GWS 2025: A retrospective
By Jon Freitag
While the launch of the Great Wargaming Survey, 2026 Edition looms on the horizon (starting Saturday, August 1st!), I decided to look back upon the questions considered and analyses undertaken from the Great Wargaming Survey, 2025 edition. Upon reflection, a common theme emerges from this retrospective on the past year's analyses. Rather than focusing on the tangible (and countable) facets of wargaming such as Top Wargaming Periods, Collection Sizes, Preferred Figure Size, etc., analysis drifted toward the softer skills of wargaming and wargaming as a human activity. Was this shift in focus intentional? No. The questions and subsequent analyses simply moved in that direction naturally.
When I review the topics examined from GWS 2025, survey results and analyses suggest that the wargaming hobby presents itself as a broadly recognizable human activity. Miniature wargaming is far more than simply moving toy soldiers across a table. Wargaming offers a multi-faceted activity satisfying core human desires for intellectual stimulation, creativity, historical connection, storytelling, belonging, and mental diversion. Across these analyses, we see what draws gamers into the hobby and keeps them there.
What did the GWS 2025 results suggest about wargaming as a human activity?
To begin, consider the Top 3 most appealing facets of wargaming and why we wargame (see Figure 1):
- Historical (or fictional) background interest
- Creative and hobby aspects
- Social connection and camaraderie
Background interest was the single most popular primary reason. This ranking reflects humanity’s fascination with the past, alternate worlds, and exploring "what if" scenarios through miniatures and rules. Creative and hobby aspects (painting, building, modeling, terrain) ranked a very close second. This emphasizes artistry and hands-on craftsmanship. Social connection and camaraderie featured prominently in third place, especially for group-oriented players. Solo or small-group historical gamers often prioritize background knowledge, storytelling, and education in a reflective mode while gaming mainly at home. Larger groups in fantasy/sci-fi tend to game at clubs or stores emphasizing social connections and competition.
When survey respondents were asked, "What do you like most about miniatures wargaming?" in an open-ended, free text question, cluster analysis of the thousands of responses confirm that games, people, and craft are the major elements (see Figure 2). All of the craft elements are tightly connected with creativity often bridging between the historical and hands-on work aspects of the hobby. Participants are able to distinguish between the gaming and socializing parts of the hobby from the preparatory "hobby engine." Yet respondents see all of these pieces as a part of whole. The multi-faceted nature of the hobby, perhaps, explains wargaming's enduring appeal.
Despite its strong social appeal, isolation remains common. Once introduced to wargaming, practical social frictions arise that can leave gamers feeling isolated in what I termed as "opponent deserts." These opponent deserts stem less from raw population shortages and more from coordination challenges. Wargaming acts more like a social network than a simple consumer market. Success depends on visibility, introductions, compatibility, and regular shared spaces. Overcoming fragmentation and isolation into small and distinct groups is key to broader enjoyment. Figure 3 lists the top reasons for not having enough opponents.
As a human activity, wargaming satisfies timeless needs such as intellectual engagement, creative expression, historical imagination, and social belonging. Satisfying a variety of needs helps to draw in and accommodate diverse personalities. The solitary researcher-painter, the narrative seeker, the competitive tactician, and the club socializer, all can find something here.
In essence, we wargame because it lets us play with history (or other worlds), create, exercise our minds, tell stories, and connect with others. Wargaming is a profoundly human hobby allowing activity anywhere along the spectrums of reflective to sociable, solitary to collective, and cerebral to tactile. These data affirm what many feel intuitively. That is, wargaming isn’t just about the games. It is about the people, the process, the passions, and the welcome mental shift that makes life richer.
I am regularly asked why someone should complete the survey. My answer is that every response adds another piece to the picture. The more people that answer, the better we understand what wargaming means to its players. These analyses demonstrate that the survey is worthwhile because it turns individual hobby experiences into shared insight about wargaming as a human and philosophical activity.
