I'd just like to put a teenagers point of view in here. I'm 16 and I'm happy to say
my parents support me 100% and they would much rather have me be playing magic then smoking pot or breaking the law or even playing video games non stop. In fact my dad even goes around telling people about my accomplishments and what I've won playing magic. I also Notice That most people I play with are years older than me. I will be playing magic for years to come and I know it's not a childs game because it requires much thought and skill to be good at. Your average high schooler would try to play this game and be completly terrible. Anyway to parents out there you should support your kids playing magic because it is a great hobby and if they are good enough it can be profitable.
Team NeverWin: We just top 8 a lot.
Too lazy to post.
Not sure I mentioned it, but beating a 14 year old at a game doesn't have the same effect that beating a 30 year old does when you are younger. Just like us older people love beating the younger kids. LOL, j/k
I enjoy watching older people get beat by younger players. It establishes confidence in the kid and can help both of their egos.
a couple years ago at the NAC I playe against some cocky pro in the final round and I smashed him and for the next 20 minutes every time I heard him he was talking about how I got lucky and he shouldn't have lost and hes pro and such. (He was playing ravager).
Team NeverWin: We just top 8 a lot.
Too lazy to post.
Well then he should have won : P Nothing beats Ravager!Originally Posted by ForceofWill
Anyway, have you linked this thread on the MTGSalvation board? I think it would be good for this guy to read it. My best friends and I play Magic and we always have fun. And like everyone else said, it beats getting hammered every night during break.
If you rearrange the letters in Vin Diesel's name, it reveals his credo: "I End Lives."
Well, this thread is a very interesting idea as there are very different and interesting ways of combining magic with social life.
The most people here won't know me:
I'm a successful Legacy player here in Germany playing at Team ayb and doing Top8 at something around 80% of the great Tournaments I've played (12 last year I think)
I 'm 19 years old. I am doing a good school exam, have a nice girlfriend and visit most of the parties and concerts with my friends.
I am totally not like what other people would call the "typical magic player" (I am not ugly, smelly, don't wear Bandshirts and I also don't listen to Metal or even Hip Hop). But I like those people as they are -even if I am a bit different- and I like the game itself.
How I combine Magic and Social Life?
Well, until now I've managed that most of the people don't know that I'm wasting a bit of my free time by turning tradingcards.
Sometimes some people are disappointed if I leave a party Saturday night very early and don't drink that much, but they don't ask what I am exactly going to do the next day.
Of course my best friends, who know me since my birth and who are still with me, know about Magic, but they tolerate my hobby.
So why not telling everyone else about Magic?
I had some bad experiences by revealing Magic as my hobby to other people.
For example: There was a very nice girl on a party a year ago, who talked with me around 5 hours and I was sure that I would get her for that night. Well, no. One of my schoolmates who knew about Magic told her a little bit about me and in his drunkenness he also told her about Magic. I never saw that girl again (And I am confident that Magic was the reason she ignored me after that day, since the schoolmate tried to only tell her good things about me^^)
There are several other reasons why social life and hobbies shouldn't be compared.
The most important aspects are listed from the parents at the first post.
How my parents think about Magic?
They tolerate it and are glad whenever I tell them that I've won something,as well as the rest of my familiy, but they are also those who care about not overplaying the game and wasting friendships for it.
+++Team AYB (All your Base)+++
I'm surprised this hasn't been said yet:
"If you're the CEO of a company and you tell people you play Magic, you'll get a response of strange looks, etc"
If I'm the CEO of a company, I think I'm laughing all the way to the bank... not caring what most other people think about my hobbies. And if someone outside my organization wants to give me flack about my hobby, that's fine by me, unless it hurts my business. If someone inside my organizaiton wants to give me flack? Can you say Job Security? I don't think it's very wise to give "strange looks" to the CEO of the company you work for...
All this said I do have to agree about it not being "mainstream." I can only imagine that the kid that posted this originally has to come from a very white-collar family (mention of "If you're a CEO" -> Hopeful words, other activities mentioned are Chess, Golf, Reading) which in my opinion would much more influence the need to feel like image is important. I have to wonder if at some point Equal Opportunity Employers will also have to have clauses about "regardless of hobby" seeing as how some corporations have been reading employees (and possibly potential employees) blogs to make sure they aren't leaking information (and possibly to find out more about who they're employing).
As far as the rest of this goes: I'm 22, have a Bachelors in Computer Science, and am looking for work/re-applying to Graduate Schools. So, at the moment I can't be counted as "successful."
I do the most oddball things in my spare time (I play paintball for example, and have been on espn multiple times recently for it...still people don't care and give me weird looks when I tell them that and think I run around in the woods in cammo playing war. They don't understand it). I'm usually good at what I do because I do what I really enjoy. I feel sorry for the kids who's parents only support what they think is right or what he/she should be doing. Sure, push them to perform in school and all, give them support, but don't make it conditional support. If you are pushed into things, especially career choices, you won't succeed. My parents didn't question my interests in paintball, bought me magic cards for christmas when I asked for them, and always supported me because they knew it made me happy. I came out just fine, graduated from a great school with a great degree and got a great job, and I love my family because of it. A letter to the parents: STOP BEING ASSHOLES. Assholes create assholes. Besides, magic isn't about succeeding at all anyway. The problem that people don't understand what magic is, and the fact that it is more chess-like than anything else, is irrelevant. Even if it was glorified D&D, that shouldn't matter. It's something you do for fun and that's why it doesn't matter, it's for fun. You need things in life that make you smile no matter what, and if magic is that thing then so be it (granted you need some discipline to do the other important things in life as well).
On the topic of not getting girls because of magic, well:
a.) if you're going for the one nighter and you bring it up you probably deserve what you get (or you need to punch your friend in the balls for bringing it up...there is an art to being superficial), or
b.) if you want a meaningful relationship and it turns out she ditches you because of it she's either a stupid bitch that you're better off without, or you need to get your priorities in line (actually spend some time with her, etc.).
Yeah that's all I got.
they haunt minds...
Nitewolf I used to be big on the paintball thing too. I was NPPL and all that shit, it was fun but then it turned into a giant cheatfest in the upper-levels. I hated it. Oh well.
That's paintball. I'm playing more psp right now, cause I love xball, and the reffing is completely terrible. Plus there is practically a fist fight every other game for people playing on. At least it's not D1 NPPL, which was the most terrible experience I've ever had. It's nice when people spin on you and get the trade, and then your teammate gets a 3 for 1 for wiping his barrel off (yep, that was a semi-finals game...I'm still pissed about it). I'm sure I'll burn out eventually but shooting people is just too much fun
</off-topicness>
they haunt minds...
MtG is considered geeky. Just gotta accept it. I think a good solution is, just be cool. Y'know, don't take things too seriously, have a sense of humor, be considerate to others ... If you're a cool person, people won't care what your hobbies are. They'll still make fun of you for playing MtG, but since you don't take things too seriously, you can deal with it just fine.
I'm 19, 20 in about a month, and I'm a (community) college student (planning to transfer to the UW for a major in Computer Sciences). Most people, when they find out that I play Magic, tend to wonder why I'm still playing a 'kid's game' at nearly 20 years old, but they generally change their mind after I relate to them that most of the better players are actually much older than I am, even. When I go into detail about how complex the game really is and the sort of thinking it involves, they usually come around. They still think I'm a geek,sure, but they'd think that if I told them I write C# programs in my spare time or am studying Vector Calculus. Magic is no different.
Mostly, you just have to learn to not be embarrassed by playing Magic. If you enjoy it, then you shouldn't ever feel like you have to make excuses for it. The only excuse you need is that it makes you happy. As Nightmare said, it's just a hobby, and as long it's not something unhealthy, then it really doesn't matter what you do. And it sure beats the hell out of collecting, say, stamps or baseball cards. Not only is there a secondary market value, but you can actually do stuff with them.
I myself have a ton of friends that I play Magic with, and a ton of friends that know nothing about the game. They know I play it, and they aren't really interested in something like that, but they don't think any less of me for it.
Team Info-Ninjas: Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy.
My Videos: Chiron Beta Prime, Flickr, Re: Your Brains
1) The late game beats Ravager.
2) I agree that spending money on cards is less superficial then spending it on cheap American beer. Consider this: the average time shifted squire is worth more (to an intelligent/alcoholically educated person) than the average American beer.
3)That kid's parents are n3wbz!
Team Multi-Grain - We're wholesome.
I'm a 22 year old recent college graduate with a degree in Computer Science. I played Magic from Revised to Stronghold, then picked back up during Mirrodin and have been playing competatively since.
While it may be the misperception, competative magic is played by those who are generally older than 19. Also, I've met a lot of great friends through the game in places all over the US, which from a business perspective is excellent networking. I know people from all sorts of backgrounds who will not only lend me cards for tournaments, but can also lend professional advice if I need it.Trading card games are associated with little kids. Only if you're 14 or 15 years old, then its socially acceptable to play a game like magic. Magic is not mainstream, you won't make any good friends that way."
Explaining to other people that I play Magic competatively can be somewhat strange. When I stayed with my girlfriend's relatives during GP Philly, by magic tournament they thought I was coming down for a magic show, like pulling a rabbit out of a hat or something.
I honestly don't care what other people think about it or whether they approve, but I haven't really experienced dissaproval. My parents never discouraged it. I even got some packs in my stocking this year (you guys that get whole boxes are spoiled, damn). My girlfriend doesn't mind it, except when I ignore her while reading forums or playing MWS, and shes getting to the point now where she understands the game without knowing the rules really. I don't ever buy cards so the only financial input is travel and entry fees.
Saying that you shouldn't do something because it isn't mainstream is ridiculous. Everything was once non mainstream. And who really wants to be forced to fit some sort of accepted norm anyways? If you like watching football then great, more power to you. Personally, I'd much rather engage in something that exercises my mind, builds social networks, and can potentially pay for itself financially.
I think the real problem here is why anyone would want to be the CEO of a company and why this kid's parents are wasting dinner with their college bound son.
I dunno, the kid's parents do have something resembling a point, even if they aren't the sharpest knives in the box.
Will people think you're strange for playing what is commonly viewed as a childrens' card game?
Most definitely, yes.
Can that potentially hinder your ability to advance in certain social situations?
Unfortunately, yes.
Is that right?
Absolutely not.
Will it happen anyway?
You bet it will.
Does this mean we should quit playing Magic? Hell no. Nobody is forcing you to talk about it. Learn a thing or two about social settings and know when it is and is not appropraite to share your interest in this particular hobby.
Also lying is really, really easy.
I'm a 20 year old college student, and probably the biggest geek you'll ever know. I play Magic: the Gathering, often at a professional level. I attend anime conventions, in costume. I paint sci-fi miniatures. Will this ever impact any potential professional advancement in my life? No, it won't. Anime conventions are actually "Japanese media and culture conferences", you see. I'd rather tell that to my boss, when I'm asking for a couple days off of work, than "Hey, can I get some time off to go dress up and hang out with a bunch of people that really like foreign cartoons?"
TEAM DRAGONFORCIA-
Ghost ridin' the whip like we invented that shit.
TEAM UNICORN
We're going for number four!
I'm 37 and I still go down to the local store every Saturday to play in the Legacy tournament. I'm not the oldest, not even the second oldest. The oldest is 57.
We're the teachers of the youngest section. It all balances out.
The way you make a game mainstream is by having people play it and talk about playing it.
Exactly. People are quick to judge and dismiss that which they don't understand. But if people just played the game and got past the whole "nerdy stigma" thing, it would far more acceptable to people that don't "get it."
Like, when I was playing against my buddy Dan ("Belzebozo" on SCG) last summer in the student lounge where I work (I work in a University), a few people in their mid-20s were watching us play curiously and one of them got up the courage to ask us what we're doing. Very nonchalantly Dan said we're "playing a card game that's like a cross between chess and poker." After that their mood lightened and they became interested in what we were doing.
So, if people project that they're doing something geeky and shameful, that's what people are going to pick up on--and judge accordingly.
I've found that no matter the activity, if you speak about it with good feeling and passion, people will respect that and not think badly of you for it. I've used this to good effect in teaching math classes - I never took a teaching course in my life, but I got by being a good teacher by having my natural enthusiasm for the subject rub off on the students. The same approach works for Magic.So, if people project that they're doing something geeky and shameful, that's what people are going to pick up on--and judge accordingly.
If you hang your head and hide it, people will assume you're doing something bad. If people see you having a good time, they'll wonder if maybe they could be having a good time at it too.
I could make such a bad joke, but I won't
Seriously though, don't be ashamed of simply enjoying a game. It is supposed to be good when a family shares in something together. Besides, Magic is actually quite an intellectual challenge (especially in Legacy and Vintage).
Team Multi-Grain - We're wholesome.
I'm 25 and I've been playing since I was 13.
I think that, while it's correct that in Society's eyes Magic is not a highly respected game, it's because it's associated with the "Gamer" stereotype that has all of us wearing trench coats, not showering very often, making D&D references on an hourly basis, and generally having the social aptitude of a deer on an interstate. (Ooo! Look! A Car! Hi Mr. Car! Let's be friends.)
If you're reading this and you don't fit this description, I guarantee you that you at least know someone who does. Or several someones.
At the same time, when I was 13 and playing, there were several adults who played also. These guys took care of us and took us under our wing. They were always classy, always taught us things about magic and good sportsmanship, and always made us look up to them. Sometimes they'd give us a little bit better deal on a trade, knowing they weren't getting full value. They'd bend over backwards to make things easier for the kids.
Now that I'm 25, I try to follow the same example, but I understand why a little better. These people are like we are now. Adults who love the game, and want to keep as many people playing as possible. The adult cares more for the game than the kid does if he's played it as both, as with an adult it's an entire social scene of friends that's hard to give up (I wouldn't trade Team Laughing Hyena for anything.) It makes us feel like a kid again, lets us have fun, gives us a world where our only stress is what card to draft, or whether or not to Force the Duress, or finding that last Godless Shrine for your deck.
There's a huge adult following for this game, a lot of which play at people's houses because they don't want to go to the card shops packed with kids when they can have the more comfortable settings. Many just play online now. BUt when you do go to that card shop for that tournament, play with class and treat the kids like your equals. They're just there to play like you are. And maybe after some time, these kids will remember you, and try to model their behavior in the game after you. And maybe, just maybe, this will have some effect on Magic becoming a little more socially acceptable in the world.
But probably not.
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