The Problem with Trading Card Games

I understand the business model for setting your card games up like this. You can generate a steady interest among kids by creating card games that fosters a sort of “planned scarcity” of resources. It’s not like the card game company couldn’t give everyone what they want, by producing more of the popular and most useful cards, they simply decide not to.

Booster packs have always been what I don’t appreciate about the current trading card game industry. Most of the trading card games in stores today require kids to buy piles of useless cards in order to get one or two good ones. My local game stores behind the counter space is stacked high with unused cards that nobody wants, because their trading card game insists that chance discovery is preferable to everyone getting the cards they want.

It doesn’t have to be this way. A collectible card game can be just as fun when everyone has access to all the cards. What’s more, the waste of paper and money is sharply reduced if a collectible card game is modeled on full access to cards.

Where the fun and collectability of a collectible card game centers on the characters and a complete deck, game balance is also upheld. If everyone has access to the same cards they can test their ability rather than their bankroll.

It’s like a lottery for kids, as they purchase booster packs to hopefully pick the winning card. The other downside of a trading card game created this way is that kids can buy themselves into an unfair advantage – affecting game balance and putting beginner players at a disadvantage.