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by John MacMillan
A World of Diversity I recently participated in a tournament this past weekend. And as I looked around I noticed something that I never noticed before. The diversity of people who play the game of magic. I saw people : twenty, thirty years old, teenagers of every racial diversity, people with their girlfriends, wives and children. (not all at once of course. The wife finding out about the girlfriend is as bad as the girlfriend finding out about the kids ; ). And though there were people of every walk of life present, they were all competing on an equal level. Reach Out and Tap Someone In retrospect, when we step back and look at it, magic is just a game. Coloured cardboard with fancy pictures. Rule books and regulations. But as a whole, magic has brought a lot to those who play it. An intersting hobby, full of strategy and diversity. Thousands of cards to chose from, and common ground between people and players you may never have met otherwise. And this is not only a local thing. Magic is printed in many languages, in different places for people around the world. It’s opened up a new world of strategy and interest for people coast to coast, and across borders. Even more incredible is the accesibility of players. With the age of electronic communication upon us, we can reach out and communicate with people a world apart. Just the other day I was speaking ot someone on the bdominia chat line. He said he was from holland but was currently in japan. He had met people over there who played and who had friends who played. He spoke to people he had never met because he knew they had a common interest, and thats what multiculturalism is all about. Over the time I’ve played magic I’ve met people I’d like to call friends. People who I would never have met other wise. At tournaments, comic stores and on chat lines. I’ve kept in touch with these people and come to develop a long standing trust. We don’t talk about just magic. Magic was just the common thread that introduced us to each other. Men, women, and people all over the world. I’m proud to say that I’ve been getting a lot more E-Mail than usual since I started playing, and especially since I started writting for Beyond Dominia. I had always had the urge to write, to tell others what I think. But until recently I’ve had no way to say it , and no outlet to express it. Magic has exposed a hidden interest in me, and as a result has affected others by encouraging me to share it with them. Who knows, when I’m running DCI (see last article) my friends of today might be my co-workers of tommorow. It's a Wonderful Game Have you ever thought about the number of people this “game” affects all over the world? To start with, me. My life would be a lot different than it is now with out magic. There are people that I would never have known. Games I would never have played, and tournaments I would never have won (hee, hee). Admittedly, my wallet might have been a little more full, but I consider it a fair price in exchange for fun, friends, and intersting experiences. What about the number of people that this game employs? The people at WotC, the people at InQuest, and Scrye, the people at DCI, and comic store owners who owe much of their profit to this “game”. Of course you can argue the other side. “Printing cards kill trees, the plastic packaging is bad for the environment...” Well, how many cows have to die to supply the NFL with the leather for their footballs? How many ash trees must be cut down so that baseball players can hear a wooden crack insdead of an alluminum ping when they hit a home run? And do you really think those golf cleats are good for the grass? The Weird, the Proud, the Many The problem I face and most certainly others face is the stereotype that those who play are nerds or geeks. I’m used to stereotypes. I’m Canadian, so just about every American I meet on chat lines ask me how cold it is. I’m a white guy who listens to Hip-Hop and reggae, and on top of all that I play magic. Well with the number of people who play all over the world, when you insult magic players, you're insulting a LOT of people. Sure it’s a game, so is golf and curling and any number of other games. Some of them have televised games and leauges and tournaments. Thier really not all that different. I say if you play, play proud. Not only do you have me on your side, you have the rest of the world. I’m John MacMillan, and thats my two cents.
Comments would be appreciated. Keep ‘em clean and keep ‘em commin’
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