trading cards

[trueliesaa]

This is an article I wrote for the school news paper but never submitted... let me know what you think

Trading Cards:
Useless hobby, or helpful tool.


I felt that there was reason to write this after a parent banned trading cards in our house, and got mad at a friend for bringing his with him.
My parent, as many parents do, believes that these Trading Card Games, or TCGs as they’re called in Japan, are nothing more than a useless waste of time on my part, and that there are many more productive things that I could be doing [by which I’m assuming he means schoolwork].
But the reason that I am writing this is to make a point that is overlooked by most parents, as well as most teachers; Trading Card Games are, in fact, very helpful.
Sure, book work begets booksmarts, but there is another type of intelligence, one that I believe is underappreciated by many, and which dramatically needs to be improved... that intelligence being what I have called situational adaptation.
By now, you’re probably thinking to yourself, “this is just a ticked-off, anger-ridden teen trying to sound smart, and you may be right, but I have a point to make, and I’m going to make it.
The best way to illustrate the point is to explain the basic rules that most TCGs follow, and try to explain how these relate to real-life situations.
So let us start with basic rules, shall we? Firstly, no matter what TCG you are talking about, you always have a limit as to how many of a certain card you can have in your deck. This may be seen by some card-players as a bad thing, but in actuality, it is a very good thing. By limiting the number of a card you have in your deck, it becomes harder for your opponent to decipher your strategy, hence the first real-life comparison: You can only use the same technique in a given situation a limited amount of times. It is not always appropriate to do the same thing. THERE IS NO BLANKET RULE!!
Okay, so now you’re saying, “how does this apply to me?” Well, let me show you.
Let us just say that you believe that our president is an evil man and should be thrown out of office, but you are in an area that is crowded with supporters of our current president. You probably wouldn’t want to shout off at the mouth in front of everyone that you don’t like the man. In that situation, it may not be a very good Idea to open your mouth.
But what if you were at a convention of people who felt the same way as you, and where there was a prominent and powerful figure heading the discussion? Opening your mouth in this situation good create a very good situation for you.
Another rule that applies for most TCGs is that in order to use cards, certain requirements generally need to be met. Sometimes it’s sacrificing a weaker card for a stronger one. Sometimes it is drawing energy from other cards on the field. The point is you must have a certain situation for a certain card to be used.
This is a little more of a skewed concept, but it IS there. Obviously, you can’t use a card that you don’t have in your hand, just as you cannot use a skill in life that you have never learned. For example, it might not be appropriate for you to take the podium at graduation if you hadn’t had some kind of speech class [preferably one you got a decent grade in.] Also sometimes one skill should be used as backup for another one. Let’s say that you have a skill of being able to use people’s emotions. You can combine that with being able to put things across in a persuasive or easy-to-understand way, and you are more likely to be accepted.
Another rule in all TCGs is that there is a minimum number of cards you can use [for most, that minimum is between 40-60, although that’s not completely relevant]. The reason for this, in terms of the card game is so that you will not just automatically win every time by only having a small amount of cards in your deck, but it also illustrates a very powerful point in real life: You should have more than just one or two skills that you can use. You should have multiple “cards” in your “hand” as you can, since different cards are better in different situations.”
These are all basic rules of TCGs, and they all have very profound real-life implications. Now we move on to the Strategy portion of TCGs.
Most of the time, a deck in a TCG is built around a particular strategy. It is constructed so that all the cards in the deck support each other, and work toward the eventual hopefulness of winning the game.
And of course, just as you want to win the game, most people want to “win” the “game” of life, and what does this say? Your cards should be supporting each other! Find something that you are good at, and build your “deck” around it [if you are good at acting, for instance, try focusing some skills on things like the way you speak, or the way you look. Try to gear your “deck” of “cards” in such a way that supports your strength.] But also remember that not all situations are appropriate for certain actions. There will be people with other “decks” that are contradictory to yours, and so you should put “cards” in your “deck” that make it able to handle the situation [in the above example, perhaps it would be beneficial to learn some negotiation or bargaining skills].
Lastly we come to winning the game. Each situation in life can be considered as a “game”. You have “won” if you come out of the situation in a more favorable position than you were in when you entered it, or if you have succeeded in getting whatever it was you wanted when you entered. A “game” can be considered a “draw” if you have not gained anything through the situation, but you have not “lost” the situation either.
A “loss” of a “game” happens when you come out of the situation looking worse than you went in, or not getting what you entered with intention to get [or worse, losing something].
I hope you take this comparison to heart, and let the cards be with you.
_________________
http://www.skjeret.com/images/WindWaker/NintendoGallery/G4/Mothula.jpg

[2good2bebad]

its good but VERY boring

[bowiegranap]

Let me start with saying that I play vintage MTG competitively. At any given tournament, there's almost $100,000 worth of cards in the room.


[quote] My parent, as many parents do, believes that these Trading Card Games, or TCGs as they’re called in Japan, are nothing more than a useless waste of time on my part, and that there are many more productive things that I could be doing [by which I’m assuming he means schoolwork]. [/quote]

They're absolutely right. Make no bones about it, card games are designed to make money for their creators, and while they might teach a person to think, don't be under the illusion that what you're geting is proportional to what you're spending. Despite loving the game and spending a lot of money on it, I won't buy your argument.

What it is, however, is YOUR CHOICE. Its your money. Its your time. They're yours to spend on things you want to spend it on.

Here's my advice:

Drop the arguments that these things are good for you, graduate, work, and become independent so that you can spend your time and money without anyone having the moral leg on telling you what you should do with your own time and money. Most of the people I play with work -- lawyers, architects, doctors, etc. No one tells us what to do with what we've earned, and we're mature enough to recognize that this is simply a hobby.

If you're too young to do that, then prove to your parents that the game isn't harmful -- not with your arguments, but by showing them that you can get good grades (because that's what it seems the value) even while playing. If you play then get sloppy grades, then that just proves what they're saying, no matter what you say to the contrary.

[WizardoftheWood]

Trading cards are basically useless but I can't help it that I'm addicted to them. Yes, I collect hockey cards. It's an expensive hobby now. I usually have to drop down at least $70 whenever I go and buy some. The Upper Deck Artifact packs that I picked up were crazy expensive but worth it considering I pulled a Don Cherry Legend card. Getting game worn jersey cards or autograph cards is a pretty big thrill though and that's what makes me keep buying more.