Story of my life
August 14th 2010 03:04
“Imagination and fiction make up three-quarters of our real life.”
-- Simone Weil
That thoroughly internet-typical phenomenon of modern fiction, the fan story, is curiously absent from Magic. There are a few, to be sure, but in nowhere near the volume that other product lines see. This is arguably surprising, given that the game’s marketing campaigns invite players to put themselves in the shoes of a planeswalker (“Here I Rule,” among others).
Perhaps we should be thankful, given the number of crossovers in which Xander from Buffy the Vampire Slayer dates Jill Valentine from Resident Evil, and the myriad other offerings which illustrate how the world of fan fiction never misses an opportunity to miss the point. On the other hand, it may be that the lack of fan tributes is related to a deeper issue.
The lack of creativity in Magic gameplay and deckbuilding is a widely-noted problem, having been discussed by authors ranging from me to professional players like Pat Chapin. I find it unlikely that someone who is uncreative in one area of their life is likely to be creative in another. Deckbuilding has a passing element of similarity to writing: you need to start with a concept, you need to generate an idea of how it is going to progress, decide whether it is going to move quickly or slowly, use complicated components or simple ones . . .
The other problem relates to the contradictions that still exist in Wizards of the Coast’s marketing. The entry-level material is mostly of the “Here I Rule,” multiverse of infinite possibilities, fantastic creatures and spells class. But once you get past that, they start throwing technical terms at you – obscure deck type classifications, mana curves, card advantage and tempo, matchup analysis. That is, sometimes they encourage you to see the game as flavor, and other times they encourage you to see it as a technical exercise of some kind.
Fortunately, as I’ve been documenting in the last couple of months, the company has moved somewhat away from the constant discussion and promotion of competitive play that filled the online sphere as recently as last year. If Wizards of the Coast is successful in remaking Magic as the flavor gaming experience that, by their own admission, it was originally meant to be, a few pieces of poorly-written crossover fan fiction will be a small price to pay.
-- Simone Weil
That thoroughly internet-typical phenomenon of modern fiction, the fan story, is curiously absent from Magic. There are a few, to be sure, but in nowhere near the volume that other product lines see. This is arguably surprising, given that the game’s marketing campaigns invite players to put themselves in the shoes of a planeswalker (“Here I Rule,” among others).
Perhaps we should be thankful, given the number of crossovers in which Xander from Buffy the Vampire Slayer dates Jill Valentine from Resident Evil, and the myriad other offerings which illustrate how the world of fan fiction never misses an opportunity to miss the point. On the other hand, it may be that the lack of fan tributes is related to a deeper issue.
The lack of creativity in Magic gameplay and deckbuilding is a widely-noted problem, having been discussed by authors ranging from me to professional players like Pat Chapin. I find it unlikely that someone who is uncreative in one area of their life is likely to be creative in another. Deckbuilding has a passing element of similarity to writing: you need to start with a concept, you need to generate an idea of how it is going to progress, decide whether it is going to move quickly or slowly, use complicated components or simple ones . . .
The other problem relates to the contradictions that still exist in Wizards of the Coast’s marketing. The entry-level material is mostly of the “Here I Rule,” multiverse of infinite possibilities, fantastic creatures and spells class. But once you get past that, they start throwing technical terms at you – obscure deck type classifications, mana curves, card advantage and tempo, matchup analysis. That is, sometimes they encourage you to see the game as flavor, and other times they encourage you to see it as a technical exercise of some kind.
Fortunately, as I’ve been documenting in the last couple of months, the company has moved somewhat away from the constant discussion and promotion of competitive play that filled the online sphere as recently as last year. If Wizards of the Coast is successful in remaking Magic as the flavor gaming experience that, by their own admission, it was originally meant to be, a few pieces of poorly-written crossover fan fiction will be a small price to pay.
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