The consumption of the card game, Magic: The Gathering, is a hobby of mine. Starcitygames.com has always been a really nice site for such a hobby. As you go to the homepage, you will find an advertisement for the newest set of cards, to be released on October 1, 2010, named Scars of Mirrodin, and you can see a variety of different packages for the new set. To the uniformed, these prices may seem a bit high, but if you are familiar with the game and/or play the game, you can understand the advertising on the homepage hits home. The beginning of this month, they started to release the price range for the new set little by litte. When I came to the site one day and seen the "fat packs" for only $30, it made me smile. The usual price is $10 more.
I also chose to write about this site because of the hobby itself and how it pertained to the chapter in the book. Though a card game like MTG may not be extremely popular to everyone, or even known for that matter, the nerd world around them is very excitable to the notion of new cards. One aspect of MTG that keeps me as a consumer is the artwork on the cards. Each individual card has separate artists who create amazing displays of fantasy and give the game a good amount of aesthetic value.
I have played Magic: The Gathering only twice in my life, and even then it was not for a long time. I am intrigued by the game and how it is played, but have never taken the time to sit down and learn it fully, or spent the money to start up on my own. I do love the artwork of each card, and i think it is one of the key points that attracts me to the game, besides being a competitive game of skill (i love good competition against other players in the games i play) The site lists many different tournaments that are happening for this game, and this part of the site interests me, even when i don't know how to play. The website is catered toward preexisting members of this subculture. There isn't much on there for new users to the game. Most of the site is general news about the game, upcoming MTG Events, and postings by members of the site. Most of the posting and advertisements on this site would not be understood by a person who does not know the game.
ReplyDeleteI can agree with that statement. Most of the site does have a prerequisite of knowing what MTG is in the first place. I think the only other people who would enjoy the site without any previous knowledge are avid gamers and art enthusiasts.
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