Magic the Gathering Online v 3

Wizards of the Coast recently released version 3 of their Magic: The Gathering Online game (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/moliii/launch). The program itself is available as a free download, but as in the past, players will have to purchase cards and packs in order to create and edit decks. With just the free download you can access a free server that will allow you to duel using a pre-built deck, but the options are probably very limited and this will not give players a good taste of the game. However, I am a little wary of spending real money in order to “buy” digital representations of cards. However, Wizards of the Coast has implemented a feature that allows you to trade cards from your online library in and have physical copies mailed to you, for an additional fee.

Playing Magic over the internet seems like a great idea in theory. Cards are easier to organize and build into decks, no wear and tear on your physical collection, and a plethora of opponents in easy reach are all big selling points. However, the fact that you have to purchase the digital cards makes me a little iffy about the entire enterprise. Why not give people access to the entire collection of cards, or at least a flat fee to get an entire expansion set? If the game had a monthly fee instead of having to pay for the cards, then I think that I would feel better about it. While I don’t like monthly fees that much, I think that it would be easier for more players to stomach. After all, look at World of Warcraft. $15 a month for unlimited access and how many millions of players are there? If you had to pay for more items or in order to level up your characters, I can see a lot of pissed off gamers in the works. In my opinion, having to pay for the Magic cards is along the same lines. I know that it is a collectible card game and the fact that not everyone has access to the same database of cards adds some of the flavor and challenge to the game, but if I am going to pay money for cards, then I at least want to have the physical card in my hand. What about the physical cards that I already own? Why can’t I import those into the game and use them instead of having to buy the cards all over again?

In my opinion, having to buy the cards and only being able to use them for the online game is strangely similar to DRM in that you don’t actually own anything and if the company decides to cancel the service, then you are simply out the money that you spent (check out http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080422-drm-sucks-redux-microsoft-to-nuke-msn-music-drm-keys.html for one of the latest DRM-related stories). Seriously, paying for a product should mean that I can keep it for myself and sell it, trade it, burn it, bury it, whatever. Instead we are being made to lease a product from a company and have absolutely no rights as to what we can really do with it. With the online Magic cards, I know that you can trade them and “sell” them (no sales actually take place since you don’t own anything, but it is like people selling World of Warcraft items for real money) but unless I can convert them to physical cards for no additional charge, then I don’t really see the point. The reason that I say this is because it is a collectible card game. I have spent a considerable amount of money (at least for me) to build up my physical deck and I don’t really think that I should have to spend the same amount of money building up my virtual deck if there is no easy way to convert the cards over.

In my opinion, instead of having to purchase the cards for the virtual decks, they should either charge a monthly fee and allow everyone access to all the cards, or possibly make it so that you can “purchase” cards using some kind of points system. Participating in duels should earn points (of course winning the duel will earn more) and you can use these points to purchase packs or individual cards. Cards should be able to be traded to someone for some of their points or for other cards. Now, if they wanted to make it so that points could be purchased with money, then that is up to them and the people who are more willing to spend real money on a virtual deck. Of course all of this is just my opinion of how I would run it if I were in charge of the program.

Any thoughts? Anybody out there playing Magic Online that wants to weigh in?