Future of RC's

[Jeff Barnes]

I think the computer the cell phone the xbox and the playstation took alot of the younger group away from the hobby.

 

[user 23814]

I also think that for myself and several other guys that I know that have been in the hobby for years we could careless about racing we just want a place to go run the stuff and have fun myself and some of the other friends race real boats and cars and this is just suppose to be a fun and I know this will not sound right but inexpensive hobby and compared to the other stuff we play with it is but point being I reluctantly joined a club because there are not many places to run the stuff because some snowflake calls the cops because your doing something that does not involve throwing a ball around. I have friends that refuse to join the club because it may as well be called a model boat racing club and they have zero interest in coming out and playing bumper boats with some club member trying to upstage the next guy. I know a old time hobby shop owner who has told me they sold more real RC boat stuff not some of this Wal Mart stuff back when you could just go out to your local lake or pond and use the stuff now that simple fun hobby you use to do has turned into a regulated join this join that job and most people want instant gratification and will not sit down and build a boat or a plane they would rather play on a cell phone. The world has changed and so has the hobby but that's how it goes. Sorry for the rant not meant to offend anyone just my two cents.

 

[Hydro Junkie]

I think the computer the cell phone the xbox and the playstation took alot of the younger group away from the hobby.

It also took a lot of the imagination away from them as well. I remember being told to go play outside and had to come up with things to do on my own. With the advent of video game systems, smart phones and the internet, having to use the imagination has pretty much gone away. It has made it where kids don't believe what they can't see or they can't find it on the internet. I learned this when I had one of the latest generation tell me that the 1973 Pay'N Pak was a photoshop creation and the videos that showed it running on the water were all CG. To take it one step further, he claimed the actual boat was built from the CG model and is a nonrunning showpiece

 

[Jeff Barnes]

The times they are a changing

 

[Brandon Atwell]

I'll keep my response short. I agree with Brandon (not that others don't have some good points) but in order to appeal to young people you have to get your products into their world and present them in a way that catches their interest. If you want young new modelers into this sport you have to do exactly what Brandon is saying or the hobby will continue to dwindle.

Kinda like we’re the same person, but Jr. is responsible for that.

I have to agree, hard to appeal to a younger generation when you
A.) can’t give them a single source for a majority of their needs (aside from Ron, great job with the Nova website). If I sent them to a few of our source websites they look sketchy at best or they don’t give an easy way to order. I know for sure that most young adults my age will not put a phone call in to order a new engine or parts when they can order RTR cars from places like Amazon, Tower Hobbies or AMain.
Or B.) can’t tell them where to go to find information publicly and easily accessible aside from a couple obscure Facebook pages that, at times, would undoubtedly turn off potential new members. Some of the content shared there is far from family friendly and I would not send anyone to it. The hobby is not marketed well and our main bodies do not push the narrative. As stated, the IMPBA Does not have a Facebook page and the NAMBA page was last used to post a membership update November 30th.

It’s not a matter of lack of imagination or what you may see, I’ve went to college with kids that couldn’t build a simple square out of wood but will build a database for an entire open world video game with new names for species, continents and landmarks without a thought.

 

[Samuel Hagan JR]

Hardest part is a good location. The closest place to me I can only run late evenings when they close and that’s a 45 minute drive. The next closes sites are 1:30 minutes away. But dedicated people will find a way to race no matter where or cost.