Subject: Re: Girls in Magic
Date: Tue, 9 Jun 1998 17:21:02 +0100
From: Graham Thomson <THOMSONG@mail.dec.com>
To: "'c_nicoloff@hotmail.com'" <c_nicoloff@hotmail.com>
CC: "'fkusumot@ix.netcom.com'" <fkusumot@ix.netcom.com>

Cathy,

I agree with the sentiments of your essay, but am surprised you don't
highlight the real issue behind women in magic:

Women, in my experience, are every bit as good as men at playing Magic,
they can also exhibit the good and bad habits male magic players have,
but Magic is an immature sport with a high proportion of young people,
some of whom have still not learned how to deal with the opposite sex in
everyday life let alone across the competitive planes of Magic.

Many of the major failings in the Magic community can be attributed to
this immaturity.  "Flaming" people on the net without recourse to the
facts is common in Magic, but in most cometitive sports would be seen a
poor sportsmanship at best, possibly a reprimandable situation or fine
for bringing the sport into disrepute or even litigation for libel.

When you can't deal with a situation face to face and it is commonly
acceptable to snigger behind their back on the net, the environment to
encourage women to play magic will not improve.

The only solution is for the older magic players to start setting an
example and not behave like children, but then that wouldn't be any fun
or would it?

Best Regards, Graham Thomson