Beyond the Deck: Critical Essays on Magic: The Gathering and Its Influence

by Shelly Jones (Editor), Matthew Wilhelm Kapell (Editor)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476649061
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	08/08/2023
Series:	Studies in Gaming
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	309
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

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.
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

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