"Magic: The Addiction" -- my 20-year gaming journey. Book now available on Amazon. [Archive]

Plague Sliver

07-29-2015, 08:59 AM

http://i.imgur.com/m9UhIEel.jpg

UPDATE MAY 5, 2016: Book is now available on Amazon!

Kindle edition
https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Addiction-20-Year-Gaming-Journey-ebook/dp/B01F55014Y

Paperback edition
http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Addiction-20-Year-Gaming-Journey/dp/1532963874

Web site: http://writtenbyjames.com/books/

What does it mean to be competitive, and to put all of yourself into a competitive activity?

I have played Magic: The Gathering for twenty years. I have traveled around the world to play all over North America, Europe, and China. I have had lots of fun, and made incredible friends, along the way. But I have also experienced feelings of anguish, frustrations, and self-doubt.

Many years later, I have come to be at peace with myself. I have developed a framework for controlling my emotions in the heat of competition. I wrote MY story so that it can be shared with YOU.

Playing Magic is not a requirement for enjoying this book. Struggle is universal, and can apply to any activity you are passionate about.

I welcome you to take the journey with me, and learn more about yourself in the process.

- James

Plague Sliver

07-29-2015, 08:59 AM

Reserved for future updates.

Julian23

07-29-2015, 09:11 AM

In case you're wondering whether this is worth you time — it is.

Easily some of the best Magic-related writing I have ever read. If you like brutal honesty not only with others but especially with yourself, this is for you. You will find a lot of parts you can relate to not only as a competitive player but also as someone who's life was heavily influenced by card gaming.

Enjoy.

GenghisTom

07-29-2015, 04:27 PM

Fantastic read. I've never been able to so vividly put into words the nostalgia of my first childhood encounter with magic as you did. Thank you for that.
Looking forward to the next part.

meffeo

07-29-2015, 07:10 PM

"Magic was addictive. The more we played, the more we became hooked". That's it.

Many thanks for the pleasant lecture; recommended.

ESG

07-30-2015, 02:32 PM

Hey. I didn't know we were the same age! I identify with a lot of what you've written so far. I think a lot of us who were playing Magic in the mid-'90s also played other CCGs, and we probably would've liked to know that they were pathways to financial regret. Maybe that should've been my post in the Remorse thread, since it cost me way more than losing my Bazaars. Part 2: Decipher pulls the plug and you switch back to Magic?

Whitefaces

07-30-2015, 04:44 PM

Great piece, eagerly awaiting pt. 2!

Plague Sliver

08-03-2015, 08:09 AM

Part 2 is up:
https://medium.com/@james_hsu/on-magic-part-2-relapse-back-into-the-fray-4a84c4f089c5

Please "like" the Facebook page to get the latest updates:
https://www.facebook.com/OnMagic2015

Thanks,
James

jrsthethird

08-03-2015, 11:11 AM

OK, I got 2 paragraphs in and I'm just loving the picture with what I'm assuming is you playing against a guy with TWO Sengir Vampires out, plus a pair of Woolly Spiders and a Terror in the bin. And he's playing "lands-in-front". Reminds me of when I first entered the LGS tournament scene. The alternate CCG that brought me to the game store with my friends was WWE Raw Deal, and they had their weekly tournaments the same time as the weekly Sunday Magic tournament that rotated formats. I played WWE the first time I was there, but the next time I went it was Vintage, so I knew my deck was legal and I played MTG instead. I had my casual Rakdos deck, capable of dumping T1 Hypnotic Specters/Sengir Vampires with the help of Dark Ritual, and actually went 2-2 against a field that contained a few powered Mana Drain/Morphling decks.

It was awe-inspiring to my 14/15-yr old eyes to play against these decks that I had some of the most legendary cards I'd ever heard of, but it didn't falter. I picked up my first Badlands after that, and started making my deck a little more serious. Sengir Vampire and Shivan Dragon were my bombs, and I picked up Diabolic Edicts to deal with Morphlings, Duress/Hymn (in addition to the Hyppies) for protection, and a couple Nantuko Shades, which were a hot Standard bomb at the time. Drain Life was one of my favorite cards. Like, what else could you do with all the mana from Dark Rits and a Lotus Petal after recasting your whole graveyard with Yawg Will?I think at one point I even started pimping it and traded for a Beta Drain Life. Cabal Coffers was awesome here too.

I'm looking back and there were actually a lot of powerful synergies in the deck (i.e. Wasteland/Fetchland worked with Yawg Will), but the fact that I ran creatures like Sengir and Shivan (which I think I eventually realized were bad and replaced with Nantuko Shades) makes me think that the deck was bad.

Plague Sliver

08-03-2015, 07:10 PM

Awesome recollection

Raw Deal! I remember that game, it was in Inquest Magazine a lot.

I am also a black Mage. I used to love playing Ritual-Hypnotic Specter to death. And Nantuko Shade. Drain Life was great. And after coming back to the game, I discovered "budget Juzam" aka Plague Sliver.

Yes, that's me in the photo with the white weenie deck. It was fun times.

---

By the way, I just submitted Part 1 of my retrospective to Reddit. If you could vote for it, I would be highly appreciative :)

https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/3fojmz/i_wrote_a_retrospective_about_my_20year/

Thanks,
James

Plague Sliver

08-08-2015, 11:33 PM

Part 3 is up:
https://medium.com/@james_hsu/on-magic-part-3-the-competitive-drive-6b7b8755fc80

Probably the most personal part of the story. It's about the competitive drive, obsession, failed relationships, nostalgia...and the Mental Misstep heyday of Grand Prix Providence.

Hope you like it.

Plague Sliver

08-25-2015, 07:53 AM

Part 4 - "Chinese Ascendancy":
https://medium.com/@james_hsu/on-magic-part-4-chinese-ascendancy-a2190921a8d3

This is where Magic starts to intersect with my new life in China. Playing Magic in the Beijing Legacy scene is pretty cool, and I've included some of my experiences here.

ESG

08-25-2015, 08:29 PM

In places like New York, Amsterdam and Munich, I’ve sat down with strangers to play Magic, armed with only our mutual love of the game as a shared language. Some of these strangers have, over time, become life-long friends.

I think it's important to emphasize this part, because the game has yielded great benefits like these to many people, and they tend to go unnoticed. You can play, or not play, as you please, but at this point I'm curious whether you've noticed your competitive drive take over in a negative way in other areas of your life. Do other games have the same meaning for you, or the same emotional investment, with similar trappings? I'm wondering what lies at the root of this competitive drive, which you've painted as an addiction of sorts. Reading between the lines, I feel like you're building up to selling all your cards and leaving the game, which may or may not be the case. If you've determined that Magic has unacceptable consequences for you on an emotional level, then that sucks, man. But I think it's worth considering whether you are reacting to Magic or whether you're reacting to something farther below the surface.

Tylert

08-26-2015, 05:38 AM

How is your chinese girlfriend reacting to the fact that you are going back into magic in china? :)

Plague Sliver

08-26-2015, 11:08 PM

Reading between the lines, I feel like you're building up to selling all your cards and leaving the game, which may or may not be the case. If you've determined that Magic has unacceptable consequences for you on an emotional level, then that sucks, man. But I think it's worth considering whether you are reacting to Magic or whether you're reacting to something farther below the surface.

PM'd you :)

@Tylert -- she's been totally fine with it actually, even with me going to Jersey to play in the GP (coming up in Part 5).

Havrekjex

09-01-2015, 05:04 AM

Thanks for a good read.

Chatto

09-02-2015, 01:12 PM

Oh man, I would like to say 'nah, it's just you', but to some parts of your story I could relate.

Good read, thanks for sharing.

Plague Sliver

09-17-2015, 10:47 PM

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm *really* close to releasing the final parts 5 and 6 this week. It's not that I haven't been writing nearly every day. But I keep writing, erasing, and then going back to the drawing board.

The last part of the retrospective is pretty direct/honest/bittersweet, and I just hope words can do my feelings justice.

On another note, I'm thinking about self-publishing this thing in e-book format, with a nice cover and more in-depth digressions into Magic/Star Wars/competitive pursuits. Maybe some in-depth profiles of expert Legacy players here too. We could go real deep on Legacy too, since it's near and dear to my heart. I might even throw in some rants about how the community handles hot topics that are Legacy related. My article/book IS called "On Magic," after all.

If anybody is interested in the final product or has suggestions for content based on what you've read so far, let me know.

French Alters

09-18-2015, 07:38 AM

Wow man, this read is incredible. You've just explained to me and made me realise how I was thinking towards the game. Well at least for a period. I feel just like you on the matter still, but I've turned my "obsession" towards collectioning now, so the competitive drive is a little gone. But I understand the feeling, and that's why I've begun to be kinda upset at my old LGS where they only play casualy and not competitively.

Thanks for a really awesome read and I'm looking forward to more!

-French Alters

Plague Sliver

09-19-2015, 02:31 AM

Part 5 is up! I call this one..."Viva...New Jersey?"
https://medium.com/@james_hsu/on-magic-part-5-viva-new-jersey-7194a91de1ad

Again, sorry it took so damn long. I kept writing, re-writing, editing, agonizing over it, and so forth. I think I'm fairly satisfied with how this one turned out.

I was going to do a massive Part 5 as a conclusion but it just grew too long to keep as one article. So I've separated my final words on this matter into a separate Part 6 (COMING REAL SOON). Thanks for your continued support of this writing project!

James

French Alters

09-19-2015, 08:55 AM

Still an awesome read. But by reading, I thought that you sounded kind of depresive, mostly about the game, like you didn't enjoy it that much anymore and just forced yourself to go to the GP to chase some thrills or something.
No offense intended by my words, it's just what I took out of it.

-French Alters

Plague Sliver

09-19-2015, 10:48 AM

No offense taken. You're actually kind of right -- it wasn't a great time for me in Jersey. I feel much better about things now, but I tried to express what I genuinely felt back then. The tough part was going back to how I felt as I was writing it (hence the use of present tense).

There is a silver lining to all of this, as you'll read in Part 6. (Well, as silver as my cynical self will allow.)

ironclad8690

09-19-2015, 02:23 PM

Plague Sliver

10-03-2015, 01:07 PM

Part 6, the conclusion is complete:
https://medium.com/@james_hsu/on-magic-part-6-the-end-of-the-beginning-b5712dcd2906

It's been quite an experience writing the whole thing and I've really appreciated the community support. Writing 20,000 words on Magic is a great form of rehabilitative therapy :) On a serious note, though, I've come to realize how much this card game means to me, in multiple ways. And how hard it is to let something go, especially when that "thing" has existed on-and-off in my life for the better part of twenty years.

Now that the main narrative is done, I'm likely to build it into an e-book. To have something more entertaining, I'm in the process of writing additional chapters on Magic topics, particularly Legacy-related ones.

You can expect "gems" like:
- Influential Magic people in my life
- Brainstorm (the first rule of Fight Club is, never talk about Brainstorm)
- How I feel about speculators
- On being a sore loser
- The two Magic communities I grew up in (Vancouver and Beijing)
- On getting old
- Bans
- On pimping
- Epilogue (I *am* going to GP Seattle after all...)

If the e-book is something you're interested in, feel free to drop me a line on here or to my email address: decoy 6 6 6 AT gmail DOT com. (no spaces in the real email address, obv. And no, I'm not a Satanic devil worshipper, although Black is my favorite color in Magic.)

And it would be awesome if you could join the Facebook Page here:
https://www.facebook.com/OnMagic2015

I'm going to post regular updates on the Facebook Page as this thing gets to e-book format.

Thanks guys and please keep the feedback coming!
And keep playing Magic, of course.

Best,
James

sdematt

10-03-2015, 03:18 PM

Excellent, as always. I want more.

jrsthethird

10-03-2015, 05:59 PM

So good man. I can relate to a lot of this, having gone in and out of the game for 20 years.

Plague Sliver

10-05-2015, 12:09 AM

Created a Tumblr blog which will serve as the web site for now, until I get my act together.

http://onmagic.tumblr.com/

Followers welcome :)

Tylert

10-05-2015, 04:14 AM

Why do all your magic friends have a name in this article and your girlfriend doesn't?
What did you buy for her finally?

Also, I don't see why you could not play to win with a tier 1.5 deck... it's more a behavior question than a question of best deck...

Plague Sliver

10-05-2015, 04:59 AM

Just read all parts of this today, and wow. You have perfectly captured many of the feelings of competitive magic in writing. It is nice to know other people feel the same way about losing/entitlement, because those are usually silent dialogues that play out in your head and you don't really talk to other people about them. Great job man, looking forward to part 6

Thanks man! I hope you will enjoy Part 6 now that it's out.

So good man. I can relate to a lot of this, having gone in and out of the game for 20 years.

Thanks! Would love to hear about your experiences as well.

Why do all your magic friends have a name in this article and your girlfriend doesn't?
What did you buy for her finally?

My Magic friends do not crave anonymity, while my girlfriend is a little bit different. Certain fellow Magic players specifically requested to be namedropped. It's a valid question, though :)

I should consider using her first name as well, just like I'm doing for the other people in the narrative. It comes down to the relationship being important to me, but not necessarily for the purposes of talking about Magic. She's a key reason I moved to China, but not a key reason in continuing to play vs. not play.

As for what I finally bought for her, nothing. I buy her stuff already!

Also, I don't see why you could not play to win with a tier 1.5 deck... it's more a behavior question than a question of best deck...

I see that your sig says "Death and Taxes," so I'll start off by saying that I don't mean to denigrate the deck whatsoever. To me it's tier 1. It's my deck of choice for multiple tournaments now. I've got a German foil pimped version of the deck...I love the deck.

Rather, my point is that when I decided to play Death & Taxes / deck X for a specific event, I have to consider (1) my level of practice with the deck and (2) the current meta. It's dangerous to be a one trick pony and I hate feeling like I'm forced into playing Deck X because I'm stubborn and/or I'm unwilling to change.

Because this is the Legacy forum I'll use some examples:
- playing Death and Taxes when treasure cruise is legal.
- playing Death and Taxes when dig through time is legal.
- playing doomsday.
- playing nic fit when Omnitell is big.
- playing storm when Omnitell is big.
- playing storm when format has multiple decks with dig through time, meddling Mage, discard, counters.

My point is, why make it tough on yourself? I never want to rule out playing dredge when I know nobody is running grave hate in a local 8-man.

There is no badge of honor in sticking to a specific deck, not adapting, and then complaining about it. IMO life is too short for that, especially when the objective is winning.

Having said all that, I formulated this philosophy because I know I don't play enough magic and my opponents are usually more skilled than me. To not be flexible won't work for me and your mileage may vary.

Tylert

10-05-2015, 05:18 AM

Ok. To me play to win is more "play the best possible with the tools you have".
I only own D&T so I don't have the options to switch decks, but I still fight fiercely to win every match :)

Purgatory

10-05-2015, 04:32 PM

As a newly-married gamer approaching 30, I can relate to a lot of the stuff and I found the entirety of the piece very well-written and enjoyable.

My hat's off to you, good sir!

Plague Sliver

10-25-2015, 01:52 AM

Hey guys. I'm continuing to write more in my quest to turn this into a full-sized book.

Just wrote a chapter on how I named myself "Plague Sliver" and what that means to me:
https://medium.com/@james_hsu/black-magic-strange-names-and-power-creep-a74eeea11926

I've already written a few additional chapters, and also started revising the original parts 1-6. Really appreciate the community feedback so far.

Let me know what you guys think.

James

sdematt

10-25-2015, 03:44 AM

Plague Sliver

10-25-2015, 04:03 AM

Thanks for the catch! Fixed.

New article:
https://medium.com/@james_hsu/black-magic-strange-names-and-power-creep-a74eeea11926

Also updated opening post.

jrsthethird

10-25-2015, 04:17 AM

James, this paragraph is cut off:

"In short, I loved Juzam Djinn and everything it stood for. But the market price of this card was way out of my league when my brother and I played Magic in the early nineties. Juzam was printed in a limited edition Magic set called Arabian Nights, and it commanded market prices upwards of $100 per card. I could only play my Sengir Vampires and Serra Angels instead, and look on in admiration at what the"

-Matt

I think it's rather complete. Well, save for a little punctuation:

Use your imagination as you're reading it, the thought of playing against Juzam Djinn for the first time.

"Whoa! A 5/5 for 4 mana, and it's deliciously evil. Look at that tiny man just hanging there in this giant demon's grasp. His life, flashing before his eyes before he meets the infernal abyss that lies just within the demon's mouth. That card must be worth like 10 bucks."

"I paid $150 for it."

"WHAT THE?!!?!!"1

Plague Sliver

10-25-2015, 05:40 AM

Totally! You should consider taking up writing as well :cool:

Just released another small chapter. This one is about a hard lesson I learned when I was sixteen years old.

https://medium.com/@james_hsu/nick-taught-me-the-most-important-thing-about-magic-the-gathering-but-he-didn-t-play-magic-d1cced16c7f6

Cheers,
James

chlb

10-31-2015, 10:38 AM

Just read through parts 1-6, was well worth it. Made me think about my own approach to the game and what I really want to accomplish by playing it. Thanks for the good reads, James!

Plague Sliver

11-03-2015, 12:02 PM

Just read through parts 1-6, was well worth it. Made me think about my own approach to the game and what I really want to accomplish by playing it. Thanks for the good reads, James!

Thanks!

I'll be going to GP SeaTac in a few days. If anybody wants to meet up, let me know. Happy to get more feedback.

Plague Sliver

11-30-2015, 01:24 AM

So...I'm nearing the finish line. The 6-parter has been heavily revised, edited and expanded on to become a full-length book.

I started from the initial ~20K word count and now it's at 45K. As it stands, I have a draft of the book ready.

If anyone is interested in reading a draft of my upcoming "On Magic" book please message me or post here. Looking for constructive feedback -- tear it a new one if you have to. The goal is to make the final thing as good as possible.

Thanks,
James

Dice_Box

11-30-2015, 04:48 AM

I would be interested.

To note, because I "Read" while working, I have a text to speech program that I use. If it does not flow right I will let you know right away.

Havrekjex

11-30-2015, 07:17 AM

You can expect "gems" like:
- Influential Magic people in my life
- Brainstorm (the first rule of Fight Club is, never talk about Brainstorm)
- How I feel about speculators
- On being a sore loser
- The two Magic communities I grew up in (Vancouver and Beijing)
- On getting old
- Bans
- On pimping
- Epilogue (I *am* going to GP Seattle after all...)
I`m looking forward to these. Some of these topics are complicated, and getting to read someone`s internal reflections on stuff like pimping, speculators and being a sore loser is going to be interesting, especially when it`s from someone as honest as you. Pimping in particular, I think that`s something that a lot of people are conflicted about, the justifications and the self-deceptions.

Not to start that discussion here, but personally I`ve mostly given it up. Pimping, that is. I do like foils and nice stuff, and I always really, really want a lot of upgrades badly and I keep returning to the pimp thread to drool on their stuff, but experience has taught me that as soon as I cough up the dough for something serious and sleeve it up, owning it doesn`t really bring me a lot of joy, and having paid a lot extra for something so unnecessary kind of makes me feel bad when I have more important things to spend money on. I bet that`s something that a lot of people can relate to, maybe particularly older/grown up players with family and mortgage.

Plague Sliver

01-04-2016, 07:16 PM

New site is up:

http://writtenbyjames.com/books/

Updates:
- Found an editor
- Doing final edits (w/ editor and on my own)
- We're at 49,000 words
- Doing search for cover illustrator
- Going to start testing book titles this week.

---

SURVEY

Need to land on a proper title for my book. Which of the following titles do you like the most?

[Subject matter: my personal experience with a card game called "Magic: The Gathering." Chronicles the 20 years I spent playing it, the emotional ups & downs in competition, balancing it effectively in my life, interspersed with personal stories of success and failure.]

1. Obsessive Magic
2. Compulsive Magic
3. Twenty Years of Failure
4. Magic: the Addiction
5. Chasing the Spark
6. The Cruel Game

Feel free to suggest other titles as well. This was shortlisted from over 50+ brainstormed titles.

Plague Sliver

02-03-2016, 07:40 AM

After testing several different book titles, I've settled on Magic: the Addiction.

New excerpt on new site is up!
http://writtenbyjames.com/2016/02/03/magic-the-addiction-excerpt-1-introductions/

big_ticket

02-04-2016, 12:29 AM

wow,very good read..

magic will be always in my heart/mind just hooked into it,

I was thrilled playing the sengir vampires/killer bee's circa 95

Plague Sliver

02-22-2016, 05:10 AM

I've got a legit-looking cover and web site now. Release date: next month.

http://i.imgur.com/eMSwB6El.jpg

--- UPDATE FEBRUARY 23, 2016 ---

Book excerpt #2 is up, about my initial attempts to play (The Epic) Storm:
http://writtenbyjames.com/2016/02/22/magic-the-addiction-excerpt-2-storm/

easysantiago

02-23-2016, 03:13 PM

This is a fantastic project. All the power to you!

sdematt

02-23-2016, 03:40 PM

Plague Sliver

02-23-2016, 09:52 PM

I'd be happy to make the audiobook for you, free of charge.

I would prefer Morgan Freeman or Veronica Belmont, but if they decline, I guess there'll be a spot for you :tongue:

Plague Sliver

02-27-2016, 11:49 PM

Bump with new article.

--- UPDATE FEBRUARY 27, 2016 ---

Book excerpt #3: Good Magic player, bad Magic player:
http://writtenbyjames.com/2016/02/27/magic-the-addiction-excerpt-3-good-magic-player-bad-magic-player/

Plague Sliver

03-03-2016, 11:49 AM

On playing Magic in China: observations and how I got started.

http://writtenbyjames.com/2016/03/02/magic-the-addiction-excerpt-4-on-china/

jrsthethird

03-05-2016, 12:52 AM

http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/daily-magic-update/update-2016-03-03

#1 on the March 3rd Daily Update on the mothership!

Plague Sliver

03-05-2016, 02:23 AM

http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/daily-magic-update/update-2016-03-03

#1 on the March 3rd Daily Update on the mothership!

Yeah man, I was super stoked to see that. Thank you and all the other readers for the generous support.

My book is at 66,000 words now and I'm getting ready to publish later this month. Look forward to announcing it on Amazon soon :laugh:

Piceli89

03-05-2016, 02:32 PM

I wanted to chime in this thread because I feel your content.

I am in my mid-twenties and Magic has been part of my life for more than a decade. It has given me much in terms of mental developing and creativity, but with time passing and the crave for competitiveness rising more and more (despites me hardly attending real-life tournaments), it has taken a toll on my personal balance, oftentimes with me wasting notable amount of time (and by notable I really mean months) on it, tweaking decks to find the next big thing, perfectioning here and there, thinking about the game, chatting with "friends" and so on. In a word, a proper addiction, although more invisible than, say, alcohol. Luckily I am starting to take the reins of it all again and plan to ditch it for the future, or at least- this time for real- manage to carve out a small niche of my week for it and move on to more meaningful activities.
Like you, I also feel like it has somewhat contributed to damage my personal relationships by preventing them from growing (although I have to admit that it is not the only culprit in there).

It also amazes me how, the rare times I attend Mtg tournaments, I look at people and believe how some of them (most of?) are sad inside, trying to legitimate themselves and their self-worth by overcoming another human being (the opponent) in a card game. Perhaps this is nothing but myself projecting my own insecurities in this sentence, but I don't know-- there's always that strange feeling of excessive committment to the game and unhealthy un-sportmanship at the tables to strive and be the winner, which sends me a bad vibe. Maybe it is a hint on the human nature and why we care so much to prove our worth, somehow. Or maybe- and here I may very well be preaching cheap philosophy- it's the implication of such large amounts of money that is responsible for polluting the disinterest in having a ludic experience, turning it into a miserable rat race.

I don't know. The few times I attended large tournaments, even when in the very high standings and about to top8, I felt like it wasn't worth it at all. In those very moments, I could feel how all the aspirations at succeeding and putting myself in the spotlight, both to gain others's appreciation and my own, hardly were nothing but mental constructs and that I didn't really care. Perhaps I have already outgrown Magic but consuming such a heavy dose of online Mtg "culture" everyday hinders my capability of keeping that in mind.
---

Anyways, off my rambling. I wanted to express my appreciation for you writing this. I am just a few lines in one chapter but the honesty and detailed use of words echo my feelings. Thanks.

EDIT: I just saw your material was featured on the Mothership. I am surprised given how the title ("Magic: the addiction") may be at odds with their marketing politics. Perhaps it is something to be appreciated.

Plague Sliver

03-07-2016, 04:06 AM

Thanks for the kind words.

I'm hoping that being featured in passing make the title A-OK. Maybe allows for future collaborations with WOTC, you never know. I'll explore deeper after the book release.

Plague Sliver

03-14-2016, 06:56 AM

Here's another excerpt (Part 5). On how I flew from Beijing to New Jersey in 2014 for the Legacy GP. Also how I met Julian Knab for the first time.

http://writtenbyjames.com/2016/03/14/magic-the-addiction-excerpt-5-release-the-julian/

Plague Sliver

04-17-2016, 12:02 PM

Home stretch! The book is DONE and will be on Amazon.com next month, in both paperback and Kindle versions.

I'm taking pre-orders now. The pre-orders are completely obligation-free. Sign up and get 40 pages of the book for free, special out-takes (chapters that didn't make the final edit), and BIG DISCOUNTS ON THE FINAL BOOK. No obligation to buy anything.

Details on the pre-order:

https://writtenbyjames.com/books/

My goal is 100% about getting the message out to as many Magic players as possible. Hope to hear from you soon.

- James

Plague Sliver

05-04-2016, 08:24 PM

UPDATE MAY 5, 2016: Book is now available on Amazon!

Kindle edition
https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Addiction-20-Year-Gaming-Journey-ebook/dp/B01F55014Y

Paperback edition
http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Addiction-20-Year-Gaming-Journey/dp/1532963874

As one of the few Legacy-specific books out there, I hope you'll give it a read.

sdematt

05-04-2016, 08:30 PM

Stuart

05-05-2016, 09:49 AM

Just ordered a copy! Looking forward to reading it.

sadface

05-05-2016, 07:27 PM

As one of the few Legacy-specific books out there, I hope you'll give it a read.

What are the others?

Seraphix

05-05-2016, 08:51 PM

Just ordered my copy, looking forward to reading this!

Plague Sliver

05-06-2016, 12:22 AM

5-star review given on Amazon. :D

Congrats, James.

Thanks man! You're in the dedication AND acknowledgements for a reason!

Just ordered a copy! Looking forward to reading it.

Just ordered my copy, looking forward to reading this!

Thanks guys! I hope you enjoy it.

What are the others?

Well, Menendian has written a few strategy/deck-specific e-books over at Eternal Central. They technically count. I've not read them so I can't tell you about the contents.

I was just trying to err on the side of caution with that statement.

Plague Sliver

05-12-2016, 12:21 AM

Hey guys. I'm going to be running a Goodreads free book giveaway in a few days.

How it works: if you have a Goodreads account AND you're based in the United States, you will be able to sign up to enter a draw to win one of 20 free paperback books.

I'll update w/ details once the giveaway is live. Thanks for your support!

Plague Sliver

05-15-2016, 06:24 AM

Here it is. I'm giving away 20 paperback copies of my book.

If you are in the US of A and have a Goodreads account, enter into the random draw now:

https://writtenbyjames.com/2016/05/15/im-giving-away-20-paperback-copies-of-my-book/

If you win, I send you a paperback copy. Simple as that. Good luck!

iamajellydonut

05-16-2016, 11:36 PM

So, as some of you may know, I had recently run and finished my third Source-based tournament. Towards the end of it, Plague Sliver had messaged me and offered to donate a few copies to the top eight and offered an on-the-spot digital copy to me. Naturally, not being one to refuse free stuff, I accepted and happily extended the expected endorsement in due time. However, it's been a while since he made that offer, and the reason I haven't posted until now is because I didn't want to preemptively endorse anything.

Back when Plague Sliver's book was more of a blog, I read it as religiously as could be expected. However, life got in the way and, like most good periodicals in my life, I figured I would just catch up when the story came to an end and was compiled. Well, end it did. I'm all caught up now, and the finished product performed exactly as I expected and wanted it to. That's not to lament that that the tale is predictable, but to say that it detailed some uncomfortable parallels to my own life concluded with some stark truths and experiences that I wish I had been confronted with sooner.

While I would certainly advise every Magic player to read this book, Magic: The Addiction is, through and through, the coming-of-age story for the competitive minded or aspiring competitive. Despite having the digital copy already downloaded on my laptop, phone, and work computer (gotta read sometime), I already have a physical copy ordered and primed for lending.

Thank you, Plague Sliver, for the donation, and thank you for the book itself.

Plague Sliver

05-31-2016, 09:09 PM

6 HOURS LEFT in the book giveaway:
https://writtenbyjames.com/2016/05/15/im-giving-away-20-paperback-copies-of-my-book/

Context on how I wrote this book:
https://writtenbyjames.com/2016/05/12/how-i-wrote-a-book-in-seven-months/

Plague Sliver

06-12-2016, 09:03 AM

After finishing my book "Magic: The Addiction," I was interviewed by three really cool guys with a really cool Magic podcast.

http://mtgcast.com/mtgcast-podcast-shows/active-podcast-shows/leaving-a-legacy/leaving-a-legacy-ep-86-magic-the-addiction-and-gp-columbus-pregame

Even if you have no intention of reading the book, it's a fun talk where I talk about:
- Why I started writing a book
- Why I moved to China
- My bromance with sdematt and why he might be a drug dealer (I'm joking!)
- The highs and lows of playing a competitive game, and investing too much emotionally into it
- How to deal with balancing gaming and relationships

It's a fun conversation and the hosts Jerry Mee, Patrick Euglow, and Adrian "Mathematrickster" are awesome people with an awesome Magic talk show. Hope you can check it out!