Playing Cards
The Future of MMOs and the
Growing Popularity of Online Card Games
By Cody "Micajah" Bye
As a typical nerd, I indulge in all the different flavors and
flairs of geekdom. I have boxes of comic books stashed away, own as
many video game systems as I can afford, roll dice on a weekly basis,
and have a serious addiction to collectible card games. Seriously, it's an addiction. Every time I see them splayed on store shelves, I want to buy a pack. It’s
been a challenging task to resist the temptation to pick up new card
games every week, but I’ve been dutifully resisting that urge.
For those unfamiliar with standard collectible card games, it
requires a fairly heft sum of cash to become a viable contender for any
tournament that you may be entering in.
alt="Magic the Gathering was the first online TCG."
title="Magic the Gathering was the first online TCG."
name="photo_j" border="0" height="120" width="150">
alt="" height="1" width="1">
alt="" height="1" width="1">
Magic the Gathering: Online was the first TCG to break
into the internet format.
Whether you’re buying
individual cards or try the “open a box” method,
you’re still spending several hundred dollars to create a
deck that is a viable option in any sort of competitive play.
And boy, did I want to be competitive. I’d get a
thrill every time I opened a fresh pack of cards. New card smell is
something you don’t ever forget, if you’re an
addict. It was a plight to me and my pocketbook. The only answer was
MMOs.
I’ve been able to overcome the temptation by playing
MMOs, devoting my time and energy to leveling a character rather than
competing in tournaments. And it’s a fair trade. Instead of
spending hundreds of dollars a month on cards, I spend $15 on a
favorite MMO and call it quits. Instead of going to my gaming shop, I
play online with friends and (if I wasn’t sent to many of the
fan events by TTH) I could use that extra cash to fly out and see my
virtual friends at a fun-filled event.
alt="The Pirates Constructible Strategy Game was a success even before it went online."
title="The Pirates Constructible Strategy Game was a success even before it went online."
name="photo_j" border="0" height="113" width="150">
alt="" height="1" width="1">
alt="" height="1" width="1">
The Pirates Constructible Strategy Game was a success
even before it went online.
The Rise of Online Card Games
During the latter half of the 90s and early parts of this
decade, this was certainly an easy way to avoid the temptation of card
games. By logging on to Everquest, Dark Age of Camelot, or any of the
other MMOs that were running during that time, card game players could
effectively eliminate the temptation to swirl away hundreds of dollars.
However, things are slowly beginning to change.
With the release of Magic the Gathering: Online in 2002, the
card gaming world began encroaching in the online space again, this
time with a passion. Now, card players could spend hundreds of dollars
with a click – no cash register or card swiping needed. It
was instant gratification. Now if someone needed a card, all they had
to do was look on the numerous trading sites and get the card that they
needed.
Need more cards to build your deck with? Just buy 20 packs and
have at it! Without the need to search for a gaming store or card shop,
card players wee sucked in again – this time with the suction
force of a F16 fighter jet.
Former card gamers now don’t have any reason not to
play these games. They love the cards, can request true paper version
of the cards from the online game, and have access to online
tournaments on a near daily basis.
alt="SOE put together the online portion of the Stargate TCG."
title="SOE put together the online portion of the Stargate TCG."
name="photo_j" border="0" height="113" width="150">
alt="" height="1" width="1">
alt="" height="1" width="1">
SOE put together the online portion of the Stargate TCG.
The MMO Dilemma
So what does this have to do with MMOs?
Depending on where you look, that answer can vary. Most online
game companies don’t have anything to do with trading cards.
Even when they do – like the World of Warcraft trading card
game that has made such a splash on the gaming scene – they
don’t directly impact the online universe at all. In
WoW’s case, it has probably helped their popularity.
However, there are companies with vested interests in online
games – both MMO and collectible cards – that are
attempting to pursue both markets. Sony Online Entertainment is the big
name in this venue, and they’ve been actively pursuing the
card game market, trying to gain a foothold to MtGO’s
dominance. By picking up the online version of the Pirates
Constructible Strategy Game, developing the Stargate card game, and
continuing their Star Chamber card series, Sony Online Entertainment is
primed to make a move on the marketplace.
The real dilemma comes if Sony Online succeeds with their
online card games. Realistically, online card games typically take less
effort to produce then a full-scale AAA MMO, especially if the card set
already has a real-life counterpart like Magic or the Pirate game.
While other online companies are spending millions of dollars
developing new MMOs, SOE is building much smaller-scale worlds and has
the potential to reap a much larger net profit.
Does this mean that MMOs will fall to the rising popularity of
online trading card games? Probably not, but I don’t doubt
that these collectible card games will continue to develop into a
viable medium that could – one day – begin to
encroach into the realm of MMOs.
Perhaps, when these trading card games get popular enough,
there might be some crossover tie-ins with a trading card game and an
MMO in the future. It isn’t beyond the realm of
possibilities, and it’d lend a distinct challenge to the
first MMO that employs it.
We’ll just have to wait and see.
Have your own opinion on trading card games and MMOs? Let me
know by emailing me!
