On Going Pro At Magic - The Gathering

VonGuard writes "It's been 12 years since Magic: the Gathering was released, by WotC, and the game is now six million players strong. The East Bay Express has a long-form piece narrating the trials and tribulations of a man who's trying to turn pro at this addictive trading card game . Richard Garfield is always demanding the mind athletes be treated with the same respect as physical athletes. As you can see in the story, however, we're not quite there yet."

And such a well-written article, too...

[Tyrdium]

Hugh looks boyish, but actually he's 35, and takes this shit very seriously.

Yep, those are definitely the words of a great journalist. It gives the whole thing amazing authority. ;)

Can you imagine it?

[lake2112]

Madison Square Garden on a Saturday Night ... Completely sold out .... Its the finals of the Magic the gathering world championships Hugh Moore vs. Erik Lauer ... TO THE THOUSANDS IN ATTENDANCE AND THE MILLIONS AT HOME LETS GET READY TO RUUUUUUMMMMMMBBBBBBBBLLLLLLLEEEEE!! Fans wearing shirts that say "My Serra Angel loves me" and "I've got Craw Wurms" Can you imagine it?? Scary huh ...

From the article...

[BTWR]

Hugh looks boyish, but actually he's 35, and takes this shit very seriously.

Boy, can this sucker write! New York Times, here he comes!

throw new LanguageDilutionException();

[Dr. Bent]

demanding the mind athletes be treated with the same respect as physical athletes.

Mind athletes?? The last time I checked, an Athlete [reference.com] is someone who required good physical attributes in order to be sucessful. The term "Mind Athlete" makes no sense whatsoever [reference.com].

Lets call these people what they are...gamers. Being a gamer is nothing to be ashamed of, and I would love to see more professional gaming, and more pro gamers. This goes for both the electronic and "pencil and paper" variety.

But come on people, is Gary Kasparov a "Mind Athelete"? Maybe gatorade can come out with a new marketing campaign:

"When you're trying to decide between bishop to R3 or a queen gambit, your body depletes essential minerals and nutrients..."

Wallet: The Emptying?

[real_smiff]

Heh, well where I used to play it was known as Tragic: The Saddening.

(Note, I did use to play this game, so this is not a troll. It's a great game, I even won some local competitions, but one day I woke up and didn't want to play it any more. Just no urge whatsoever. Perhaps I should give it another go. Wallet: The Emptying *is* pretty accurate though).

Re:Pro?

[Saige]

The rare cards go for a quite a price in some cases. I have single cards worth over $10

$10? Somewhere at home I have a little box that contains a Library of Alexandria, 4 Mana Drains, and a Time Walk. (My Mox Sapphire disappeared during a pro tour qualifier a few years ago)

$10? Pshaw. :)

What surprises me...

[DumbWhiteGuy777]

What really surprised me is how the author wrote 6 PAGES about a guy playing Magic: The Gathering.

And I read the whole thing.

Re:I can't believe

[Goldberg's Pants]

First game of Magic I ever played, a friend busted out a Mountain Goat and cast Flying on it. For me, the dreaded "Flying Mountain Goat" sums up everything that makes Magic a real laugh:)

Main reason I've collected the cards though is for the art.