Subject: "magic growing pains" Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 17:21:54 +1000 From: "Timothy Greig Nissen" To: Frank Kusumoto, Here is an article I have penned for discussion on the Dojo that I have entitled "Magic growing pains". Thankyou Tim Nissen. Several topics have been put to the Dojo in recent months which have stimulated some animated discussions; Scrubs, is magic dead, cheating, game vs. sport, DCI ranking problems, does WotC exist or is it just a phony e-mail address? Etc. It is my humble opinion that all these seemingly isolated issues are related and can conceivably fall under the heading of "growing-pains". Magic has been around for about 7 years now. It is played on every continent and has been translated into many languages, has its own World Championships and international ranking system, there are Pro-Tours, big cash prizes, not to mention the plethora of magazines - shops - and internet sites devoted entirely to its ongoing health and well-being. One could say that it has come a long way in a short time. This meteoric rise to fame is the result of many factors including aggressive marketing campaigns, the Internet and a market always hungry for new ideas. But what sets MtG apart from the many failed CCG's which has crossed our shelves over the years is that at its heart, Magic really is a game that is fun to play and addictive by nature. So why all the recent Dojo negativity.... Are these voices merely the outcries of the disillusioned few or are they an accurate representation of the larger Magic community? It is my belief that what we are currently witnessing is in fact Magic going through premature puberty. Take the sport vs. game argument that appeared on the Dojo a few months back. Over the years it has become apparent that the powers that be, have tried to legitimize Magic by relating it to a sport. Richard Garfield himself has, on occasions, shared his vision of Magic becoming a respected intellectual sport as powerful and popular as either Chess or Soccer. But we don't see the continuous niggling voices of dissent which seem to be dogging MtG at the moment plaguing international sports (at least not with the same regularity). This is because sports like Soccer, Rugby Union, Baseball, Tennis and Cricket have developed long traditions - they've been around the block a few times! When problems arose those concerned made the conscious decision that "...what we have here is something that's too good to lose, so lets fix our problems and get on with playing the game...". Magic doesn't yet have this body of tradition to fall back on when things get tough. You could say 'that the jury is still out on MtG'. Will it attain the same level of respect other sports have? (Or indeed, will it ever be considered an intellectual-based sport at all), only time will tell. Is magic dead?...No, not yet at least! This question has been posed recently resulting in an ongoing Dojo discussion. MtG is not dead but it is in need of some swift VISIBLE action if the good-ship Magic is to remain afloat. Problems are like barnacles, if they are allowed to multiply unchecked then they will transform from innocuous to disastrous overnight. Problems with judges, problems with DCI rankings, problems with cheating etc are all serious barnacles that need to be fixed through open discussion and swift action. When people e-mail you at WotC with a problem, reply promptly with an acknowledgement that you have received their e-mail and that if required you will look into their complaints! That's all it takes to foster good will and create a healthy rapport with those who keep this game healthy - "the consumer". In a sense, justice not only has to be done but it has to be seen to be done. Only by doing so can MtG attain that which it's always craved, legitimacy and respectability. Tournaments versus fun. I love tournaments. The pressure to me is what makes the game fun. I remember my first few tournaments; I spent most of my concentration trying to stop my hands from shaking. Playing with/against friends in a social environment is also fun in a completely different (and usually alcohol related) way. But there are periods when I take a break from even looking at a Magic card, let alone playing in a tournament. This keeps me fresh and maintains my enthusiasm for the game. If you have lost this lust for Magic then give it away and find something new to do, but don't bitch on the internet that Magic the Gathering is dead because you're not playing it today, trust me lots of other people are. Take a break just like all professional athletes do, who take time off each year from their chosen sport so they can stay fresh, focused and happy. And if that doesn't work try this: if you think Magic is dead for you then gather up your entire collection, go to your local card store and ask them to make you an offer. What ever you don't sell - give away! If you can do this and walk away feeling happy than congratulations, you have done the right thing. But it is my bet that 9 out of 10 times you will look at your collection and think that there are certain cards you couldn't part with; like your lucky Cursed Scroll, your beta Mox Ruby or your funky Chaos Orb. If this is so then maybe you don't really want to give the game away just yet! The Scrubs Incident. My opinions and feelings in regard to this whole matter are simple - You arrogant Pratt! Devising a list of quasi-rules for how new magic players should approach tournaments and how they should interact with their "supposed" betters would be laughable if you weren't so serious. You are implying that a 'virgin' tournament player shouldn't be so pretentious as to assume that they can beat those who have been playing the game for longer than them. Let me enlighten you on an interesting fact of statistics here - a deck/player that wins 95% of the time is still going to lose. Your deck may beat mine 8 times out of 10 but we don't play 10 games and I just have to beat you twice to win. An unavoidable fact: everyone is born a scrub, some of us just learn to carry ourselves better. So there you have it. Magic is at a stage now where things are coming to a head, and like a rudderless ship in the night - direction is needed. Whether this comes from the DCI, WotC or local players it doesn't matter, so long as all agree to work together, talk together and to fix "promptly" these niggling problems before they become the Dojo topic of the month! We all need to pull our collective weights if Magic is going to survive, my suggestion is lets all try to head in the same direction, we tend to get there faster that way. Sincerely Tim Nissen.