The secret life
October 11th 2009 04:37
Developer interviews are a lot like the director’s commentary on a DVD, and equally variable. Sometimes they actually have something to say, and sometimes they’re the ones for Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s sixth season (“So, in this scene Buffy and Spike are sitting on the steps. This is the second-last scene of the episode”). There is precious little to learn in the one for Zendikar; I for one don’t care about what isn’t in the set, and I simply don’t agree that Time Spiral was “too cutesy-complicated” or whatever other Pittsburgh slang Aaron Forsythe uses to describe it. But I thought it was interesting that their only answer to the question about the old-school cards randomly inserted in Zendikar boosters was, and I quote
“Some combination of ‘I don't know’ and ‘We don't discuss collation.’”
This is interesting because Magic was not always as oversaturated with information as it is now. Not only was it practically impossible to find decklists from tournaments, Wizards of the Coast did not even release the full card lists for the first few expansions. Back then, you didn’t know how much of Arabian Nights you had left to collect until you opened a booster and saw only cards you had seen before. (Granted, there were only 78 cards in the set, so it probably wouldn’t take too long.) It’s easy to understand why. The game’s concept involves exploring distant, mysterious worlds of mystery. Back then, they felt that knowing the exact contents of would run counter to this concept.
It turned out to be too frustrating for collectors, who had become an important audience, and full checklists started coming out very early. Yet the concept of exploration and adventure has plenty to add to the game, as proven by the enthusiastic response to both Zendikar’s redistribution of Tropical Islands and its backstory of distant Persian-inspired kingdoms ripe for adventure. Maybe someday, when we get that feeling back, there won't be any more need to get other people to assess our cards' quality for us.
“Some combination of ‘I don't know’ and ‘We don't discuss collation.’”
This is interesting because Magic was not always as oversaturated with information as it is now. Not only was it practically impossible to find decklists from tournaments, Wizards of the Coast did not even release the full card lists for the first few expansions. Back then, you didn’t know how much of Arabian Nights you had left to collect until you opened a booster and saw only cards you had seen before. (Granted, there were only 78 cards in the set, so it probably wouldn’t take too long.) It’s easy to understand why. The game’s concept involves exploring distant, mysterious worlds of mystery. Back then, they felt that knowing the exact contents of would run counter to this concept.
It turned out to be too frustrating for collectors, who had become an important audience, and full checklists started coming out very early. Yet the concept of exploration and adventure has plenty to add to the game, as proven by the enthusiastic response to both Zendikar’s redistribution of Tropical Islands and its backstory of distant Persian-inspired kingdoms ripe for adventure. Maybe someday, when we get that feeling back, there won't be any more need to get other people to assess our cards' quality for us.
Island of wonder, where do you come from?
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