Of course not everyone has access to Social Media or they don't trust it enough due to the toxicity of communities they simply try to avoid due to PC / Cancel Culture. So at best you're stuck having to rely on peoples' phone numbers and e-mail addresses for communication especially If you don't own a smartphone in order to setup playgroups for certain games.
This may seem overly ignorant and privileged but is it actually possible to go through life as an adult right now without a smartphone? Also you may have larger problems then lack of opportunity to play a fairly expensive hobby if you can't own a smartphone.
I know a number of unemployed and underemployed people who have received free government phones. And those are capable of everything as long as you hang out near a Starbucks or some equivalent.
While I personally avoid the usual social media sites(facebook, twitter, Instagram?) for the exact reasons you mentioned even someone as antisocial as me has found places where I am comfortable communicating with others.
Well I would assume that MTG's original design in the 1990's and what it's become to the fans who've remained loyal to the game up until this point are two different, but still interconnected things. If you have the opportunity to play MTG at home you can still enjoy it in Paper. But let's be honest, it gets old playing the same person over and over unless you change decks inbetween matches. Even the same 2 or 3 people. It gets stale quickly BUT If you're able to go to your LGS weekly and play in semi serious ranked games then you can practice with your family during the week for those FNM events. In other words, "At Home" Play is completely linked to LGS Play. The one needs the other to a certain degree.
No, "at home" play isn't "Completely" linked to LGS play. LGS play makes up a minority of games played, while "at home" numbers are hard to actually quantify and "at home" is often also counted as "Anywhere that isn't an LGS or official tournament" so the games you get in at the college cafeteria while you wait for you evening classes counts as "at home" play by most metrics.
Long story short. Don't equate LGS's presence with the frequency of play. They do serve a vital role in the tournament structure and as a place for communities to grow. But those same communities grow literally anywhere thanks to social media. LGSs just happen to sell the product that everyone is gathering for. If you are at all worried about the health of paper magic then first, don't be. Magic can't currently, nor in the foreseeable future, exist without paper magic. So instead, fear for the life of magic as a whole and you might realize how ridiculous that train of thought actually is.
I take great comfort in knowing that anyone who cries the doom of paper magic has no idea how any thing actually functions and can be safely ignored.
For those who would like light shine on why this is so. Paper magic and paper play make up that VAST majority of magics existence. The "pro" community that makes up all of tournament play is incredibly visible but also incredibly small. Believe it or not the majority of magic cards are bought by casual players who are buying them to play with their friends and families. Everyone who cries doom is either vastly ill informed or deliberately fear mongering.
It's unlikely any of those would switch to 100% online. Even if every single currently existing LGS shut down due to this outbreak; when it clears new LGSs would open to fill the role. People like going to LGSs so it's unreasonable to expect them to disappear.
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I know a number of unemployed and underemployed people who have received free government phones. And those are capable of everything as long as you hang out near a Starbucks or some equivalent.
While I personally avoid the usual social media sites(facebook, twitter, Instagram?) for the exact reasons you mentioned even someone as antisocial as me has found places where I am comfortable communicating with others.
Long story short. Don't equate LGS's presence with the frequency of play. They do serve a vital role in the tournament structure and as a place for communities to grow. But those same communities grow literally anywhere thanks to social media. LGSs just happen to sell the product that everyone is gathering for. If you are at all worried about the health of paper magic then first, don't be. Magic can't currently, nor in the foreseeable future, exist without paper magic. So instead, fear for the life of magic as a whole and you might realize how ridiculous that train of thought actually is.
For those who would like light shine on why this is so. Paper magic and paper play make up that VAST majority of magics existence. The "pro" community that makes up all of tournament play is incredibly visible but also incredibly small. Believe it or not the majority of magic cards are bought by casual players who are buying them to play with their friends and families. Everyone who cries doom is either vastly ill informed or deliberately fear mongering.