QUOTE (ss67 @ 15 Feb 2012, 02:05)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Why do you think its appeal has lasted?
I've been pondering this since reading your initial post this morning (Sad, I know. I really should buy myself a life).
The reason why the appeal has lasted is probably a combination of nostalgia and improvements.
Nostalgia is obvious. Those of us who are 'of a certain age' (ie. old enough to be parents and beyond) are grabbing a memory from childhood in the track that we were allowed/not allowed (in my case) to have as kids. Frequently it is the next generation that is being used as an excuse for partaking in this return to childhood joys. It could be seen as a simple case of wishing to recapture lost youth and childhood innocence.
The (perceived?) imrovements that have occurred in the interim are often what keeps us enraptured. Cars are, on the whole, more detailed than those we knew in our younger days. Digital adds to the challenge (for some).
We all have a competitive streak to some degree or other. That can see us spending time and money in the quest to be faster than our like minded mates or competing against the collector market to have every model of GT40 issued in slot car form. And in this diversity lies another of the joys of slot cars. They can be just what you want them to be.
It is the unvoiced part of the question that has had me thinking all day.
Will the appeal last?
For the current generation that is already hooked on slots for the reasons stated above the answer is "yes" the love affair will continue.
For the generation of kids that are now being introduced to slots by exceptionally enthusiastic parents and grandparents the answer is "probably not." The current generation of children and teens do not connect with things in quite the way we did. I'm trying not to resort to stereotypes and generalisations here and it is difficult. The current generation of youth are inundated with stimulation from a plethora of directions. I have watched my step-sons (there's a term that is extremely difficult for me to use) aged 15 and 17. They are unable to even sit and concentrate on a film that they have been nagging to see without the added stimulation of texting friends, checking facebook or playing a game on their pocket device of choice. No matter what developments are made, slot cars will always be too tame to hold their attention for long enough to bond with them as we did.
I am a techno-junky and have been addicted to computers and technology since first being exposed to such in my very early teens. I probably fit half way between my step-sons (ugh! that word again) and my partner who did not grow up with computers and is a practical person first and foremost. He was not exposed to slot cars as a child that he can recall. However he has bonded with them since I talked him into the 'family' Christmas present purchase of 3 years ago.
Others may disagree, and I do really hope that I am wrong, but I think slot cars are a species with a limited life span. Once the current generation of slot racers passes on there will possibly be only collectors.
Cheers
Embs