be computer games, card games, board games, miniature games, or whatever.

Before I go into it, let me explain that I’m a game store owner and tournament organizer/judge, and so I’ve had six years of hearing this type of complaint. I always try to explain it gently, but today, I’ve decided to say it a little more bluntly in this article.

Now, on to the complain I hear the most often for not attending a tournament in your local area:

There’s not enough people to play against.
– OR –
The game is dead – not enough people play it.

Now, I have no problem with this type of complaint if you show up week after week and continue trying to support the game by lending people decks, teaching new players how to play, and so on. The problem I have is the scenario I was handed with today.

Four people were in the store, playing a card game that was supposedly “dead” to them due to the lack of attendance at tournaments. They left 30 minutes before the time of the tournament as they felt no-one else would show. Then, 15 minutes later (literally!), 4 more people showed up. The new four people lamented that there weren’t too many, but paid their entry fees and sat down to play.

Do you see the problem here? If you’re going to complain that a game is dying or that there is no-one playing it, that’s fine – as long as you’re still supporting it. In my mind, as soon as you stop supporting a game, you have no right to complain – you’ve contributed to its death by not continuing to play.

In essence, the old saying comes to mind – “Shut up, or put up.”

Definition of this idiom is here: http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/put+up+or+shut+up

Essentially – stop complaining about things that you can do something about. The game is dying? No-one is playing? You can easily change that. YOU can play. YOU can invigorate the game by encouraging others to play. If you don’t, you are simply complaining while already having given up on the game.

But if you love the game, and you want to play it, and the only thing stopping you is attendance numbers? You represent +1, and the friends you bring represent at least another +1 or +2, or even more!

So come on. Come out. Play. The game is waiting for you.