I've been war gaming for 2 years now. Though an RPGer for over 30... actually 35 years, I just got into proper war gaming in 2013 with All the King's Men then Saga and now Lion Rampant. Who knows what I'll end up into next?
Though only actively playing for 2 years I have always had my finger on the pulse of war gaming, historicals and other genres as the hobbies parallel. Kind of like how I know about Magic the Gathering yet have not played it since 1998. We all go to the same place and rub shoulders.
One thing I have heard constantly is the lament that the war gaming hobby is dying. I'm sure there is a good impetus for this but let's look at it from my perspective as a newb to the world that just got into it.
I just got into this hobby. Known about it since I could remember but never got into it until recently - first it was with All the King's Men (54mm, painting bags of Revolutionary War BMC figs) and going the SAGA route that has lead me into Lion Rampant and talk of Pike and Shotte and a few other games. My coworker, Spencer, ushered the way in for us. He had interest in model railroading and we'd talk about scenics and figure painting as he knew I painted 25mm figs for my Pathfinder/D&D3.x games.
Right around the same time we decided to get into historical war gaming there was a parallel "resurgence" of historical war gaming it seems. My anecdotal evidence being that others were saying so as I was researching blogs, podcasts, and forums for the hobby. This was late 2012. I count myself as part of this resurgence, not responsible for it mind you, I'm just in the ranks of new players like the rest of them.
In my love of SAGA, thus my advocacy of it, I have met many people interested that have never delved into the historical niche. Many of the players that have tried SAGA for the first time are from Warhammer or War Machine tables. There's others too, the common factor is they are not historical. Then there is the World War II players. Seems to me that "historical" = "WWII" for us in the USA. Understandable.
Where does my interest come from? (I have had to ask myself)
Well, I've always had an interest in military history. I was in the SCA for 8 years and am currently a Viking Reenactor with Vikings North America. I've also an interest in other areas but Dark Ages is where most of it lies. I've always wanted to role play a historical "Viking" game but none of the players in my RPG groups ever shared that interest. I like to read historical accounts and lists of gear and cultural references of past times like that. I like that "research" to have some fruition and the most cost-effective method of that would be historical war gaming as being a reenactor for 4-6 time periods would be a ridiculous amount of time and money (my collections would be full kits for Scythian, Roman, Viking, Landsknecht, French/Indian, World War I American)
(then there is the tendency of "becoming" your persona and calling the waitress at your favorite pho place "M'Lady") ... (Just a pet-peeve of mine)
The thing is I'm not going to play WWII. Spencer and I have talked about it and there is the whole "Nazi" thing. First and foremost, my Wife is culturally Jewish. She is not practicing now but she is Jewish by blood and family members of hers were killed in the Holocaust. I cannot, as a respecting and loving husband, put myself in a position where Nazi symbols have the possibility to be bandied about in front of her. I will not do that. I choose not to do that.
Being of mixed race myself I also have some opinions on the Civil War and have decided that is not an era I wish to play or paint. My white family actually comes from the South (Georgia to Texas to Eastern Oregon) There is no argument if others wish to play either of those eras but I will not go there myself.
Sorry for the ramble. Suffice to say I am not against ACW and WWII games at all. I'm just not going to partake. Kind of sad as I have 4 Axis and Allies board games from before marrying my Wife! HAha!
As I reach my second year I am excited by, both, starting a new hobby in my 43 years of age and to be a part of a long-lived hobby that is growing. See, I said, it's growing. From where I sit I see Historical War Gaming growing. I am honored to be a part of it and will do my part in getting people into it as I find it invigorating, important to culture, fun, and healthy.
It may have been dying 4-5 years ago. From my research it's been dying since the 60s. Many things do this. RPGing has died a few times as well as Magic the Gathering. Everything ebbs and flows. The things we HWG players need to remember is that people will always want to partake in what we do. We should look at other issues to ensure it's staying power.
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