An introduction to the Magic The Gathering fandom examining motivations and dynamics for ITP's Fandom class.

1. Hia, Uy, Minsky, Mohapatra, Saxe

2. October 2, 2015, an
important day for MTG...

4. Planeswalkers

5. Spells

6. Archetypes

7. HISTORY

8. Genesis:
August 5
1993

9. “So, with Magic, my game was inspired by the
mechanics. I was interested in designing a game in
which people could construct their own decks, and
that was the root of the game.
It wasn’t until months later that I came up with the
idea of attaching a magical theme to it.
But another game I designed, Pecking Order, which is
kind of an abstract bluffing game, has the motif of
birds landing on posts, and the better posts are
occupied by birds higher on the pecking order.”
*An Interview with Richard Garfield, Creator of Magic: The Gathering, Vice

10. First Modern “CCG”

11. Secondary Market
A rare "Alpha Black Lotus" card,
from waaaay back in 1993, has
gone for $27,302 on eBay,
owing both to the fact it's rare
(one of only 1100 printed) and
also because it was in almost
perfect condition.
*Rare Magic Card Sells For $27,000, Kotaku

12. Pro Tour
1996

13. 2002
1997 2012

14. Franchise
Announced
June 12, 2014
*‘Game Of Thrones’ Scribe Bryan Cogman Takes On ‘Magic The Gathering’ For Fox, Deadline

15. Summary:
*Rare Magic Card Sells For $27,000, Kotaku
● 1991: WOTC founded
● 1993: M:TG debut
● 1994: M:TG won Mensa Top 5 Mind Games
● 1995: 250+ WOTC employees, $65+ million in sales
● 1996: M:TG Pro Tour
● 1997: WOTC acquired TSR (D&D makers)
● 1999: WOTC prints Pokemon TCG (blows away sports cards)
● 1999: Hasbro acquired WOTC

16. WHAT THEY CARE ABOUT

17. Skill at the game

18. Putting together impressive decks

19. Collecting powerful or rare cards

20. Knowledge about upcoming cards and rules

21. SOCIAL NORMS
&
STATUS

22. CONTEXT BASED

23. In Person Interaction
● More relaxed rules in casual play,
tournaments are formal
○ Stick to your weight class
○ Be courteous to other
players
○ Competitive play has a very rigid
etiquette to it.
○ If you lose, you should offer the loser
a handshake and say “Good game.”
● Different collection tactics and
motivations

24. Tournaments: “Details are forgotten, raw numbers
aren’t.” - Sam Black, professional Magic player

25. Skill and Expertise
● Magic, especially high-level
Magic, has a lot of its own lingo
and shorthand
● The most respect is gained from
knowledge and perceived level
of skill at playing and winning the
game. These are considered
different skills.
● People play Magic for all kinds of
reasons, but most are in it to win.

26. Specialization
● A lot of respect can be gained from
being really great at one aspect of the
game.
● Some players are particularly well
known for their deckbuilding, while
others are known for playing specific
versions like limited or modern
● Red is the least respected deck-type.
It’s considered less impressive if you
win with a “burn” deck than if you do it
with something more complicated.

27. Online
● Magic accounts
● Forums
○ Moderators
○ Topic threads
about the game
○ Topic threads
mildly related to
the game

28. GROUP COHESION

29. Exchanging Gifts (Knowledge)
● 18+ ‘core’ sets
● 69+ ‘expansion sets
● cumulative levels of complexity + game mechanics lend
themselves to a dynamic of explaining / arguing
● numerous opportunities to ‘teach’ / listen to yourself talk

30. Jostling For Social (Equality)
“Wizards' market research, he said, showed a ratio
of 62% male to 38% female in their player base. As
many people noted, this percentage is way above
female participation at Grand Prixs, SCG Opens,
the Pro Tour, or even at FNMs. In these
environments, female participation is more likely to
range from one in twenty to one in one hundred
players, or between 1 and 5 percent.
It stands to reason that if these women aren't
showing up to competitive events, then they're
casual “kitchen table” players. What's keeping
them from transitioning to competitive
environments?”
*Women In Magic: the Gathering, StarCityGames

31. SUMMARY:
● As fanbase expands and grows, assumptions around who is a
fan/player evolve and are challenged.
● Environment dictates specific rules about social conduct, but
generally
the expectation is to not be a jerk.
● Despite the norms created in the fan community, in the end, the
game is the most important. *(opinion)