Demographic Poll

A

asadoine

Guest
Something strikes me with magic ...

Well there are not many girls playing magic and that does not surprise me.

But I only ever met "white" (should I say "anglo Saxons not to hurt the feelings of any body) people playing magic.

Especially in the us with such a melting pot how come this game is mostly played by wasps ?

I donno if that subject can be brought up.

Ed : if you find it offensive or out of line, just delete it, I wont be offended. (being a bloody foreigner I dont know what can be talked about or not).

It seems some asians like to play too but I didnt meet any hispanics or black playing the game. Actually I would love Magic to be more "universal" : more diversity of people and of Gender (girls where are you)..

How is it in your play group ?

berto
 
M

Mr_Pestilence

Guest
It's true that most of my local play group are WASPs, but at major tournaments (PTQs, Pre-Releases, Pro-Tours) you get a lot more diverse crowd, so they must be playing somewhere.
 
A

asadoine

Guest
Nah , I did not consider religion as differences. I used the term WASP because sometimes I dont know what to call what in the US and I dont wanna offence anybody and thought the term WASP was commonly used ...

berto
 
U

Ura

Guest
Just to help add to your demographic.
Up here at my place we have one african american, two native american, and two female players. They don't all come in as often as the regular guys but they do come in and play. :)
 
A

arhar

Guest
Well, I'm russian, and in my gaming store there are black people, puerto-rican people and females. I guess that's because I live in Brooklyn, NY. :)
 
T

theorgg

Guest
Here in georgia at the PRs, there usually is a good variety of people.

one gal and two(I think) afrecan-amarocan come.

and one hick with a beard and purple tales from the crypt shirt.
:)
 
G

Gizmo

Guest
I`m not a WASP, I`m a Killer Bee!
Buzzzzzzzzzz...

(just to lower the tone a little)
:)
 

TomB

Administrator
Staff member
I've met a few players of other races (I'm a suburban white boy myself), but it's rare. I think it has to do with the Fantasy theme in Magic. For some people, the idea of slinging imaginary fireballs at each other just isn't as appealing to certain ethnic groups as it is to others. D&D was/is the same way.

I think the competitiveness is what drives the girls away. That, and the smell in the air at tournaments. Pre-tourney showers should be mandatory if we want to get the girls to play with us.

Do you remember the talk on that other site about an all-girls tournament thing? In a way that was kinda' silly, because in a game of cards the sexes should be considered equal, yet the idea had some validity because if it got more girls playing, and got them some confidence, then maybe they'd start showing up more in the local tourney scene.

Of course, there's still the shower thing. Haven't you guys ever heard of deodorant? ;)

TomB
CPA Member
 

Spiderman

Administrator
Staff member
I'm Asian myself but I haven't noticed other races whenever and wherever I've played. And maybe like two females, but that was at a tournament a couple of years ago.

A lot of the Dojo head honcho's are Asian though...

Where I play in Maryland, I've found that Magic tends to attract the "Gothic" type. All black, rings everywhere, tattoos... I've gotta say it's kinda weird. :)
 
C

Chaos Turtle

Guest
Well, western North Carolina isn't particularly diverse, but there are Cherokee (Indians), various Anglos (Scot-Irish, Irish-Cherokee, mixed Euro-stock, etc...), blacks (not necessarily "African"-American), an Hispanic person and a few of women/girls.
In case anyone cares, there are also young kids (like 8 years old) and an older guy (50+) and even a gay guy or two (who can tell? ) and at least one (dare I type it) gay girl.
Now that I think of it, we're surprisingly diverse.

No towering hicks in purple Tales From the Crypt T-shirts, though.
Oh well, can't have everything.
 
G

Gryphonclaw

Guest
Okay, first of all, what exactly does WASPS refer to? I figure it is white males, but that's about all I know.

As for the players up here, as far as I can tell, they are all white males, every one of them. Oh, except I did see a white female once, that's it.

I have in the past encountered a number of asians playing the game though.
 
D

Duel

Guest
WASP= White Anglo-Saxon Prodestant. But any suburbian white kids generally fit the category.
I have (with deep regret) never met a femal magic player. I have trouble following the Goth bit because all the goth people I know are female, and none of them play magic.
 
C

Chaos Turtle

Guest
I've often wondered:
Are there any Black Anglo-Saxon Protestants?

If not, why not just call them ASPs?

They're all just a bunch of poisonous snakes anyway...the whole lot of 'em.

(yes I am being facetious)
(maybe)
 

Spiderman

Administrator
Staff member
I think "Black" and "Anglo-Saxon" are mutually exclusive terms... but then again, "White" and "Anglo-Saxon" seem to be redundant, so who knows...
 
T

theorgg

Guest
<font size="2" color="#FF6000">* theorgg singing in a forced angst ridden voice that is hard to tell what it's saying</font>

There's no saxon violence!
there's no saxon violence!
No saxon viooleeeencce!
 
C

Chaos Turtle

Guest
No, but when there is a show on PBS featuring Jazz and classical music, you caould argue that there is just too much sax and violins on TV.
 
D

Dune Echo

Guest
Please do not think I am coming off as racist here because I'm really trying not to, but let me bring this point up:

People of Anglo-Saxon descent (like myself), are often more educated and are more likely to come from a wealthier background than most other ethnic groups and hold better paying jobs because of simple racism. Thus, more Anglo-Saxons are more likely to have the money to buy cards in addition to the neccessities. (Maybe this is a great reason for WotC to lower the price of boosters...)

However, anyone that brings up a difference in education (thus intelligence), needs to be shot. I've taught a 7 year-old to play Magic and wipe the floor with my butt. Yeah, his strategy wasn't the best, he wasn't the best deckbuilder in the world, and he made mistakes like everyone else, but he could remember the order of the game, how to cast spells, attacking and defending, and the difference between Sorceries and Instants. My little brother also saw the power of Hymn to Tourach before I did, because I liked Red and Green so much more, and so, played very effectively with the card. Everyone has brains enough to play this game, I think it's just mainly a matter of money like Orgg has pointed out many times.
 
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