Increase in game admission price.

[Strikerz]

Hey guys! I have noticed recently that the admission price for a game has risen significantly. It used to be around 25 for a weekend but it has increased to around 45-55 dollars for a weekend, with games not allowing camping on fridays requiring people to get up early to get a good spot on the field for sat-sun camping. I guess I am curious as to why this is happening? I mean no disrespect towards the organizers of the games and I understand it is a bad economy but the prices are getting a little out of hand in my opinion.
If the prices of the field have gone up, or there is some reason for this price increase that I am not thinking about by all means let me know. However, considering the prices of ammo, guns, gear, the gas to get to the game, food, and all of the other things associated with going to the games, having to pay, in some cases, 50+ dollars is a huge pain! So AP, is there something we could do as a community to help reduce the game costs?

[Jewish Ninja]

Short answer: don't play at games that charge.

[Nocte]

[Riddick]

this is my take about myself.

Daily field fees. Paid admin. Porta potty fees. Cost for props. Misc costs. Plus i want to make some money for my time and effort. Sometimes my fees changed based on the factors above.

We used to pay $30 for a one day game back in the day

Just keep in mind a majority of the cost goes into field fees.

What is being charged is on par with the market so its not a case of players being overcharged.

[Strikerz]

Daily field fees. Paid admin. Porta potty fees. Cost for props. Misc costs. Plus i want to make some money for my time and effort.

We used to pay $30 for a one day game back in the day.

Keep in mind a majority of the cost goes into field fees.

What is being charged is on par with market so its not a case of players being overcharged

Thanks for the answer. I was just wondering what all the money goes to I guess.

[pulsipher]

If you can't afford it then this is not the hobby for you

[dos_Santos]

You gotta pay to play...sorta. It's nice to see Nocte on here...

[drpepper475]

go to camp R&R if money is an issue. free friday and saturday camping plus 10- 20$ admission. if not then there is always the silverton skirmishes that are free.

[Matt]

Games used to cost more. It seems like prices were actually decreased recently as a knee-jerk reaction to dwindling attendee counts. When less people showed up to games, game promoters assumed they needed to discount games to get more attendees. In reality, with 2 full time arenas and a permanent outdoor field hosting players every weekend, there's just more places to play and the audience is divided. Even with discounted field fees, most games can barely muster 100 players today, while back in the day it was not uncommon to have 300+ players at an event.

If we want promoters to put on high quality games, we need to pay for them. If they continue to charge rock bottom prices with no profit margin, they'll eventually burn out and quit hosting. Then we'll have a perpetual cycle of new game hosts coming into the scene with no prior knowledge of the hobby or experience. There's no room for improvement or advancement. Games will never get better if we don't invest in them.

That said, I've never seen a Splat Action game at $50, I went through all of my old flyers for games I hosted there and the most expensive was $35. We may have had one at $40 at some point, but that's about the top end. Maybe somebody else hosted for $50 there, but I don't think I attended that one.

[Nocte]

If we want promoters to put on high quality games, we need to pay for them. If they continue to charge rock bottom prices with no profit margin, they'll eventually burn out and quit hosting. Then we'll have a perpetual cycle of new game hosts coming into the scene with no prior knowledge of the hobby or experience. There's no room for improvement or advancement. Games will never get better if we don't invest in them.

...not to start a shit-storm (and I'm not pointing fingers here; keep your pants on), but I'd like to point out the inverse to what Matt is saying:

If promoters want to charge money for their games, they need to put effort into them that is apparent to the players. If they continue to charge admission (above the expense of field fees) to cover the cost of the same props/etc that were paid for by the last game(s) they hosted, there isn't a significant value in that game.

If game hosts continually put on games that are needlessly expensive, and players don't feel like they're getting a value, that particular host (be it a person or an organization - again, not pointing fingers, seriously) will see dwindling/flaky attendance, or games filled with younger kids (which tends to repel the more desired players one would expect to host a game for).

In short, no one likes spending ~$35 for an experience they could have had for free at a skirmish.

[Darius137]

I agree with somebody who posted above me.

Game fees should include a profit margin, but players can do free skirmishes to play in the woods with some friends and simple objectives.

Games that I find worth paying for include MILSIM aspects, a field that includes buildings for transitioning to MOUT, or scripted events with actors and admins.

[CADPAT]

Up here in Canada(Alberta) we pay $35 for only four hours of game play like what Riddick puts on, and most one day(8-ish hours) ops cost $50 to $70 plus GST(Tax). The weekend ops get even better, they can cost upwards of $100+GST to $500+GST depending on what props and how many people are at it. So as you can see I am a firm believer that Riddick's games are some of the best(If not the best) for how much you pay.


Edit:Skirmish games are still $20 to $30 in Canada.

[McNair]

If you can't afford it then this is not the hobby for you

As much as I love you, Brandon, this is bullshit.

That's a upsidedown shitty attitude. Basically telling people that if they're poor they shouldn't try to participate in this hobby is upsidedown up. Not all of us grow up with parents who make good money.

[Catch22]

I guess I've missed you at all the free games... If people don't bother coming out for free or cheap games... People quit hosting them as often. Then you're left with $50+ games....

[drpepper475]

man i miss the scapoose skirmishes.