LEGO Research Question!

grrhess

Hello everyone!

I am a student of anthropology and museum studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis - and fellow fan of LEGO! I am researching AFOLs, and was hoping to get some thoughtful responses from you, the true fans.

It's very simple. I am interested in knowing what reasons any of us have for building with LEGO! Maybe its just a creative outlet? Maybe its more?

Your responses would be very much appreciated! Thank you for your time!

MattsWhat

Because it's better than building with Mega Bloks!

davee123

Hm, are you asking about LEGO building explicitly?  Or the LEGO hobby in general?

Typically, I find hobbyists are into LEGO for one or more reasons:

1. Nostalgia for LEGO
2. Loving to collect things
3. Interest in scale modeling
4. Interest in artistic expression
5. Functional tinkering (Technic, Mindstorms)
   
6. Money! (Re-sellers)
7. Cross-over from other brands (Marvel fans buying LEGO figures, etc)
8. Helping kids with learning
   

Personally, I probably fall into #1, #2, #3, #5, and #8.

DaveE

ricecake

davee123 said:

Personally, I probably fall into #1, #2, #3, #5, and #8.

Very Fibonacci :) I'm probably just #1, #2, and #3.

BrickDancer

I'm #1-#4 and in that order too. Started off because of Nostalgia but now morphed into more of an artistic outlet.

Pippa

Because playing with Lego is fun :)

But more seriously  - it is because it's fun and good stress relief.  I also tend towards obsessiveness maybe even a little OCD and Lego allows me to fuss and be a perfectionist.  I'm constantly rebuilding things I create and sets making adjustments. 

On the list above #1-4, #7, and #8 apply.

Yodalicious

I do have OCD. Truly. That leads me to tend to get a level of anxiety I can control, but that frustrates me internally over insignificant things. When I was in my 20s, video games were my main source of calm. When I came out of my dark ages in 2012, it was LEGO. I love the toy, the collecting aspect, the finished models, all of that, but as for why I build...

...it's calming.

It's the same reason I have an Avengers adult coloring book. I was a very artistic, creative child. I still am, but have less and less time to be creative, so when I can, I take full advantage.

Basically, I don't want to OCD myself into a heart attack. I know what calms me and it works...amazingly.

catwrangler

I find that there's something deeply calming, soothing and fascinating about miniature worlds. I like both building the official models and building MOCs - the problem-solving and creative aspects are very absorbing and helpful for me in managing depression and anxiety. And I'm one of nature's collectors; I enjoy sorting my existing collection and planning what to add to it. 

oldtodd33

I'm 1,2,3 and 9, the last being calming/stress relieving. Building will take away the worst stress headache. 

Jern92

Yodalicious said:

I do have OCD. Truly. That leads me to tend to get a level of anxiety I can control, but that frustrates me internally over insignificant things. When I was in my 20s, video games were my main source of calm. When I came out of my dark ages in 2012, it was LEGO. I love the toy, the collecting aspect, the finished models, all of that, but as for why I build...

...it's calming.

It's the same reason I have an Avengers adult coloring book. I was a very artistic, creative child. I still am, but have less and less time to be creative, so when I can, I take full advantage.

Basically, I don't want to OCD myself into a heart attack. I know what calms me and it works...amazingly.

I have an anxiety disorder, and LEGO works great to calm me down, especially with larger sets like modulars. It forces me to focus my attention on something, and because it's something I'm actually interested in, it works better than any alternative. Prior to this books used to calm me down, but they just don't work very well any more for some reason. 

xwingpilot

I would have loved LEGO Star Wars as a kid, but that was before TLG had the licence. Fast-forward 25 years and parts design and building techniques have advanced to the point where building and displaying Original Trilogy Star Wars sets makes sense to me as an adult.

Pippa said:

I also tend towards obsessiveness maybe even a little OCD and Lego allows me to fuss and be a perfectionist.

This certainly resonates with me too. In the xwingpilot household there isn't really a space that is mine alone - except the LEGO display shelf.

Like others have said, I also find building sets (from instructions) relaxing.

A final reason is that LEGO is an interest I can share with my six year old daughter. When her baby brother is a bit older it's something I am looking forward to sharing with him too*.

* The interest I mean, not my LEGO! He can have his own like his sister. ;)

brumey

lego stops time . atleast it feels like this!

vizzitor

Like everyone so far, I have a few reasons I build with Lego too.

I'm generally not a creative person. I can't draw, paint, fix cars, do carpentry and definitely am not a writer (2 posts on the Brickset forums in my 14 months here will attest to that!). Lego is my only creative outlet and that mostly involves borrowing other people's ideas to include in MOCs. So even then, it's not really "My own creation".

Nostalgia is a major factor for me. The noise and feel of the bricks as you sift through them with your fingers, searching for the right piece just makes me feel like I'm 9 years old again, outstretched on the carpet in front of the TV. All the worries of adult life are out the window while I turn the page of the instructions or concentrate on the best parts for a new build.

Another of the big reasons for getting back into Lego for me was the sense of accomplishment when completing something tangible. Something that can be put on a shelf or a table and looked at, picked up, shown off to other people even if it's only for a few hours before it's taken apart again. There are so few things in my job that, when finished, there is something to show for it or that I can get credit for so I can get that from building with Lego instead.

This is getting really long so lastly I'll just say "for escape". It was the same when I was 9 and had 4 or 5 sets from the 1991 catalogue that's on the main page right now and today at 34. Back then, any argument in the family, I could escape to my room and make #6540 Pier Police or #6933 Spectral Starguider. Today there isn't arguing parents but just day to day struggles can be forgotten about for a few hours while working on #10251 Brick Bank or hopefully this weekend, #10232 Palace Cinema.


And I'll use my second post here to say "hello". I'm not one for drawing attention to myself by posting a new thread in Introduce Yourself.

Bludchylde1

We are supposed to have a reason? Been building with Lego since I was a kid and never went through the dreaded dark age so I've never really stopped to think about why I play with Lego. I'd have to go with what Pippa said, it is fun and a good stress reliever.