Collectible Card Game
Card games. Not something you’d think has a natural connection to the electronic gaming generation. Traditionally the act of playing cards is a social one but technology has improved and allows millions of gamers to play Uno via Xbox Live! or gamble your life away playing poker online. The digital age removed the physical requirements of needing friends and opponents in the same space but it introduced card players to a world of challengers.
One area of the card game industry that’s exploded in the last 15 years is the collectible card game (CCG) market. Comprised of brightly colored cards usually with gorgeous illustrations or photos and a semi-random distribution mechanism like old Baseball card packs, players build entire decks of cards to battle with other like-minded players in casual play and at tournaments for cash prizes.
While the concept of a CCG dates as far back as the turn of the 20th century, the modern CCG really came to prominence with the advent of Magic: The Gathering. Magic: The Gathering originally was designed as a short, quick card game for gamers at traditional tabletop conventions to play in between matches or tournaments. Richard Garfield and his team at Wizards of the Coast developed the core system concepts that are used in most commercial CCG’s today and marketed Magic to the gamer crowd with great success.
Other digital card games have come and gone in the last few years. Konami published an electronic version of the Marvel Super Heroes cardgame for a number of platforms. Sony Online Entertainment is currently hosting a digital conversion of the Stargate Online Trading Card Game as well as Legends of Norrath, the Everquest centered online card game which grants players of the MMO’s a chance to gain exclusive items by playing cards.
Those looking to go the other route will likely find a few interesting video game to card game translations. In fact, one of the largest video game properties in the world – World of Warcraft – has its own collectible card game produced by Upperdeck.
WoW has been out a very short time and has three expansions already. Players build decks around a central character and then combat other players for loot and quest tokens. Warcraft the card game also features something new to the CCG realm, a special deck of cards built around a classic Raid Dungeon from the video game. These “raid” sets feature the core boss of the raid and special cards that are earned by completing the deck. Also players who buy cards can earn points toward interesting (but mostly useless) in-game items like pets for the MMO.
Card games and video games have a tight relationship. Whether it is taking the mechanics of a popular game and translating them to an electronic, mobile and globally multiplayer format or taking the beloved settings of games like Warcraft and converting them to a new offline game its easy to find a game to your likings
