I've been looking at the Masters 25 spoilers list for a few days now. Today I was looking through and couldn't help but notice how many of the cards are just unusable in any format.
Why print hundreds of thousands of Ihsan's Shade? Sure there will be some drafting going on, but it will be limited and certainly not worth the disappointment for those that are just looking to get needed cards for their constructed decks. Let's be realistic, the exclusive reason for the Masters is to fill the need for reprinting popular cards for constructed.
So the question is, does WoTC have a real responsibility to avoid unnecessary world waste? Printing cards come at a real cost to the environment. In my opinion, of course yes. Printing cards you know that are going to collect dust, at the cost of tree, water, chemical waste, is just an atrocity.
I'm exclusively in the digital realm now with Magic, so haven't bought a cardboard version in a long time.
What you do with the card you bought are your responsibility, not theirs. They can print millions of black lotuses (or any other card), and if they do a large chunk of them will be useless.
Want them to stop printing cards you consider garbage? Don't buy their products.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Sometimes, the situation is outracing a threat, sometimes it's ignoring it, and sometimes it involves sideboarding in 4x Hope//Pray." --Doug Linn
Want them to stop printing cards you consider garbage? Don't buy their products.
Supply and demand. The conundrum of the world we live in. However my argument is that when you mix garbage/waste with things we want, the choice is removed. When choice is removed, responsibility is needed.
Same as petrol. That is to say that environmental impact is the buyers fault right? The people buying from the petrol stations are ultimately the responsible party involved in green-house gases. However as we know it's more complicated than that, because when we buy a vehicle we are limited by our ability to go outside of the means of what monopolies provide.
Let's be realistic. We want Jace, the Mind Sculptor. We do not want Man-o'-War. So we don't get a real choice. It's a monopoly after all. There will be the person, who goes "But I want a play set of Man-o'-War". The thing is that you can do that, it's been printed in 9 other sets, at a cost of $1 for 4. So this is a responsibility thing. Why print hundreds of thousands of these cards at the cost of the environment? I actually want an answer. What is the reasoning? Have they considered the environmental impact. Obviously not. Should they? I think they should. After all they pretend to care about other issues, like gender equality.
Want them to stop printing cards you consider garbage? Don't buy their products.
Supply and demand. The conundrum of the world we live in. However my argument is that when you mix garbage/waste with things we want, the choice is removed. When choice is removed, responsibility is needed.
Same as petrol. That is to say that environmental impact is the buyers fault right? The people buying from the petrol stations are ultimately the responsible party involved in green-house gases. However as we know it's more complicated than that, because when we buy a vehicle we are limited by our ability to go outside of the means of what monopolies provide.
Let's be realistic. We want Jace, the Mind Sculptor. We do not want Man-o'-War. So we don't get a real choice. It's a monopoly after all. There will be the person, who goes "But I want a play set of Man-o'-War". The thing is that you can do that, it's been printed in 9 other sets, at a cost of $1 for 4. So this is a responsibility thing. Why print hundreds of thousands of these cards at the cost of the environment? I actually want an answer. What is the reasoning? Have they considered the environmental impact. Obviously not. Should they? I think they should. After all they pretend to care about other issues, like gender equality.
Some people like to play limited. You could have packs where you have 15 Jaces in every pack, but that would be a pretty boring draft environment. Man-o-war, Cursecatcher, Reef Worm, etc. these cards make for a much more interesting experience.
Some people like to play limited. You could have packs where you have 15 Jaces in every pack, but that would be a pretty boring draft environment. Man-o-war, Cursecatcher, Reef Worm, etc. these cards make for a much more interesting experience.
I did say in the original post that there will be people who want to draft, but I argue strongly that this number will be very limited, compared to how boosters will be opened by the majority. You could say, "well that it's harmless to add chaff for the sake of these few", but the reality is that there is a real world cost. So you have to make these decisions as a company. They probably actually have a number to go by, how many of these boosters they expect to be drafted. What does that number need to be to effect sales? Without access to those numbers, it's a guessing game on our part. But for example if you expect 1% of boosters to be drafted, and that if you only included cards that were needed for actual constructed decks, you'd probably find more sales using the later method, and there is fewer wasted pieces of cardboard. I think the first response mentioned along the lines of "what does it matter what happens to the cardboard". But it does matter what happens to the cardboard. Cards that are continuously used to bring joy to the world, I think are worth the environmental impact, for me personally. Those that are destined to never see play, I think are not worth it.
If you really feel passionate about this, then you need to stop playing paper Magic and switch to digital.
As I said in the original post, I exclusive play/buy digital
But I want to make it clear that I'm not saying that cardboard Magic should be stopped. I feel the joy of bringing people together is enough to warrant the environmental impact. It's just that more thought needs to be put into what they print.
Have they considered the environmental impact. Obviously not.
Hasbro purchases carbon emission offset credits for 100% of their energy usage on a yearly basis. So yeah, they have...
That does make me feel much better. But looks like it covers energy consumption and emissions and not the actual impact of cutting down the trees, etc. I could be wrong, don't know enough about Carbon Offset. There could be the argument that the trees are paid for and planted specifically by a client like this, but the kick-back is always a strain on resources.
Is there any study about the environmental cost of making and playing physical card game (it can be applied to Pokemon, YGO, or whatever) and for you argument about how useless cards can impact it on much waste it generates? It is hard to properly discuss this without hard data.
I imagine that the impact isn't that big compared to other hobbies in general. Maybe it's a big impact in relative terms, but I don't think it would be that much impact compared to other printed cardboard related activities. Although I believe every little bit we do to lower our impact on environment is overall a good thing in the long run, maybe we can overlook stuff that aren't as impactful. Bottom line one of the biggest problems we face is waste management in general. Dunno how much stop printing bad cards would help to warranty my attention to this particular issue.
That being said, I'd like them to stop printing those advertisement cards in packs thou. These are utterly useless. If it had digital codes like Pokemon, sure, but tokens already have advertisement on them, so why include them at all? Thankfully it's not in every pack. Also, maybe the example you gave it's not that great (as Ihsan's Shade has some sentimental value to some people), but extending this problem to all useless cards designed for limited in mind that aren't even necessary like those unexciting vanilla 1/5 that get last picked and almost never played, yeah, maybe they should stop printing these cards. They don't seem to make limited particularly better or even fill any function properly in that game mode. I'd rather have more playable stuff and maybe less commons per pack. Maybe it would make draft/sealed more challenging with more tight picks, a possible win-win. That change would generate less trash by a significant percentage I imagine (like 2 less commons per pack).
Removing those non full art basic lands and making you get either a token or a foil also would cut "useless" card count in a pack. If you want that particular set of basic lands, just get a bundle. I guess some really small amount of people would want to get basic lands in packs, but I don't think it'd affect the playerbase at large. It's really common people dropping lands and tokens after drafts/sealed games. Some people even ditch bulk rares and foils too.
WotC made some decisions in the past about being environmental friendly as possible (some of which didn't quite work well). Overall I think they are pretty conscious about it compared to the average corporation I assume.
It's just that more thought needs to be put into what they print.
They put plenty of thought into what they print. The problem right now is the same problem every time a set is being spoiled--too many players are upset because they aren't getting exactly what they think they should be getting.
As far as environmental impact...cardboard is paper and thus biodegradable. The plastic wrapping could probably be recycled but I suppose they could try to switch to some sort of paper packaging, as well. I have no idea what that might do to the cost of the product, though.
The plastic wrapping could probably be recycled but I suppose they could try to switch to some sort of paper packaging, as well. I have no idea what that might do to the cost of the product, though.
They tested a switch to paper based packaging during one of the Modern Masters series (1 or 2 I don't remember - pretty sure it was MM1) and stated they learned from the test, although it wasn't perfect and it effected card quality. It's something they have stated on numerous occasions they are working on. I'm not sure what we want from them? Print their cards with magical pixie dust dust instead of ink or... print jank limited commons on the skin fiber of Amazonian Rainforest Loggers? It's a Trading CARD Game in case you missed that point when you were introduced to game.
It's just that more thought needs to be put into what they print.
As far as environmental impact...cardboard is paper and thus biodegradable. The plastic wrapping could probably be recycled but I suppose they could try to switch to some sort of paper packaging, as well. I have no idea what that might do to the cost of the product, though.
Magic cards aren't just cardboard. Their exact card stock isn't publicly known but at bare minimum there's a semi-gloss coating, ink, and adhesive as well as cardboard. And that isn't even mentioning foil cards. I doubt they're biodegradable, they probably aren't even recyclable.
The plastic wrapping could probably be recycled but I suppose they could try to switch to some sort of paper packaging, as well. I have no idea what that might do to the cost of the product, though.
They tested a switch to paper based packaging during one of the Modern Masters series (1 or 2 I don't remember - pretty sure it was MM1) and stated they learned from the test, although it wasn't perfect and it effected card quality. It's something they have stated on numerous occasions they are working on. I'm not sure what we want from them? Print their cards with magical pixie dust dust instead of ink or... print jank limited commons on the skin fiber of Amazonian Rainforest Loggers? It's a Trading CARD Game in case you missed that point when you were introduced to game.
That experiment was in Modern Masters 2015, the second one. They had some issues with the cardboard packaging they used. The packaging, in some cases, damaged the cards. The cards themselves didn't seem to have a drop in quality, at least not compared to other products at the time.
Before attacking WotC for their production of paper err... cards. It should be worth finding out exactly where they get their paper from and how it's produced. In the U.S. roughly 20% (last I checked) of virgin pulp come from privately held tree farms. The harvest cycle is about 20 to 30 years depending on the tree and whether it's a GMO.
In other words, this is not much different than say, an agricultural crop. We grow corn, beans, whatever, eat the good stuff then we process the chaff back into the soil, burn it, feed it to cows, whatever.
Honestly, I'm not overtly concerned about WotC's paper "waste". I imagine the gross waste product that comes out of say... our sleeves is more pressing. Polypropylene card sleeves are recyclable but not all centers will accept them. Mine accepts them but I suspect they refuse to recycle them because they lack the chasing arrows.
As for the toxicity of the inks and coatings from the cards, the slugs and snails in my garden don't seem to mind them one bit. A least it was just a swamp.
Let's be realistic. We want Jace, the Mind Sculptor. We do not want Man-o'-War. So we don't get a real choice. It's a monopoly after all. There will be the person, who goes "But I want a play set of Man-o'-War". The thing is that you can do that, it's been printed in 9 other sets, at a cost of $1 for 4. So this is a responsibility thing. Why print hundreds of thousands of these cards at the cost of the environment? I actually want an answer. What is the reasoning? Have they considered the environmental impact. Obviously not. Should they? I think they should. After all they pretend to care about other issues, like gender equality.
Some people like to play limited. You could have packs where you have 15 Jaces in every pack, but that would be a pretty boring draft environment. Man-o-war, Cursecatcher, Reef Worm, etc. these cards make for a much more interesting experience.
It's just that more thought needs to be put into what they print.
They put plenty of thought into what they print. The problem right now is the same problem every time a set is being spoiled--too many players are upset because they aren't getting exactly what they think they should be getting.
- Who says a given card is crap and unwanted? You? Me? My cousin Dave? One man's trash is another man's treasure. Players like a wide variety of strategies and formats. Tarmogoyf and Jace, the Mindsculptor may be hot stuff in Modern, but honestly, they're overpriced garbage in Commander, and they're completely unplayable in Pauper. And as was pointed out, Limited thrives on commons and uncommons, not rares and mythics rares.
- What happens when a crap card suddenly becomes one of the most sought after? Would you have Wizards wait until after demand explodes through the roof and the price skyrockets to print a card? Would you have them be merely reactive? Would that even be healthy for the game? This example happens all the time. Tarmogoyf, Splinter Twin, Simian Spirit Guide - all garbage cards that people threw away or forgot about, and then suddenly they're going for over $20 (much higher in Tarmogoyf's case) and everyone needs a playset. Now, had these never been printed, the game would have less opportunity. Had they been printed in limited quantity, their price would have been exponentially higher. And had Wizards been forced to wait until they were in demand, they would be accused of greed and only reprinting to make money (huh - haven't heard that argument a dozen times in the last week).
- Would the game survive if Wizards was restricted and always had to play it safe with design? When they are given freedom with design, sure they end up with some stinkers, but they also end up with cards and mechanics that later gain in popularity or inspire later innovations, too. Without that, would we still have a game 25 years later?
- So, how do you please all the people with all the strategies, all the formats, and all the budgets, without printing all the cards?
Have they considered the environmental impact. Obviously not.
Hasbro purchases carbon emission offset credits for 100% of their energy usage on a yearly basis. So yeah, they have...
That does make me feel much better. But looks like it covers energy consumption and emissions and not the actual impact of cutting down the trees, etc. I could be wrong, don't know enough about Carbon Offset. There could be the argument that the trees are paid for and planted specifically by a client like this, but the kick-back is always a strain on resources.
- How many cards do you suppose you get from a single tree? Each card is what, less than 1/8 cubic inch, and a board foot is 144 cubic inches, so a small tree could easily produce over 100,000 cards, while a large one could be far, far more.
- Trees are one of the most renewable resources we have. Pulp trees, in particular, are often planted for the express purpose of making paper, and they are of a species that grows fast (softwood like pine rather than hardwood like maple).
- As others said, the resulting card is biodegradable - paper decomposes much faster than most other materials, so while they do have an impact, it is somewhat mitigated.
The real environmental damage is all the plastic. All those wrappers just go straight to landfills.
- Agreed. Those booster packs are far worse than the actual cards they contain. One possible way to mitigate this would be to make larger packs - if Wizards put 20 cards in a pack rather than 15, and assuming they sold the same number of cards (rather than packs), there would be significant savings in waste generated (nearly 30%).
- Paper packaging does sound better, but there are some obvious issues with durability, water resistance, quality, etc. that they would have to figure out.
As far as environmental impact...cardboard is paper and thus biodegradable. The plastic wrapping could probably be recycled but I suppose they could try to switch to some sort of paper packaging, as well. I have no idea what that might do to the cost of the product, though.
Magic cards aren't just cardboard. Their exact card stock isn't publicly known but at bare minimum there's a semi-gloss coating, ink, and adhesive as well as cardboard. And that isn't even mentioning foil cards. I doubt they're biodegradable, they probably aren't even recyclable.
- All valid points. Also all unknowns (to us, anyway). Clearly, less cards would mean less impact, but we don't know how much.
However my argument is that when you mix garbage/waste with things we want, the choice is removed. When choice is removed, responsibility is needed.
I highly disagree with this point. Of course there is a choice.
it might be different if they mixed the garbage with things people need (to live, not just to play), not just what they want.
You have to decide if your desire or your responsibility is greater. You have a choice.
- I would say that you are trading one choice for another. As I stated above, Magic is a mixture of formats and playstyles. if you only print the cards that Mike and Tom want, then Joe and Bob might not play the game. And that could lead to a death spiral for the game. So, the amazing variety and options of choice in gameplay would be traded for what?
- Trumblebot is correct - the game itself is a choice and not a need. If you don't like the methods, the best way to show it is with your wallet.
- One way to show it with your wallet that does not involve quitting the game (for those of us who play paper) is to buy singles rather than boosters. Not only is it more economical, but it also reduces your personal footprint within the game. Yes, Wizards still printed all those cards you didn't buy, but it still helps. Picture this scenario - ten different players each buy ten boosters while looking for the specific cards they want. But, because they play different decks and different formats, they each have a surplus of cards (stashed in boxes somewhere) that the others were looking for. In the slightly different twist, a store buys the boosters, and then the individuals buy the specifc cards they want. There may still be a surplus, and maybe they had to crack a few more boosters because four of the players needed the same card, but overall, there are less cards sitting around unused.
There's also another option to this. There are other business models that compete with the CCG/TCG model. Take a living card game or something like Star Realms - rather than randomized cards in boosters, each expansion is a specific set of cards, and when you buy the package, you know exactly which cards you are acquiring. This reduces waste - no more buying dozens of boosters for a handful of cards that you want. But again, it reduces player choice and company options, while likely supporting a smaller number of individuals who work on it. Wizards could switch to a model like that, but it would likely gut their current infrastructure.
Why print hundreds of thousands of Ihsan's Shade? Sure there will be some drafting going on, but it will be limited and certainly not worth the disappointment for those that are just looking to get needed cards for their constructed decks. Let's be realistic, the exclusive reason for the Masters is to fill the need for reprinting popular cards for constructed.
So the question is, does WoTC have a real responsibility to avoid unnecessary world waste? Printing cards come at a real cost to the environment. In my opinion, of course yes. Printing cards you know that are going to collect dust, at the cost of tree, water, chemical waste, is just an atrocity.
I'm exclusively in the digital realm now with Magic, so haven't bought a cardboard version in a long time.
Niv-Mizzet Reborn
Feather, the Redeemed
Estrid, the Masked
Teshar
Tymna/Ravos
Najeela, Blade-Blossom
Firesong & Sunspeaker
Zur the Enchanter
Lazav, the Multifarious
Ishai+Reyhan
Click images for decks->
-Prime Speaker Vannifar
---------------------Will & Rowan Kenrith
Want them to stop printing cards you consider garbage? Don't buy their products.
"Sometimes, the situation is outracing a threat, sometimes it's ignoring it, and sometimes it involves sideboarding in 4x Hope//Pray." --Doug Linn
Same as petrol. That is to say that environmental impact is the buyers fault right? The people buying from the petrol stations are ultimately the responsible party involved in green-house gases. However as we know it's more complicated than that, because when we buy a vehicle we are limited by our ability to go outside of the means of what monopolies provide.
Let's be realistic. We want Jace, the Mind Sculptor. We do not want Man-o'-War. So we don't get a real choice. It's a monopoly after all. There will be the person, who goes "But I want a play set of Man-o'-War". The thing is that you can do that, it's been printed in 9 other sets, at a cost of $1 for 4. So this is a responsibility thing. Why print hundreds of thousands of these cards at the cost of the environment? I actually want an answer. What is the reasoning? Have they considered the environmental impact. Obviously not. Should they? I think they should. After all they pretend to care about other issues, like gender equality.
Niv-Mizzet Reborn
Feather, the Redeemed
Estrid, the Masked
Teshar
Tymna/Ravos
Najeela, Blade-Blossom
Firesong & Sunspeaker
Zur the Enchanter
Lazav, the Multifarious
Ishai+Reyhan
Click images for decks->
-Prime Speaker Vannifar
---------------------Will & Rowan Kenrith
Some people like to play limited. You could have packs where you have 15 Jaces in every pack, but that would be a pretty boring draft environment. Man-o-war, Cursecatcher, Reef Worm, etc. these cards make for a much more interesting experience.
[180 classic cube]
Niv-Mizzet Reborn
Feather, the Redeemed
Estrid, the Masked
Teshar
Tymna/Ravos
Najeela, Blade-Blossom
Firesong & Sunspeaker
Zur the Enchanter
Lazav, the Multifarious
Ishai+Reyhan
Click images for decks->
-Prime Speaker Vannifar
---------------------Will & Rowan Kenrith
But I want to make it clear that I'm not saying that cardboard Magic should be stopped. I feel the joy of bringing people together is enough to warrant the environmental impact. It's just that more thought needs to be put into what they print.
Niv-Mizzet Reborn
Feather, the Redeemed
Estrid, the Masked
Teshar
Tymna/Ravos
Najeela, Blade-Blossom
Firesong & Sunspeaker
Zur the Enchanter
Lazav, the Multifarious
Ishai+Reyhan
Click images for decks->
-Prime Speaker Vannifar
---------------------Will & Rowan Kenrith
Hasbro purchases carbon emission offset credits for 100% of their energy usage on a yearly basis. So yeah, they have...
Niv-Mizzet Reborn
Feather, the Redeemed
Estrid, the Masked
Teshar
Tymna/Ravos
Najeela, Blade-Blossom
Firesong & Sunspeaker
Zur the Enchanter
Lazav, the Multifarious
Ishai+Reyhan
Click images for decks->
-Prime Speaker Vannifar
---------------------Will & Rowan Kenrith
I imagine that the impact isn't that big compared to other hobbies in general. Maybe it's a big impact in relative terms, but I don't think it would be that much impact compared to other printed cardboard related activities. Although I believe every little bit we do to lower our impact on environment is overall a good thing in the long run, maybe we can overlook stuff that aren't as impactful. Bottom line one of the biggest problems we face is waste management in general. Dunno how much stop printing bad cards would help to warranty my attention to this particular issue.
That being said, I'd like them to stop printing those advertisement cards in packs thou. These are utterly useless. If it had digital codes like Pokemon, sure, but tokens already have advertisement on them, so why include them at all? Thankfully it's not in every pack. Also, maybe the example you gave it's not that great (as Ihsan's Shade has some sentimental value to some people), but extending this problem to all useless cards designed for limited in mind that aren't even necessary like those unexciting vanilla 1/5 that get last picked and almost never played, yeah, maybe they should stop printing these cards. They don't seem to make limited particularly better or even fill any function properly in that game mode. I'd rather have more playable stuff and maybe less commons per pack. Maybe it would make draft/sealed more challenging with more tight picks, a possible win-win. That change would generate less trash by a significant percentage I imagine (like 2 less commons per pack).
Removing those non full art basic lands and making you get either a token or a foil also would cut "useless" card count in a pack. If you want that particular set of basic lands, just get a bundle. I guess some really small amount of people would want to get basic lands in packs, but I don't think it'd affect the playerbase at large. It's really common people dropping lands and tokens after drafts/sealed games. Some people even ditch bulk rares and foils too.
WotC made some decisions in the past about being environmental friendly as possible (some of which didn't quite work well). Overall I think they are pretty conscious about it compared to the average corporation I assume.
They put plenty of thought into what they print. The problem right now is the same problem every time a set is being spoiled--too many players are upset because they aren't getting exactly what they think they should be getting.
As far as environmental impact...cardboard is paper and thus biodegradable. The plastic wrapping could probably be recycled but I suppose they could try to switch to some sort of paper packaging, as well. I have no idea what that might do to the cost of the product, though.
They tested a switch to paper based packaging during one of the Modern Masters series (1 or 2 I don't remember - pretty sure it was MM1) and stated they learned from the test, although it wasn't perfect and it effected card quality. It's something they have stated on numerous occasions they are working on. I'm not sure what we want from them? Print their cards with magical pixie dust dust instead of ink or... print jank limited commons on the skin fiber of Amazonian Rainforest Loggers? It's a Trading CARD Game in case you missed that point when you were introduced to game.
Magic cards aren't just cardboard. Their exact card stock isn't publicly known but at bare minimum there's a semi-gloss coating, ink, and adhesive as well as cardboard. And that isn't even mentioning foil cards. I doubt they're biodegradable, they probably aren't even recyclable.
That experiment was in Modern Masters 2015, the second one. They had some issues with the cardboard packaging they used. The packaging, in some cases, damaged the cards. The cards themselves didn't seem to have a drop in quality, at least not compared to other products at the time.
In other words, this is not much different than say, an agricultural crop. We grow corn, beans, whatever, eat the good stuff then we process the chaff back into the soil, burn it, feed it to cows, whatever.
Honestly, I'm not overtly concerned about WotC's paper "waste". I imagine the gross waste product that comes out of say... our sleeves is more pressing. Polypropylene card sleeves are recyclable but not all centers will accept them. Mine accepts them but I suspect they refuse to recycle them because they lack the chasing arrows.
As for the toxicity of the inks and coatings from the cards, the slugs and snails in my garden don't seem to mind them one bit. A least it was just a swamp.
First, the "crap cards" argument from the OP:
- Who says a given card is crap and unwanted? You? Me? My cousin Dave? One man's trash is another man's treasure. Players like a wide variety of strategies and formats. Tarmogoyf and Jace, the Mindsculptor may be hot stuff in Modern, but honestly, they're overpriced garbage in Commander, and they're completely unplayable in Pauper. And as was pointed out, Limited thrives on commons and uncommons, not rares and mythics rares.
- What happens when a crap card suddenly becomes one of the most sought after? Would you have Wizards wait until after demand explodes through the roof and the price skyrockets to print a card? Would you have them be merely reactive? Would that even be healthy for the game? This example happens all the time. Tarmogoyf, Splinter Twin, Simian Spirit Guide - all garbage cards that people threw away or forgot about, and then suddenly they're going for over $20 (much higher in Tarmogoyf's case) and everyone needs a playset. Now, had these never been printed, the game would have less opportunity. Had they been printed in limited quantity, their price would have been exponentially higher. And had Wizards been forced to wait until they were in demand, they would be accused of greed and only reprinting to make money (huh - haven't heard that argument a dozen times in the last week).
- Would the game survive if Wizards was restricted and always had to play it safe with design? When they are given freedom with design, sure they end up with some stinkers, but they also end up with cards and mechanics that later gain in popularity or inspire later innovations, too. Without that, would we still have a game 25 years later?
- So, how do you please all the people with all the strategies, all the formats, and all the budgets, without printing all the cards?
Second, the actual environemental impact:
- How many cards do you suppose you get from a single tree? Each card is what, less than 1/8 cubic inch, and a board foot is 144 cubic inches, so a small tree could easily produce over 100,000 cards, while a large one could be far, far more.
- Trees are one of the most renewable resources we have. Pulp trees, in particular, are often planted for the express purpose of making paper, and they are of a species that grows fast (softwood like pine rather than hardwood like maple).
- As others said, the resulting card is biodegradable - paper decomposes much faster than most other materials, so while they do have an impact, it is somewhat mitigated.
- Agreed. Those booster packs are far worse than the actual cards they contain. One possible way to mitigate this would be to make larger packs - if Wizards put 20 cards in a pack rather than 15, and assuming they sold the same number of cards (rather than packs), there would be significant savings in waste generated (nearly 30%).
- Paper packaging does sound better, but there are some obvious issues with durability, water resistance, quality, etc. that they would have to figure out.
- All valid points. Also all unknowns (to us, anyway). Clearly, less cards would mean less impact, but we don't know how much.
- I would say that you are trading one choice for another. As I stated above, Magic is a mixture of formats and playstyles. if you only print the cards that Mike and Tom want, then Joe and Bob might not play the game. And that could lead to a death spiral for the game. So, the amazing variety and options of choice in gameplay would be traded for what?
- Trumblebot is correct - the game itself is a choice and not a need. If you don't like the methods, the best way to show it is with your wallet.
- One way to show it with your wallet that does not involve quitting the game (for those of us who play paper) is to buy singles rather than boosters. Not only is it more economical, but it also reduces your personal footprint within the game. Yes, Wizards still printed all those cards you didn't buy, but it still helps. Picture this scenario - ten different players each buy ten boosters while looking for the specific cards they want. But, because they play different decks and different formats, they each have a surplus of cards (stashed in boxes somewhere) that the others were looking for. In the slightly different twist, a store buys the boosters, and then the individuals buy the specifc cards they want. There may still be a surplus, and maybe they had to crack a few more boosters because four of the players needed the same card, but overall, there are less cards sitting around unused.
There's also another option to this. There are other business models that compete with the CCG/TCG model. Take a living card game or something like Star Realms - rather than randomized cards in boosters, each expansion is a specific set of cards, and when you buy the package, you know exactly which cards you are acquiring. This reduces waste - no more buying dozens of boosters for a handful of cards that you want. But again, it reduces player choice and company options, while likely supporting a smaller number of individuals who work on it. Wizards could switch to a model like that, but it would likely gut their current infrastructure.
2023 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
Because I have more decks than fit in a signature
Useful Resources:
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ManabaseCrafter