Are there any real practical reasons for buying LEGO?

[Lego David]

Sometimes, as I am left to ponder why exactly are we still buying more LEGO. We have so much, and yet we still want more. And the thing is... We don't even do much with the LEGO sets we already own. We just build them once, put them on shelf, and call it a day. Sure, there are some genuinely practical things you can do with LEGO, such as MOCing, Brickfilming, Modding, or just taking them out in order to take some pretty pictures, but I find it that only a relatively small percent of the crowd that regularly buys LEGO actually does any of that. 

And for those particular things you could do with LEGO, you don't really need to buy everything that comes out. You can do just fine using stuff from your current LEGO collection, and if there is any particular part or minifig that you genuinely need for a practical reason, you might as well just use Bricklink instead of buying the whole set. 

So I am left to wonder, why do we still spend so much money on LEGO? Why do we anxiously wait for new sets to come out when we don't even have that much space left in our rooms to store them? And after we bought those long awaited sets, we just put them on a shelf (often on a not even that good looking of a display, consisting of a bunch of sets crammed together) and completely forget about them, leaving them to gather dust while we look forward to the next waves of sets. 

It is this deep "philosophical" question that has kind of prevented me from buying more LEGO for the past year or so, after I went through a huge LEGO colleting phase around two years ago. 

So, what are your thoughts? Is there any real practical reason for buying LEGO, or have we all just fallen victim to mindless consumerism? 

Edited November 6, 2021 by Lego David

[Peppermint_M]

This might be the case for you, but I am still actively building my own creations, using new and old parts and colours. I populate scenes with figures and keep adding new parts to build fun and unique characters. 

Sure, some things I build and keep. I have had the Agents Mobile Command Center since release year, all constructed and admired (it Is the pinnacle of LEGO truck design). My MOC sphinx and yellow castle are still built because I am proud of them. I have a few small MOCs built and kept for over ten years. 

This means I have a need for more parts to build with. Not to mention new colours and elements to use. 

So nope. While it might be consumerist, it is still useful to me.

For practicality: Mindfulness and mental health therapy. Very good way to de-stress. Especially this last year. My job is healthcare adjacent so we had lots of important work and not many people the last two years. We lost my grandfather, so that was a difficult time. I was able to keep level and well mentally through my LEGO hobby.

[1963maniac]

Lego is a hobby for me. I enjoy making MOCs. It keeps my mind occupied and healthy.

[Lego David]

1 hour ago, Peppermint_M said:

For practicality: Mindfulness and mental health therapy. Very good way to de-stress. Especially this last year. My job is healthcare adjacent so we had lots of important work and not many people the last two years. We lost my grandfather, so that was a difficult time. I was able to keep level and well mentally through my LEGO hobby

 

38 minutes ago, 1963maniac said:

It keeps my mind occupied and healthy.

Well, that is one I didn't quite see coming. I guess I ain't old enough to experience "real" stress, but I am sure there are way cheaper ways to escape stress than endlessly buying LEGO sets to keep you occupied. Watching a movie or playing a videogame would have about the same effect, but for a much better value for money. 

In my mind, there are way better and cheaper methods to escape stress than buying LEGO, but I can definitely see your point. There is no feeling quite like building LEGO after a long day at work, is there? 

 

Edited November 6, 2021 by Lego David

[Peppermint_M]

49 minutes ago, Lego David said:

Watching a movie or playing a videogame would have about the same effect,

Not for me, LEGO is both tactile and garners focus and engagement that a film does not. Plus, I have been forever terrible at video games that aren't Pokémon... So chilling in Kalos or Sinnoh has been helpful, but not in the way I find with my building a set it MOC.

[Pinnacle]

For me, Building is a hobby, and LEGO provides an excellent building material. Why do I buy more and more LEGO-parts ? Well, I see it as a challenge to build a greater and greater and more complicated building every time.  That is the reason I need more parts as I start a new project.

Well, you can say that you cannot be in a pub or something when you are building. And that saves money you can spend on LEGO.

[MAB]

9 hours ago, Lego David said:

In my mind, there are way better and cheaper methods to escape stress than buying LEGO, but I can definitely see your point. There is no feeling quite like building LEGO after a long day at work, is there? 

 

For some people buying lego might help the de-stress, but building the set will often be better still.

I find MOCing is like drawing or painting,  bricks are an art material. But then another practical reason I buy some sets is investment. 

12 hours ago, Lego David said:

Sometimes, as I am left to ponder why exactly are we still buying more LEGO. We have so much, and yet we still want more. And the thing is... We don't even do much with the LEGO sets we already own. We just build them once, put them on shelf, and call it a day.

Putting something on a shelf isn't just calling it a day. Putting it on a shelf is the equivalent of hanging a painting or framing a photograph. I get enjoyment seeing things displayed, I don't have to take them apart and rebuild them every day to enjoy them.

[dr_spock]

I buy lots of parts from LEGO to build MOCs for events that our LUG participate in.  I guess that is a practical reason.

 

[Lego David]

6 hours ago, MAB said:

Putting something on a shelf isn't just calling it a day. Putting it on a shelf is the equivalent of hanging a painting or framing a photograph. I get enjoyment seeing things displayed, I don't have to take them apart and rebuild them every day to enjoy them.

As I said in the first comment already, on paper, that is true, but it gets a bit more complicated once you realize that you have way too many other sets already on display, and your new set doesn't really fit anywhere. So you either take one of the sets already there and stuff it into a closet because you ran out of space, or just try to cram them all together in a way that won't look like that pretty of a display to look at. 

Edited November 7, 2021 by Lego David

[MAB]

1 hour ago, Lego David said:

As I said in the first comment already, on paper, that is true, but it gets a bit more complicated once you realize that you have way too many other sets already on display, and your new set doesn't really fit anywhere. So you either take one of the sets already there and stuff it into a closet because you ran out of space, or just try to cram them all together in a way that won't look like that pretty of a display to look at. 

I don't have too many on display. I do rotate what I display though.

[ks6349]

Many people are already rich enough for their rest of life and even the rest of the life of their offspring but they are still hunting for money every day. Human beings are never satisfied

[Pinnacle]

Well, is that not just characteristic for every human being?  Thanks to that, we live as we do nowadays.

If people were already satisfied in the stone age, then we still had to hunt with a club to eat.

[BrickG]

Sometimes I walk past my collection of stuff (LEGO and Ninja Turtles and Star Wars and Star Trek, etc etc) and it puts a smile on my face. I've really stopped buying LEGO for the most part, except a few sets a year, because I don't have time to build MOCs or anything and I don't have infinity place to display them. But hey, I like 'em!

Trying not to get caught up in the human "I need more and more and can never have enough" which people get caught up in. Though with every positive LEGO Minifigure update I'm tempted to go back...

 

As for practical reasons... I've fixed some Ikea furniture with my LEGO before so there's that... Yes thousands and thousands in LEGO and I fixed a $70 bookshelf I messed up during putting it together. Good investment?

Edited November 7, 2021 by BrickG

[Vindicare]

I’ve asked myself why I love LEGO so much. I can’t say I remember what it was that brought me back...but building sets is a great relaxer. I love cracking that tape & dumping out a new set, it’s therapeutic. No matter what’s happening or how I feel, whenever I walk in & take a look at my town, a big grin just comes over me. I love looking at all the little scenes I’ve created. But then, the vast majority of my collection is just sitting in bags inside of plastic containers. So I see your point to an extent. Rebuilding is something I do of course, but then they go back in parts in their bags in their containers. I definitely don’t see me stopping anytime soon though despite running out of room. 

[JJ Tong (zfogshooterz)]

Took a break from participating in this forum but this thread is quite interesting so I kinda want to put my thoughts in here.

From my experience, it would have to depend on the experience I have with the sets combined with the vibe of that period in time too. If the mood was right. the build/play experience being pleasant and also if it's a set that I really want to have, I would look at those sets fondly. If it was either set in a period that I wasn't fond of, the build/play experience feeling like a chore or buying the set just for the sake of collecting/having parts, I wouldn't feel anything about them. Mostly indifference and a genuine lack of desire to mess with those sets. 

Personally for me it kinda boils down towards the meaning I have with LEGO. Practical or not, if the "stars doesn't align" (meeting the criteria above), I would feel nothing with those sets. And thus sometimes be hit with the feeling of what's the point in this. Fortunately, I still remember the meaning I have and had with LEGO (which is the unique worldbuilding creativity of themes). That's why I still want to continue trying to find ways to enjoy the sets. It's also why I still feel the rush when new sets gets leaked or revealed.

[Aanchir]

I think part of the issue is that you are defining "practical" very narrowly. For the sake of argument, I'm going to focus mostly on the sort of buyers you describe who tend to buy sets, build them, and rarely take them apart or play with them. Even in these cases, builders can still get a certain sort of value out of those sets by displaying them as a form of home or workplace decor.

Now, is home decor "practical"? I would argue that it is. Not only does it help a person's everyday indoor environments feel more comfortable, visually interesting, and welcoming, but it's also a way for people to personalize their surroundings with things that reflect their tastes and interests — even more so with LEGO, since it's implicitly customizable and modifiable if you are so inclined.

Moreover, even just by periodically rotating out what sets you have on display (like, say, putting different seasonal sets on display for the holidays, or setting aside a place of pride for your most recently completed sets), builders can also freshen up their surroundings to make them less monotonous. There have even been a few recent sets (like the LEGO Ideas Tree House and Botanical Collection Bonsai) that come with elements that can be swapped out to match the season.
 

Another reason some builders primarily prefer building LEGO sets over making original creations is because it's a leisure activity that they find calming or therapeutic — sort of like why many kids and adults enjoy jigsaw puzzles, coloring books, scale model kits, cross-stitch patterns, sudoku, etc. The modern world can be a very stressful environment for kids and adults alike, even more so when the pressures to use our time "productively" encroach on our leisure activities.

That's not to disparage hobbies like reading, writing, art, exercise, gaming, etc. All of these genuinely do provide a lot of enjoyment and emotional fulfillment for many people. But many of these hobbies also run the risk of feeling like work, especially if you have a job that has similar mental, physical, or creative demands. And that sort of thing can quickly lead to emotional burnout, which can sour our enjoyment of such hobbies.

As such, it's often valuable to have restful, relaxing hobbies that engage our minds and take our attention off the other stresses in our lives without demanding a lot of deep thought, quick reflexes, physical exertion, or self-judgment. Building a LEGO set is certainly more expensive than many other hobbies along these lines, but generally, buyers who enjoy it for that purpose have decided that to them, the emotional enrichment they get from LEGO building is worth the price.
 

And that gets to another point that I feel is relevant — if a person's purchasing habits are driven only by some consumerist urge to collect, there are countless other collectable products they could just as easily focus on instead of LEGO: Playmobil, Schleich, Funko Pops, Sylvanian Families/Calico Critters, Airfix model kits, Nendoroids, Pokémon cards, action figures, comic books, die-cast cars, etc. And many such products have much lower prices than LEGO sets. Our modern society is hardly lacking in stuff for people to collect year after year!

So when a person chooses to collect LEGO specifically, it stands to reason that they've found some value in it besides how collectable it is. Maybe it's the aesthetic appeal of the design language, or the building experience, or the customization potential, or any combination of those and other factors that draw people to the LEGO brand. But it's safe to say that with so many other products to choose from, few LEGO fans are buying it solely because it gives them something to collect and spend money on.
 

In short, there are countless ways to enjoy LEGO, even if you DON'T build your own original creations or use the sets and figures for role-play/storytelling. And I think it's telling that even if you look back at earlier periods in the brand's history, before they really acknowledged AFOLs as a part of any set's target audience, you can still find product lines like the Hobby Sets and Model Team that were primarily geared towards display, not role-play or building original creations.

The LEGO system's creative potential and play potential are certainly a big part of its enduring appeal, but they have never been its only source of appeal, and I don't think it makes sense to judge buyers who enjoy it in different ways and for different reasons than we do.

[zoth33]

On 11/6/2021 at 9:26 AM, Lego David said:

 

Well, that is one I didn't quite see coming. I guess I ain't old enough to experience "real" stress, but I am sure there are way cheaper ways to escape stress than endlessly buying LEGO sets to keep you occupied. Watching a movie or playing a videogame would have about the same effect, but for a much better value for money. 

In my mind, there are way better and cheaper methods to escape stress than buying LEGO, but I can definitely see your point. There is no feeling quite like building LEGO after a long day at work, is there? 

 

There are a lot of hobbies.  Some more expensive than lego like building or maintaining a classic car which is way more expensive and there are a number of people who love that here in the US.  It's not about the money it's about the experience and the gratification of either creating something new or building a lego model that is satisfying to people.  I find building and fig creating as a mental exercise and also helps me get away from the stresses of life.  Yes I could do other less expensive things but they are not as gratifying to me personally.  I actually love getting new parts and trying new techniques.  I also love making new figs.  There is so much you can do with lego and I see it as an art form.  It's fun for me and I also really enjoy seeing what other people can build.  I mean playing a video game could be very stressful depending on what game you are playing.  Just the other day I built the 3in1 lego creator castle one afternoon and it was so relaxing and I found myself wanting to buy more of that set to build a bigger castle.  I also have fun building with my youngest son he really likes Ninjago.  We both like building dragons and that also makes things fun and great to do with your kids.  I guess there are a lot of other nonproductive or nonpractical things I could be doing with my money but lego is just a great experience for me anyway.