"Magic: Should I let my child play this game?"

"Magic: Should I let my child play this game?"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

The last time I checked Magic:The Gathering has one of the strongest followings here in the Philippines but have not reached mainstream status that everyone has been picking it up as hobby. However when I read my daughters Christian Living assignment about Spending time and Money wisely there was a question there that piqued my curiosity about how Magic as a game is being perceived here in the country. The question went:

If you had extra money what would you spend it on?

The choices were as follows:

A. Buy a book

B. Save it in the bank

C. Buy Magic cards

D. Buy a gift for someone

When I read this I was a bit happy that Magic was mentioned but as all the other answers suggested Magic cards was a waste of money. I told my daughter that this was not the case. There are many skills that you could take out of the game that you could use in real life situations and even in academics. 

"It is up to you to determine what you could take out of each situation and experience..."So with my daughter over my shoulder I launched into writing this article about why you should let your kids play this game.

Magic teaches kids math. 

- Any kid who plays Magic knows how to count at least up to 100! 60 if they are playing standard decks. They can calculate probability at such an early age. People who cannot count in this game cannot calculate battle damage or even life totals. So kids who are exposed to magic know their numbers earlier than most.

Magic and Social skills.

- Kids who play magic develop social skills. It is a misnomer that magic players are not socially adept people who find solace in the game. Quite the contrary , Magic players are some of the most vocal and polite people on the planet. Especially Filipinos who still show respect after a bad play. It teaches kids how to deal with people who are older , people who are bullies , people who are aggressive , people who are too passive. Kids learn and they have fun while they are at it too. They learn without even noticing it. 

Magic and Tactics.

- Kids who play the game develop tactics. They learn lessons like when one way is not open there should be another way to do it. Kids learn how to be patient because some games take a lot of thinking to win. I have seen kids smile once they figure out something and keep on winning. One of the lessons that they learn is that there is literally not only one way of approaching a problem.

Magic and Stress Outlets

- As with Adults a good game of Magic could help kids blow off steam as well. I have observed a lot of ADD-HD types focus in games a lot more than they do in their every day lives. Kids could also find this as an emotional outlet for their frustrations , it is a more mature outlet rather than  hitting other kids or destroying property.Hey , kids nowadays are facing more pressures in school because of the added years and yes they could relieve some of their stresses by playing games on a tablet . PC or phone but where is the social interaction in that right?

Magic and Expenses

- Another misnomer that stops parents from letting kids play is that the game is expensive. I have the answer to that. It is called Standard Pauper. A budget friendly format that let's people play with decks that cost 200 pesos or even less! Money is not a hindrance here. People in my community are even willing to let new players borrow pauper decks so they could enjoy the game.In every place that has Magic there are at least 3 people who know how to conduct a budget friendly deck. Our Community has ST and he even goes early in the venue to show new players the ropes.Padi's Point at SM North Edsa if you are interested in learning the game and are in the area. I believe every community has this type of person and they would be more than happy to help people who are just starting out in the game.

Magic and Creativity

- This game like Lego brings out the creativity in people.Especially in children who's minds are not as hampered as adults. Granted that there are 10,000 or more cards than you could combine to make a theme for your deck there are a lot of suggested decks online or even in this blog to help you out. 

Magic and Art Appreciation

- Kids who play this game learn to appreciate art at an early age. For my daughter I made an Angel Deck that she reads and admires. She might not have the tactics yet but she does have the say when something is pretty good or not. More art exposure means that the more kids can appreciate other forms of it in the future as well.Expose them early as my folks always said.

Magic and  Vocabulary

- Like when one reads a book Magic Players are always exposed to words that are not easily found in our day to day lives. Kids are going to learn a lot of new words while playing this game and if they get into the theme of a certain expansion they could go and read the stories themselves. For example the current expansion , Theros is set in a plane that has a very heavy Greek Mythology theme. The geek in me was happy for that and made me want to read my books more. Some kids may even get into more reading because of the game especially if they like any of the Planeswalkers that have become the main protagonists and antagonists of the game.

Magic and Bonding Moments...

My friend Mau plays magic with his children , I know a boy named Aki who plays with his mom and Aunt.My brother and I played it when we were young. Nothing bridges the age gap more than this game in my book. Siblings start to talk about it more and try to improve decks to be more competitive with each other.It is is really fun to watch cousins and fathers and sons and daughters all playing together in one table. 

With all of this being said there is still an age restriction to the game but parents can always choose the cards that their kids will be playing with. Save the heavy stuff for when they are older. It is enough that they learn the basics for now and if they want to go on and want to play in tournament events later on then that is for them to decide.

So there you have it. Just a few reasons why you should let your son or daughter play this game. I love this game and for more reasons than one and I believe that with guidance the kids could also love it too.