Since its debut in 1993, Magic: The Gathering has grown to be an influential collectible card game, allowing its community of loyal fans to duel each other while enjoying its lore and compelling narratives. This collection of essays focuses on Magic from a variety of disciplinary approaches. Authors explore the innovative game design of Magic, the ludic differences between analog and digital play, how players interact with the MTG market and one another, professional play versus casual play and the many ways Magic has impacted gaming.

Shelly Jones is a professor of English at the State University of New York at Delhi and an editor for Analog Game Studies. Their research examines analog, digital, and role-playing games through the lens of intersectional feminism and disability studies.

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments

Introduction

Shelly Jones

Magic: Design and Performance

Interview with Mark Rosewater

Aaron Trammell

Waiting for Player

Michael Nixon

Economies and Esports

Understanding the Magic: The Gathering Card Market: An Ethnographic Approach Toward a Market Strategy

Eugenio Luciano and Alexander di Re

Spoiling the Future Metagame: The Promotional Logic and Reception of Card Previews in Magic: The Gathering

Jan Švelch

"Cracking" Players as Packs: Finding Speculative Value in Magic: The Gathering Through Play on Magic Arena and Twitch

Justin S. Schumaker

Wasn't in the Cards: The ­Proto-Esport of Professional Magic

Matt Knutson

The Communities of Magic: Ethnography and Education

"Who wouldn't want to summon dragons and trolls?" Constructing Communities at Friday Night Magic

Rachel Guldin and Brandon C. Harris

Gathering Understanding: Subcultures, Hierarchies, and Norms

Calvin Liu

Student Creation of Magic: The Gathering Cards

as ­Cross-Disciplinary Pedagogy of Writing and Mathematics

Wendi Sierra and Kris Green

Reinterpreting Magic: Narratives Beyond the Deck

Pacifism as Epic Recomposition in Magic: The Gathering

Roger Travis

Gay Play: The Queer Possibilities of Magic: The Gathering

Aaron Aquilina

The Call of Eldrazi: The Lovecraftian in Magic: The Gathering

Valentino Paccosi

From Magic to Gwent: Magic's Impact on the Gaming Industry

Jiwon Ohm

Conclusion

Shelly Jones

About the Contributors

Index