We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

Forgive me if I ramble, but something has been swirling in my head this week–some people viciously opposed to Games Workshop, some ambivalent, and others full supporters. And it’s got me thinking: Games Workshop and Disney–is there a connection?

The more I dug into the Games Workshop and Disney parallel, the more evidence seemed to crop up.

Let’s Get Down to Business, To Defeat the Hun

What we’re talking about in the context of Games Workshop and Disney is the fact that Games Workshop, like Disney, has created products that people unabashedly adore. For as many haters as there are (and there are many), Games Workshop is raking in the cash. Games Workshop is to other miniatures companies what Disney is to Don Bluth: there may be some moments of heart and sentimentality, but one of them is significantly higher quality than the other.

And when it comes to theme parks, Disneyworld (and Disneyland, and California Adventure, and Euro Disney and Tokyo Disney and on and on) are examples of theme parks done par excellence. The rides are amazing, the food is amazing (churros and Dole Whip?) and overall the atmosphere is amazing. When Disney hangs out their shingle saying that they are the “Happiest Place on Earth”, they really mean it. Their goal is to make the Disneyland experience the happiest week of your year, or your decade.

There’s no denying: Disney has cornered the market on providing top-notch experiences to their patrons from every level. I remember booking a Disneyland vacation–my first staying in a Disneyland hotel–and the reservations person was a friendly as can be, reminiscing about old rides, pumping up new ones, feeling like they genuinely cared about making this experience one that would last a life time. And it’s like that from top to bottom. They have customer service DOWN.

I got voodoo, I got hoodoo. I got things I ain’t even tried! And I got friends on the other side.

So what does this have to do with Games Workshop? Well, the truth of the matter is simply this: Disney has its massive fans (and its many haters) primarily because of the oversaturation of commercialism. A churro costs $4 if you’re lucky. Eating at one of the restaurants for a family of four will set you back a hundred dollars if you’re not careful.

And there are gift shops galore. Everything in the park is meant to thrill you with their rides and then, as you are tiredly walking from Splash Mountain to Fantasyland, you are accosted by shop after shop of sellers pushing not only expensive trinkets–keychains and Mickey ears–but they’re pushing big ticket items, too, like art and blown-glass Christmas ornaments and figurines (very breakable figurines). Sometimes an experience itself is almost a ride, as with the Galaxy’s Edge experience where you get to build a lightsaber in a fully immersive environment. But that lightsaber (and that immersive experience) will set you back $219 plus tax, per person.

And we can’t get into the topic without looking at the Disney Princess Brand, which is its own branch of the company that rakes in $4 billion a year in merchandise (down from $6 billion at its peak). Some of it are kiddie costumes. Some are magic wands. Some are multi-thousand dollar wedding gowns that are inspired by the princess outfits. (And let’s not forget that you can schedule your own wedding at Disneyland in front of the castle for many tens of thousands of dollars.)

It’s no exaggeration to say that my family looked into vacations and found that we could spend ten days in Ireland (including airfare from the US) for less than it would cost to spend a week at Disneyworld.

Want to know how much money Disney rakes in every year? (Well, every year before the pandemic?) in 2019, Disneyland Resort itself made $3.8 billion. in 2018, all of parks and resorts combined brought in $20.3 billion. And in 2019, the Walt Disney Company overall brought in $69.61 billion.

I Wanna Be Where the People Are

And yet people flock to Disneyland. They don’t mind paying the outrageous prices because they are 100% invested in the Disney brand. There are fan-made websites galore that help you plan your meals, schedule your rides, pick the right seat for the parade, and give you the skinny on where there’s going to be fresh bread or fresh candy at exactly the right time.

People want to go to Disney.

But is Disney free from scandal? Certainly not.

How about these:

• in 2001 there was a scandal where cast members were made to wear communal underwear. Yes, at the end of their shift they would change clothes, send their undies off to the wash, and get back someone else’s underwear. There were reports of lice and scabies before the Teamster’s Union got involved and arranged to let them wear their own clothes.
• At Disney’s famed Animal Kingdom in 1998, Disney reported that 12 animals died from poor living conditions. But further investigation from the Department of Agriculture raised that number to 29.
• An alligator attacked and killed a toddler at the Grand Floridian Resort.
• Princess Tiana, the first black princess, was used to sell watermelon candy in what many groups saw as a racist faux pas.
• The typical wage for character actors at Disney parks is a measly $12 per hour.

Is all my dreaming at an end?

In case you haven’t caught on yet, I’m basically making the argument that Disney is very very similar to Games Workshop.

Disney and Games Workshop have:

• an extensive list of IPs that their fans love
• a fanbase that creates its own content based on the companies’ IP
• extraordinarily high prices
• honestly, ridiculously high prices
• the best quality experience in their respective spheres
• a line of company gaffes, faux pas and scandals that haunt them
• people who are more than happy to overlook all of the high prices and scandals because they care so much about the IPs
• people who are adamant in their antagonism toward the company because of their high prices and scandals
• people who make their living off of being fanboys (and fangirls) of both companies
• people who make their living off of being haters of both companies
• and, ultimately, companies who continue to rake in the profits despite all of the bad press, the haters, and the prices

Flotsam, Jetsam Now We’ve Got Her Boys, the Boss is on a Roll!

Basically the argument that I am here to make is not to clear either Games Workshop and Disney of any wrongdoing. I am not trying to excuse high prices, scandal, bad faith, or employee mistreatment.

What I am trying to say is that there are plenty of people who absolutely love Disney–and absolutely love Games Workshop–despite all the warts, and that’s okay.

There are plenty of people who have made it a crusade to tear down the evil empire of Games Workshop and Disney, and that’s okay, too.

Games Workshop and Disney are going to make money–and gobs of it–because they do some things very very well. Disney makes great movies, sells great merch, and has stellar theme park experiences. Games Workshop makes some of the best–if not THE best–miniatures in the hobby. They have a thriving community. They put out content that people lap up.

Is There a Moral to This Story?

There is no moral but this: I’m not advocating for the boycott or support of either company; I just find that the similarities between the companies are stark and that I think it’s instructive for wargamers to look at Games Workshop in the light of Disney. Disney’s fans are RABID. They stretch across all demographics. They make YouTube videos with tips and tricks about getting the best Disney vacation possible. They wear their shirts proudly. They go on their honeymoons to Disneyland.

And all of this despite the fact that Disney does some genuinely questionable things.

And yet there is a mindset within the wargaming community that if you praise Games Workshop you are a sycophantic sheep. You are too dumb to see the evil that Games Workshop truly is. Is anyone ALLOWED to be a rabid Games Workshop fan? Or are they just supposed to publicly hold their nose and put up with Games Workshop?

I’ll just come out and say it: I like Games Workshop. I take my kids to Disneyland. If there are models that I want, that I can afford, then I’m going to buy them from Games Workshop because Games Workshop does excellent work. If I have my choice between Disneyland and Six Flags, I’ll take Disney every time.

This is not because I’m rich (I’m not). This is not because I’m a paid shill (I’m not). This is merely because I am content with my hobby passions and I don’t feel shame in admitting what they are.

Does this mean I’m blind to the warts? No. Not at all. I’ve written about them again and again. But it does mean that I can look at the big picture and see that I like Games Workshop more than I hate them. I like Disney more than I hate them. I would love to spend more money with both of these companies, and I hope they continue to churn out new merchandise and content regularly.

And that’s the gospel truth…