I’m not someone who has been following Magic since it’s earliest inception. I’ve never even been a person to study every point in its history. Lately, however, the community has been split every which way:
The protests and riots happening in the US have divided the Magic community even after it was already split by the release of Ikoria’s Companion mechanic, which sparked controversy and started conversations about new practices regarding set releases. Many questioned whether enough playtesting was being done, or if research across all available formats was able to justify the “obviously” over-powered mechanic.
Many gamers in the early 2000s have some memories of going inside of GameStop. Whether to purchase a few games or to trade in some old games, GameStop holds many fond memories for people. From 2017 to 2019, working at GameStop has been an interesting experience. GameStop seemed like a good place to work due to flexible hours on top of my schoolwork. While it was fun during my first few months there, many problems came up making that job intolerable.
The above quote is not only a great definition. It serves as a good reminder that gaming is about the experience the player has. We all play for different reasons: Some of us want to escape our current world, some of us just want to release some stress by killing zombies, some of us want to compete for glory in a fictional or real-world arena. All of these things lead us to seek experiences that games can provide.