"Since its debut in 1993, Magic the Gathering has grown to be an influential collectible card game, allowing its community of loyal fans to duel each other with mana cards and spells while enjoying its lore and compelling narratives. This collection of essays focuses on Magic from a variety of disciplinary approaches. Authors explore the innovative game design of Magic, the ludic differences between analog and digital play, how players interact with the MTG market and one another, professional play versus casual play and the many ways Magic has impacted gaming"--
Since its debut in 1993, Magic the Gathering has grown to be an influential collectible card game, allowing its community of loyal fans to duel each other with mana cards and spells while enjoying its lore and compelling narratives. This collection of essays focuses on Magic from a variety of disciplinary approaches. Authors explore the innovative game design of Magic, the ludic differences between analog and digital play, how players interact with the MTG market and one another, professional play versus casual play and the many ways Magic has impacted gaming.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Shelly Jones
Magic: Design and Performance
Interview with Mark Rosewater
Aaron Trammell
Waiting for Player
Michael Nixon
Economies and Esports
Understanding the Magic: The Gathering Card Market: An Ethnographic Approach
Toward a Market Strategy
Eugenio Luciano and Alexander di Re
Spoiling the Future Metagame: The Promotional Logic and Reception of Card
Previews in Magic: The Gathering
Jan velch
Cracking Players as Packs: Finding Speculative Value in Magic: The
Gathering Through Play on Magic Arena and Twitch
Justin S. Schumaker
Wasnt in the Cards: The Proto-Esport of Professional Magic
Matt Knutson
The Communities of Magic: Ethnography and Education
Who wouldnt want to summon dragons and trolls? Constructing Communities at
Friday Night Magic
Rachel Guldin and Brandon C. Harris
Gathering Understanding: Subcultures, Hierarchies, and Norms
Calvin Liu
Student Creation of Magic: The Gathering Cards
as Cross-Disciplinary Pedagogy of Writing and Mathematics
Wendi Sierra and Kris Green
Reinterpreting Magic: Narratives Beyond the Deck
Pacifism as Epic Recomposition in Magic: The Gathering
Roger Travis
Gay Play: The Queer Possibilities of Magic: The Gathering
Aaron Aquilina
The Call of Eldrazi: The Lovecraftian in Magic: The Gathering
Valentino Paccosi
From Magic to Gwent: Magics Impact on the Gaming Industry
Jiwon Ohm
Conclusion
Shelly Jones
About the Contributors
Index
Shelly Jones is a professor of English at the State University of New York at Delhi and an editor for Analog Game Studies. Their research examines analog, digital, and role-playing games through the lens of intersectional feminism and disability studies.
