RealTalkAJ

Played cards. A card game creates competition for me. I like the customizing factor of being able to separate yourself from the rest with a nicer card set. Collecting is another part of the game where players who play consistently get specific cards, usually through fandom. And finally is the social connection that playing the game brings.

Why I like competition

It improves performance with consistent playing of the game. There’s a great parallel where it can be applied to sports come to think of it. It’s usually a set of plays that’s performed based on what another team or individual does and sees who wins within a set of rules.

How I apply it to Yu-Gi-Oh

I see the game as a game of pure fantasy. The traditional saying in the manga and anime is to use the “heart of the cards” so that’s what I apply every time. It’s a competition of who has more heart to win with the cards they choose. My belief in the strength of the set I pick is because I genuinely believe they’re matching my confidence when it comes to winning. If you had to justify why you have every card in your deck do you think you could do it? “You ain’t got enough heart if not!” I say that jokingly but it can be as simple as that. For me of course.

Another point of enjoyment with playing cards

I mentioned the ability to customize cards makes it fun and I stand on that. I was immediately applying it to my favorite game so it’s the fact you can get limited editions of a specific make of a card. It’s less applicable to casino cards but works with Sports Cards and Strategy based card games.

For example, in Yu-Gi-Oh there’s multiple makes of a specific card most of the time. You can get a normal, holographic, first edition or limited depending on which card you pull. I personally like to fill my deck with as many holographs possible. It’s just a statement for me.

the adventure in collecting

There’s a journey that goes along in collecting trading cards. You come across the card you’ve been looking for and you meet someone with that specific card. Sometimes it forces you to venture out and meet others in the community to obtain the card you’re looking for.

Here’s a link to the collecting of sports cards if you’re interested.

The social aspect of it all

Just to piggyback off the last point is in fact the social aspect of playing card games. When someone brings a pack of cards and offers others to play it usually translates to friendships well. I’ve made good friendships from collecting, trading and playing card games.

Final thoughts

These are my reasons for why I enjoy card games again:

• The competitive aspect
• The ability to customize
• Collecting them
• The social connection that’s built