Beyond the Deck: Critical Essays on Magic: The Gathering and Its Influence

Since its debut in 1993, Magic: The Gathering has grown to be an influential collectible card game, allowing its community of loyal fans to duel each other while enjoying its lore and compelling narratives. This collection of essays focuses on Magic from a variety of disciplinary approaches. Authors explore the innovative game design of Magic, the ludic differences between analog and digital play, how players interact with the MTG market and one another, professional play versus casual play and the many ways Magic has impacted gaming.

Shelly Jones is a professor of English at the State University of New York at Delhi and an editor for Analog Game Studies. Her research examines analog, digital, and role-playing games through the lens of intersectional feminism and disability studies.