Pandora's sword
March 8th 2011 05:23
But [Pandora] took off the great lid of the jar with her hands and scattered all these and her thought caused sorrow and mischief to men.
-- Hesiod, “Works and Days,” trans. H.G. Evelyn-White
If I had any chance of returning to Melbourne’s Magic community in good standing, I blew it last weekend. Not in the way you might think – I haven’t logged into my account on the scene’s forums recently, much less posted; it’s approaching a year since I last set foot in a branch of Good Games. No, I did something much worse. I made a Magic deck, and I put “suboptimal” cards in it. I put those cards in the deck because I just like them, despite the fact that I own “better” cards.
I’ve always been wary of people who regale listeners with tales of halcyon days now lost forever, so I’m not going to tell you that there was more tolerance of “suboptimal” decks in the past. I vividly remember being part of a nascent scene near the dawn of Magic: the Gathering’s history, and as such I vividly remember the cheating, the malicious advice, the predatory trading behavior, and the poor sportsmanship that are, sadly, the scourge of so many groups. Dealing with communities was never by any means pleasant, but it used to be slightly more possible to play a “suboptimal” deck without having to face endless inquisition about why you weren’t playing something different. At the very least, dedicated singles vendors didn’t exist yet (much less eBay), and so many people had to make do with what they found in boosters.
Part of the blame must rest on the internet. Not only is it easier than ever to find out what other people are doing, it is harder than ever to escape the idea that there’s a right and a wrong way to play. Even something as seemingly innocuous as posting decklists under the heading of “Top 8 finishes at Tournament XX” ripples far beyond the obvious – everyone has experience of peer pressure, and peer pressure from those deemed successful by, say, the Magic community is the hardest to resist. You can’t post a casual deck in a forum, even one dedicated to casual play, without being suggested the same tiny handful of cards to improve it. (Notice the thread listing “Cards that should be in every Commander deck” that you can find in almost any forum.)
Indeed, we may already be past the point where you can be a casual player and participate profitably in the online community. On the one hand, this is probably more pleasant for both the silent casual majority and the vocal competitive minority. On the other, who will hear when the majority drops out of the hobby?
-- Hesiod, “Works and Days,” trans. H.G. Evelyn-White
If I had any chance of returning to Melbourne’s Magic community in good standing, I blew it last weekend. Not in the way you might think – I haven’t logged into my account on the scene’s forums recently, much less posted; it’s approaching a year since I last set foot in a branch of Good Games. No, I did something much worse. I made a Magic deck, and I put “suboptimal” cards in it. I put those cards in the deck because I just like them, despite the fact that I own “better” cards.
I’ve always been wary of people who regale listeners with tales of halcyon days now lost forever, so I’m not going to tell you that there was more tolerance of “suboptimal” decks in the past. I vividly remember being part of a nascent scene near the dawn of Magic: the Gathering’s history, and as such I vividly remember the cheating, the malicious advice, the predatory trading behavior, and the poor sportsmanship that are, sadly, the scourge of so many groups. Dealing with communities was never by any means pleasant, but it used to be slightly more possible to play a “suboptimal” deck without having to face endless inquisition about why you weren’t playing something different. At the very least, dedicated singles vendors didn’t exist yet (much less eBay), and so many people had to make do with what they found in boosters.
Part of the blame must rest on the internet. Not only is it easier than ever to find out what other people are doing, it is harder than ever to escape the idea that there’s a right and a wrong way to play. Even something as seemingly innocuous as posting decklists under the heading of “Top 8 finishes at Tournament XX” ripples far beyond the obvious – everyone has experience of peer pressure, and peer pressure from those deemed successful by, say, the Magic community is the hardest to resist. You can’t post a casual deck in a forum, even one dedicated to casual play, without being suggested the same tiny handful of cards to improve it. (Notice the thread listing “Cards that should be in every Commander deck” that you can find in almost any forum.)
Indeed, we may already be past the point where you can be a casual player and participate profitably in the online community. On the one hand, this is probably more pleasant for both the silent casual majority and the vocal competitive minority. On the other, who will hear when the majority drops out of the hobby?
| 29 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
