Discussion Thread

This is the worst DT ever

Started Fate/zero, watched UBW I think 3 years ago or so. I probably should have watched the movies of the other path first but meh, pretty good so far. Mostly a holdover for me until the final part of bleach comes out

Visiting the next discussion thread….

Reposting because new thread

I have a rant that feels like nostalgia-fueled vitriol but I really don’t feel like it is. I’m going to use Magic: The Gathering as my launching point because it’s the most describable for me but, to a certain degree, you notice it in *everything.* It’s this wet, fetid blanket that encompasses most hobbies I had growing up.

So in 2012, you had Magic. It was chugging along. It was fine. It was fun. This is when I started playing and of course, being a teenager, I found all of the online videos and started playing this little underground format called EDH (which is the most popular format today but I’ll get to that later.) It sounds fun, cheap to build a deck, and I had a blast with my friends. Built decks, had our own meta, met people, and really got to show off play styles and, to be quite frank, a part of it felt like some form of expression.

I’m getting off-topic. It felt like people who talked about Magic back in the day had their critiques, complaints, and gripes, but it felt very honest. Reviews were authentic from people who loved the game and maybe made a little money if they could.

But something happened right before COVID in the world. Wizards of the Coast started to sponsor creators, give them previews, and partnered with them. The criticism stopped (why wouldn’t it?) and everything became almost clinical. Wizards made Commander (copyright-free version of Elder Dragon Highlander, of course) cards that were of course very influential on this spunky little format that gained a pretty decently-sized grassroots fandom. And now it’s the biggest moneymaker and it just feels so co-opted by Wizards.

And then there’s Universes Beyond, which is just taking other IP and printing sets with them.

And it’s worked out for Hasbro. More people are into the game and apparently commander and UB stuff sells like hotcakes. But it isn’t the same. It’s just… not my world anymore.

But like I said up top, this isn’t *really* about Magic: The Gathering. It’s just this general cultural shift I’ve seen over the past decade or so. Politics, gaming, even the people I know. The world has just evolved beyond me, I guess.