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Lego has changed since we were kids (2014)

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Re: Lego has changed since we were kids (2014)

#141

Post by rhaps0dy »

xenomachina wrote: post #139
ARandumGuy wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, that isn't really new either. I had the first generation Lego Mindstorms set (pre-NXT, with the old yellow control brick), which required a USB device and special software to edit programs on the control brick. After ditching Windows XP for Windows 7, I could never get the USB device, or the required software, to function properly. The software and drivers just weren't maintained and updated, and I could neve…

I have a few RCX Mindstorms sets, and the software was always a problem. Thankfully, there were some open source alternatives, like http://brickos.sourceforge.net/ As an aside I'm pretty sure my RCX IR towers use serial, not USB.

> As an aside I'm pretty sure my RCX IR towers use serial, not USB.

Both versions exist. Mindstorms 1.0/1.5 had serial IR towers, 2.0 had USB.

Re: Lego has changed since we were kids (2014)

#142

Post by Fnoord »

> Lego did extensive research and found that girls preferred to play with the characters rather than build sets.

I barely roleplayed with Lego, I was all about building (first by following the exact instructions, then by ignoring them and trying to figure it out on my own, and finally by building my own stuff based on my own imagination). When I became about 11 or 12 I finally got, via a friend, into roleplaying, with Lego (I got bored of the other 3 purposes). He used the lego in the garden and made entire plays with stories, and I joined in, and we co-interacted a lot. I didn't even know you could roleplay like that!

His parents and me, we kinda didn't like each other (they were quite hardcore Christian, while my parents were more loose Christians who let me decide for myself and I was atheist from elementary school because even at age 5 or 6 I asked questions with answers which I found inconsistent in [the] religion and ended up seeing it as just a story). Eventually that difference between us ended our friendship. I look back fondly to my past friendships.

Re: Lego has changed since we were kids (2014)

#143

Post by makeitdouble »

ARandumGuy wrote: post #121
gilbetron wrote: post #101

I really dislike all the bizarre "lego ain't what they used to be!" comments - they honestly come from people who haven't spent time with modern legos. For reference I was born in 1970 and played with legos probably from 1975-1985, and then seriously picked it up again in 2012 or so when my son was old enough to play with them. People paint this picture of these new legos that are made up of like 5 parts that you jus…

I feel like a lot of people look at the intricate sets that cost hundreds of dollars, and conclude that Lego has abandoned play and creativity. In reality, there's an abundance of kid-oriented sets that are meant to be built, played with, deconstructed, and modified. But those aren't the sets that get shared through social media. Lego has embraced the adult collector as a valuable customer. But that does not mean the…

TBF the best advice for people who only want a bunch of "classic" bricks for their small child is to buy them used or of some generic conpatible brand.

I totally understand Lego not putting any marketing power in that direction and pushing so hard for more branding and licensed sets.

The other end of the spectrum is their educational sets, but then we're really into the multi hundreds of dollars sets.

Re: Lego has changed since we were kids (2014)

#144

Post by lovehashbrowns »

ballenf wrote: post #120
gilbetron wrote: post #101

I really dislike all the bizarre "lego ain't what they used to be!" comments - they honestly come from people who haven't spent time with modern legos. For reference I was born in 1970 and played with legos probably from 1975-1985, and then seriously picked it up again in 2012 or so when my son was old enough to play with them. People paint this picture of these new legos that are made up of like 5 parts that you jus…

What I've seen is that kids get that dopamine rush from putting together everything exactly according to instructions. From opening the numbered bags and methodically working through thick instruction booklets. The problem now is that they have this expectation of gratification from making something kind of perfect and their own creations are less interesting and fulfilling. I don't know what the name is for the idea…

There's nothing wrong with someone only liking the follow instructions aspect of Lego and not the fully creative DIY aspect.

I think one of the weirder parenting things is a parent trying to get their kiddo to like something in exactly the way the parent wants and anything else is a failure. "I built my Legos without instructions and we had fun! Kids these days...!"

But then parents don't realize they misunderstood the entire point from the beginning. Legos were never a magic device to make someone creative. They were always just a way to try and sneak creativity into people. It just doesn't always work. Some people pick up Legos and make castles and cars and all this stuff, while some people pick up Legos, make a box house, and give up.

Maybe your kiddo is secretly part of the gives up camp, but it's satisfying for them to follow to build instructions.

What matters as a parent is that you gave them an option to be creative. And that's super cool on its own, y'know?

Re: Lego has changed since we were kids (2014)

#145

Post by cardanome »

em-bee wrote: post #137
cardanome wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am a big Bluebrixx fan but the quality is a bit shite at the moment. Their medieval sets are stunningly beautiful. Probably the best looking set on the market. They are great for experts but definitely not great as a casual first buy for people that try Lego alternatives. They love to use insane build techniques that are fun for experts but not really suited for beginners. The Star Trek series has been a huge disas…

interesting, the reviews that i saw about the star trek models pointed out some issues but were not as bad. and besides that i have not seen any other star trek set that was better, with the exception of the mega bloks one, but their way to connect the warp nacelles i would consider cheating.

Yeah, some things are really difficult to do any better with standard pieces but honestly that can't be excuse. The quality of pieces that xingbao can deliver is simply not up to the task and they should have expected that.

Plus the pressure that is put in the pieces by the weight of the models might cause them not age well. So the benefit of using standard pieces might not be that great in this case.

As for the reviews, Held der Steine is sadly very biased towards towards Bluebrixx. Look at the comments under the last video where he shows the big Enterprise. They are extremely negative.

Also quality is very inconsistent. Some people are very lucky and get good pieces while some others have less luck. So you can't really know if you get a good batch.

Honestly they are still OK display pieces but the price is not really justified by the quality.

Re: Lego has changed since we were kids (2014)

#146

Post by usefulcat »

gilbetron wrote: post #101

I really dislike all the bizarre "lego ain't what they used to be!" comments - they honestly come from people who haven't spent time with modern legos. For reference I was born in 1970 and played with legos probably from 1975-1985, and then seriously picked it up again in 2012 or so when my son was old enough to play with them. People paint this picture of these new legos that are made up of like 5 parts that you jus…

For me, the biggest difference between Legos when you and I were kids and now is that the sheer number of different pieces makes it too often nearly impossible to find the piece you need when building something from "the pile".

My kids also have a lot of Legos (by volume, more than I ever had). When engaging in free play (i.e. not building a new set from the instructions), I find that the things they make tend to be much smaller than many of the things I built when I was a kid.

I think this makes sense. When I was a kid, for the most part I had a bunch of bricks, a bunch of girders, a bunch of plates, and a bunch of smaller, more specialized pieces, but the latter were used more for adding detail. So it was relatively easy for me to find the pieces I needed to make something decent sized and them embellish it.

When I look at my kids pile of Legos, it looks like 90% small, specialized pieces. As a kid, I remember spending a lot of time looking for that one piece that I knew I had if I could just find it. But nowadays, that situation is far, far more common.

The specialized pieces make for great looking creations on the outside of the box. In theory, they should also allow for great looking creations during free play, but in practice it ends up being too much trouble to find the pieces you need. And at that point, a new set looks even more enticing than spending all your time searching for pieces, so...

Re: Lego has changed since we were kids (2014)

#147

Post by Jaruzel »

Freak_NL wrote: post #76
dotancohen wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm using uBlock Origin in Firefox, and I also got the infinite scroll on Math Homework article loop.

Yeah, I got what I posted above with uBlock Origin on, in Firefox.

Ditto. Chrome on Windows. It is the perfect example of Doom Scrolling. You Scroll And Scroll, yet nothing new appears. ;)

Re: Lego has changed since we were kids (2014)

#148

Post by makeitdouble »

MivLives wrote: post #133
samwillis wrote: post #6

I would love to know what percentage of Legos revenue is now from adults buying the incredible large, complex and expensive sets to build themselves. Lego is so associated as a toy for children just as computer games are, but gaming is a larger industry for adults than children. My wife and I now regularly buy these large lego sets for each other (birthdays, Christmas and anniversaries) and do them together in the ev…

I'd also wonder if their cost per part on the bigger sets is higher or lower. I've been building the adult sets over the last few years and you're right it's a nice nondigital way to unwind. Unlike my job everything works, has a place, and is all neat and organizable. Interestingly my mother who is retired has gotten into lego. Initially she got into it because she decided to resell all my childhood sets which were s…

There was an average price by piece comparison a few years ago but I can't find it back.

The gist of it was that price by piece didn't change that much, while sets are getting bigger and more complex. I'd also wagger that we now have a lot more smaller pieces that make these kind of calculations more flawed.

Re: Lego has changed since we were kids (2014)

#149

Post by MomoXenosaga »

gilbetron wrote: post #101

I really dislike all the bizarre "lego ain't what they used to be!" comments - they honestly come from people who haven't spent time with modern legos. For reference I was born in 1970 and played with legos probably from 1975-1985, and then seriously picked it up again in 2012 or so when my son was old enough to play with them. People paint this picture of these new legos that are made up of like 5 parts that you jus…

Companies that don't change tend to go under. Lego has to innovate just like everyone else.

Re: Lego has changed since we were kids (2014)

#150

Post by thesuitonym »

cestith wrote: post #138

If you don't like the licensed sets, or even sets with instruction books, then you're still covered. Lego, Mega Bloks, and others have buckets or bags of just parts. To stick to Lego without a themed set, look for The Lego Classic line. If you want them as a themed set but maybe without a media license, there's the Lego Creator line (which does include some licensed material like the Bond 007 Aston Martin DB5). Kit 1…

This is it. People often complain that Lego is all about licensed sets, and yeah, that type of set has taken over your local toy aisle, but the regular sets are still there, and there are even more of them that there used to be.

The only real change is that Lego gives kids more choice.

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