Gaming association brings cardboard to life


Monday, March 16, 1998	Gaming association brings cardboard to life By TIM SWIFT Collegian Staff Writer Brian Edsell practices delving into the arcane and mysterious world of Magic. But for now, his sorcery is confined to cardboard. Magic: The Gathering, a collectable card game, has summoned the attention of many would-be warlocks, leading gaming enthusiasts to create a new student organization, the Gaming Association of Penn State (GAPS). "It uses a lot of imagination and is a very strategic game," said Edsell (senior-journalism) said of Magic.
`Magic: The Gathering`	Although the game holds student interest, fewer card and comic stores are holding tournaments and giving players a place to meet, said Lee Parks, president of GAPS. "A lot of people showed interest in gaming but had no set time or place to meet," said Parks (sophomore-management science and information systems), amid four tables of heated competition in the HUB basement.
Brian Edsall (senior-journalism) lays a card Monday night during a game of Magic: The Gathering. Edsall is part of the GAPS club that meets each Monday in the HUB. (Collegian Photo/Galen A. Lentz - click for full size image)	The organization's activities include participating in role playing and board games, Parks said. But the Magic game is the most popular draw for membership -- more than half of the members participate, Parks said. According to Wizards of the Coast, Magic's publisher, the game combines the collectibility of sports cards with the strategy of a board game. Each player represents a powerful wizard battling for control over a territory using spells in the form of cards. Players construct their individual decks from a library of over 1,200 cards. The "wizards" compete for "life points" from rival players to win the game. GAPS is planning many Magic tournaments throughout the semester. Some are open to all, others only to members. Prizes include gift certificates from local businesses such as Crescent Moon Comics and Cards, 351 E. Calder Way, and the Comic Swap, 110 S. Fraser St. Local comic and card stores have received increased business and customers from Magic's latest product, Stronghold, which introduces 143 new cards to the game.
`Online demonstration of Magic: the Gathering`	Even though comic sales is the Comic Swap's main source of revenue, Magic cards make for a very consistent secondary business, said store employee Steve Darrall. The Comic Swap just began selling Stronghold cards earlier in the month and is getting positive response from customers. "New cards are always good for business," Darrall said. Addiction is a problem among many Magic players, Edsell said. "I refuse to teach any new players because I'm afraid they will get addicted just like I was," Edsell said. As passersby glance at the competitions with smirks and mutterings, some players feel their "life points" are not the only things that need defending. Magic ads say 'All you need is a deck, a brain and a friend' to play, but some players of Magic only have a deck and a brain, Edsell said.
`Game news in InQuest Magazine`	It's true that many introverted people are associated with Magic, said Stuart Reid (freshman-engineering), a member of GAPS. With empty wrappers of Stronghold scattered across the one of the GAPS' playing tables, Dan Fletcher (junior-electrical engineering) sat back ready for card trading. "I like Magic because it's fun and it makes you think" said Fletcher, who recently decided to start trading his cards. Although some players have been playing for two or three years, Magic continues to be an interesting hobby for them. "There is a pool of over a thousand cards to choose from," Edsell said. "And new cards always change the playing environment which keep things interesting." GAPS role playing and board games are played on weekends in 210 and 212 Hammond. The organization's Magic games take place Monday and Wednesday nights in the HUB basement.