Coke bottle-framed glasses and shirts celebrating old school video games adorn various students hanging out Friday night at tables in front of Barney's in the HUB-Robeson Center.

You've seen them before -- the ones who play Magic: The Gathering, the oft-made fun of trading card game of wizards and warriors, and they are the first to admit the social stigma attached to the game.

"We're playing with cardboard pictures of dragons -- what do you want from us?" Ryan Zelazny (sophomore-computer science) said.

Almost every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday night, dozens of students pass on parties, bars and other weekend college staples to play Magic. It's been a tradition since the game's introduction in 1993, and Don Miller, a Penn State alumnus and Magic regular, has been there since the beginning.

"I was playing on the ground level of the HUB when Magic first came out," he said. His other claims to fame include at one time or another possessing every Magic trading card in existence twice -- before expansion packs set him searching again -- and owning a collection consisting of about 200,000 cards. And that's just for Magic.

Playing the game for so many years can put a dent in the wallet. While packs of cards are generally only a few dollars, the makers of the game release new expansion packs to the game every year, causing players to continue to shell out major cash ad infinitum. Some of the rarer, most valuable cards are worth close to $2,000.

"Some people spend thousands of dollars on rims, we spend thousands of dollars on cards," Dan Nelson (junior-biotechnology) said.

Yet another expense can come in the form of travel fees. Every year tournaments are held all over the nation for players of all expertise levels.

One of the HUB players' most respected Magicians is Vishu Doshi, a Penn Stater taking a semester off. Doshi has flown as far as San Diego and Las Vegas to compete and last year placed in the Top 100 in one of six annual pro tournaments held by Wizards of the Coast, makers of Magic. Some tournaments award prize money as high as $25,000 to $30,000.

"Some people are like 'you didn't give this up in eighth grade?' And I'm like 'I can win $25,000,' " Doshi said.

Despite the group's apparent competitiveness, they always welcome those wishing to learn the game. But what is it about Magic that makes it so addicting to players of all levels?

"They use addictive ink in cards," Nelson laughed, referring to an inside joke to the Magic crowd. "Most people who are so in love with the game are in love with games in general."

If practice makes perfect, it's amazing that every one of these guys hasn't won a tournament yet. Nelson says the Magic nights often last into the wee hours of the morning -- his personal best was a near 17-hour marathon.

While Magic does fill an obscene amount of time, Nelson takes part in Penn State's juggling club, and Doshi -- well, he is currently making enough money selling Magic cards to make a meager living.

Zelazny makes no excuses for his extracurricular activities -- when he's not playing Magic with friends, he's often either playing it online or playing World of Warcraft.

"Here at school, I pretty much study and play," Zelazny said. "That's about the sum of my existence."