Amidst the recent pro controversy, I thought this would be an interesting article to share.
Seems like at least one Japanese magazine has no idea what it's like being a Magic pro, but that doesn't stop them from having a lot of unpleasant things to say!
Odd anyone would rant about Magic or Shogi in a country like Japan. This is a country that takes gaming of almost any kind in full stride. They have some beautiful arcade venues. Nintendo's origins are buried in cards, a company so entrenched in Japanes culture that I've met 80 year olds that know the name.
Why anyone who exists in that kind of a gaming culture takes a jab at MtG is beyond me.
This isn't surprising. If you know about modern Japanese culture you know that people who are primarily gamers, those who are percieved as NEETs, otaku or hikikomori are general looked down upon. Not everywhere but of course by the older population. It's basically Japan's version of baby boomers complaining about "millenials" in the US.
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"Pop in, find a dragon, roast a dragon."
-Chandra Nalaar
Well, they're not wrong. Even with the Pro Tour issues aside, I've seen a lot of cringeworthy behavior from them. Before Eldrazi Winter really went into full swing I remember a tweet accompanied by an image of various ripped up Eldrazi from one well known "pro" with the commentary "I ******* hate Eldrazi". I unfollowed that one, that day. Their egos tend to outpace their maturity over the years and they like to retain a superiority complex when discussing Magic well after many of them cease being relevant or able to put up high place finishes at events.
Well, they're not wrong. Even with the Pro Tour issues aside, I've seen a lot of cringeworthy behavior from them. Before Eldrazi Winter really went into full swing I remember a tweet accompanied by an image of various ripped up Eldrazi from one well known "pro" with the commentary "I ******* hate Eldrazi". I unfollowed that one, that day. Their egos tend to outpace their maturity over the years and they like to retain a superiority complex when discussing Magic well after many of them cease being relevant or able to put up high place finishes at events.
I have to second this. I unfollowed many pro's after the "Goyfgate" incident. I know many pro's seem to be prone to outbursts that do not match their age or stature in the community.
This isn't surprising. If you know about modern Japanese culture you know that people who are primarily gamers, those who are percieved as NEETs, otaku or hikikomori are general looked down upon. Not everywhere but of course by the older population. It's basically Japan's version of baby boomers complaining about "millenials" in the US.
Never went but I got a friend who lives there. Never got an inkling from him gamers were looked down on.
Might just be the nature of the people he hangs with I guess.
When he resurfaces again, I'll try to remember to ask.
Well, they're not wrong. Even with the Pro Tour issues aside, I've seen a lot of cringeworthy behavior from them. Before Eldrazi Winter really went into full swing I remember a tweet accompanied by an image of various ripped up Eldrazi from one well known "pro" with the commentary "I ******* hate Eldrazi". I unfollowed that one, that day. Their egos tend to outpace their maturity over the years and they like to retain a superiority complex when discussing Magic well after many of them cease being relevant or able to put up high place finishes at events.
lol, welcome to humanity. Despite the label, adults across society at large do not behave "like adults" consistently.
Japan or not, if you look it on the outside, the same could be said for every sports professional.
All they do is earn money by gaming (be it an athletic sport, an e-sport or a table game like chess or shogi). Their contribution to society most of the time is just be a model for fans, nothing else (apart for commercial purposes).
So... Yes... Most of the sports professionals hold no real value to society, especially if they act like spoiled children.
But that is just how I see it.
This is Japan we are talking about. Their culture is completely oriented around traditional work. This is not surprising.
Then why is shogi looked down on? Shogi has been around for far longer than other pro sports have, and traditionally held in very high esteem. It is more part of japanese culture than most other sport other than baseball.
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"Sometimes, the situation is outracing a threat, sometimes it's ignoring it, and sometimes it involves sideboarding in 4x Hope//Pray." --Doug Linn
Saying someone has no value to society is such a BS nonsensical way of looking down your nose at them. Unless you are developing a cure for cancer, get off your damn high horse and let people live their lives the way they want to.
I could go on a rant how little journalists contribute to society nowadays...
But since they made the mistake to go after Shogi player in the same blurb, this will amount to nothing.
Since Shogi, Chess and Go are such are profile games and their players are generally well respected nobody will take this serious.
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Drop your knees to the floor
Hands to the sky
Give a round of applause
For the great Miss Y!
I saw the article, and then saw that there are 'Schools for Pro Gaming' popping up. And then I remembered that it was LITERALLY the Plot Line for something in Yugioh, where there's a school for gaming.
Good job MTG pros. You guys literally helped contribute to DeVry - MTG Edition.
How ever, drug addicts that live in the street and ask for money bring the same for the society as the pro gamers, I mean nothing of value.
A drug addict would actually take 'something' from society, whether that be money from other people if he/she begs or if he/she steals, or even in the sense that his/her poor care for health would impact the social care system in a way that he/she would become dependent of it without paying his/her taxes (unless you are a citizen in US and have to pay for everything).
Second. Ran into this last night. Four new guys show up to our little shop and most of them went 4-0 against casual test decks that we were all practicing with due to 80% of our usual player base were out graduating. Sure most of us coped but how they acteded wasn't professional. Don't care if you had sponsorship shirts on.
You said that the japanese look down on MTG because of their culture. But according to that article, shogi players also have "no value to society."
But shogi is a large part of japanese culture. It has been part of japanese culture for _centuries_ and officially supported by the japanse government in the past (and likely present).
You can't simultaneously have "shogi is looked down by the japanese because of their culture" and "shogi is an important part of their culture." It doesn't make sense.
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"Sometimes, the situation is outracing a threat, sometimes it's ignoring it, and sometimes it involves sideboarding in 4x Hope//Pray." --Doug Linn
Well, they're not wrong. Even with the Pro Tour issues aside, I've seen a lot of cringeworthy behavior from them. Before Eldrazi Winter really went into full swing I remember a tweet accompanied by an image of various ripped up Eldrazi from one well known "pro" with the commentary "I ******* hate Eldrazi". I unfollowed that one, that day. Their egos tend to outpace their maturity over the years and they like to retain a superiority complex when discussing Magic well after many of them cease being relevant or able to put up high place finishes at events.
I have to second this. I unfollowed many pro's after the "Goyfgate" incident. I know many pro's seem to be prone to outbursts that do not match their age or stature in the community.
Yeah, I still don't have any desire to look at the content those kids put out. I was already borderline on some of them to start with, now I just avoid them. When they are in those Super leagues I just avoid the league's coverage. Duke was probably the most disappointing one.
Well, they're not wrong. Even with the Pro Tour issues aside, I've seen a lot of cringeworthy behavior from them.
But how does SOME subset of that group expressing cringeworthy behavior translate into the generalization presented - that ALL pro players “are like children” and “have no value to society?" IMO, it doesn't matter what percentages might fit a stereotype, you can not logically derive a blanket statement about everyone in a subset of players, when it is obvious only some actually match the stereotype.
This is what I HATE with a bloody passion about the "one bad apple spoils the bunch" mentality - it shifts the blame to the entire subset of peoples, when it seems - to me, at least - like the damage is being perpetuated by those who fail to understand how to use quantifiers like "some," "many," "most," "few," etc.
This is what I HATE with a bloody passion about the "one bad apple spoils the bunch" mentality - it shifts the blame to the entire subset of peoples, when it seems - to me, at least - like the damage is being perpetuated by those who fail to understand how to use quantifiers like "some," "many," "most," "few," etc.
Eh, most people imply those quantifiers through context. Saying them every time just wastes time. You'll find people's intentions are more honest when words aren't assumed to be literal.
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Lycanthropy Awareness Day.
Hoping for a cure, or at least an outbreak.
Amidst the recent pro controversy, I thought this would be an interesting article to share.
Seems like at least one Japanese magazine has no idea what it's like being a Magic pro, but that doesn't stop them from having a lot of unpleasant things to say!
Why anyone who exists in that kind of a gaming culture takes a jab at MtG is beyond me.
-Chandra Nalaar
(Also known as Xenphire)
I have to second this. I unfollowed many pro's after the "Goyfgate" incident. I know many pro's seem to be prone to outbursts that do not match their age or stature in the community.
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Never went but I got a friend who lives there. Never got an inkling from him gamers were looked down on.
Might just be the nature of the people he hangs with I guess.
When he resurfaces again, I'll try to remember to ask.
lol, welcome to humanity. Despite the label, adults across society at large do not behave "like adults" consistently.
Agreed.
Then why is shogi looked down on? Shogi has been around for far longer than other pro sports have, and traditionally held in very high esteem. It is more part of japanese culture than most other sport other than baseball.
"Sometimes, the situation is outracing a threat, sometimes it's ignoring it, and sometimes it involves sideboarding in 4x Hope//Pray." --Doug Linn
But since they made the mistake to go after Shogi player in the same blurb, this will amount to nothing.
Since Shogi, Chess and Go are such are profile games and their players are generally well respected nobody will take this serious.
Hands to the sky
Give a round of applause
For the great Miss Y!
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Good job MTG pros. You guys literally helped contribute to DeVry - MTG Edition.
A drug addict would actually take 'something' from society, whether that be money from other people if he/she begs or if he/she steals, or even in the sense that his/her poor care for health would impact the social care system in a way that he/she would become dependent of it without paying his/her taxes (unless you are a citizen in US and have to pay for everything).
But shogi is a large part of japanese culture. It has been part of japanese culture for _centuries_ and officially supported by the japanse government in the past (and likely present).
You can't simultaneously have "shogi is looked down by the japanese because of their culture" and "shogi is an important part of their culture." It doesn't make sense.
"Sometimes, the situation is outracing a threat, sometimes it's ignoring it, and sometimes it involves sideboarding in 4x Hope//Pray." --Doug Linn
Yeah, I still don't have any desire to look at the content those kids put out. I was already borderline on some of them to start with, now I just avoid them. When they are in those Super leagues I just avoid the league's coverage. Duke was probably the most disappointing one.
But how does SOME subset of that group expressing cringeworthy behavior translate into the generalization presented - that ALL pro players “are like children” and “have no value to society?" IMO, it doesn't matter what percentages might fit a stereotype, you can not logically derive a blanket statement about everyone in a subset of players, when it is obvious only some actually match the stereotype.
This is what I HATE with a bloody passion about the "one bad apple spoils the bunch" mentality - it shifts the blame to the entire subset of peoples, when it seems - to me, at least - like the damage is being perpetuated by those who fail to understand how to use quantifiers like "some," "many," "most," "few," etc.
Eh, most people imply those quantifiers through context. Saying them every time just wastes time. You'll find people's intentions are more honest when words aren't assumed to be literal.
Hoping for a cure, or at least an outbreak.
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