I've noticed a lot of complaining being done on these forums on the state of the game. People are having a hard time with "mediocre prize support," people losing interest in the game, and how hard it is to get new people into the game. I'd like to add some insight into this matter.

The economy is at its worst right now. Here we are in the middle of a depression, and everyone is effected. I currently don't play in tournaments but that is only because there are none around here. There was a store that was planning on starting a tourney but they folded, shortly after I arrived here.

A few points I would like to make:

1. Locally owned businesses are in great jeopardy right now. Not just gaming stores but all local businesses. Everywhere, not just here in Portland, Oregon where I live. Store owners struggle to make a profit, so when a bigger business comes along and makes them an offer, they ****** it up and sell their store.
2. Card games are a hobby. The first thing people usually cut from their expenses, when they're are hurting for money, is anything unnecessary. Card games are unnecessary in life. Sure there enjoyable, but when it comes down to it, you can live without them. People would rather sacrifice their hobbies rather than not pay their bills. Don't get the wrong idea, I absolutely love this game, and would hate for it to dissapear. However, looking at it objectively, its understandable that people quit the game, as well as how hard it is to generate interest enough in people so that they will actually invest in it.
3. FFG is under the gun here. Not only do they have to keep their games going by producing more product on a regular basis. They also are struggling to keep people interested in playing the games. Sadly this means cutting unnecessary expenses. You know what I mean, like foils. With foils gone, prize support easily becomes mediocre. No more reprinted standard-legal cards as foil promos. They must find some other avenue of prize support. Unfortunately, prize support isn't and shouldn't be the top of their list of problems to address. The first problem they need to address is getting more people interested in investing in their games. You may think that better prize support is the answer, but what about those who can't go to tournies (like me) for whatever reason? With the amount of store closures going on and I gurantee there will be more to come, the answer to THIS problem isn't in prize support. I have friends that play. Sadly they can't afford to order cards from online. They too are struggling to make ends meet. I keep them interested in playing by telling them to just make proxies until they can afford to buy cards. Every now and then they do buy cards. My method works, you see. I have kept five people interested in the game by offering this simple solution. Whenever they have money to spend they contribute to store financial problems by buying what they can.
4. Complaining on the forums is innevitable. With things the way they are people can't help but complain. Why? Because we don't have the answers to the problem. Does complaining help? No. It doesn't. In fact it makes matters worse especially for potential players checking out the forums before deciding whether or not to commit to the game. It also depresses and discourages those already in the game. I suggest that when anyone complains, make it constructive. Not like you're whining to your mommy about being bored. At least if it's constructive, others on the forums may be able to relate more. Together we, the players who love this game, must actually help FFG keep this game afloat. Otherwise it will fail. I for one do not want to see that happen.

In conclusion, as everyone everywhere sees this ecconomic situation as a problem, people who actually have a chance to solve it (obviously not us, I'm reffering to those in the government) will eventually solve it (just think positively.) What we need to do is weather the storm and see that this game does not sink.

Well for one if you kept up with current events, the recession is technically over. Sure not everyone's money problems are fixed, but it is over. Secondly lots of other card games give out decent prize support, we're tired of being shafted. And everyone complains no need to try and stop it, this forum is just built for everyone to bawwww over everything that is said. So don't even bother trying to solve any problem.

MarcoPulleauX said:

Thaf's the problem right there. Everyone is more interested in bawling and not doing something to help the situation. Okay, I was wrong, the recession is actually over. Appearantly that hasn't changed a thing for us. We can't expect everyone else to make the problems go away. We're the ones interested in the game, so we have to fix it.

One possible solution to the prize support is simply giving out things that were only offered at prereleases. Who wouldn't enjoy getting a Sophitia or Kilik at their local tourney?

Down here in the ATL we lost a few people, but most came back and now we generally have a good turn out and a couple of new players. So I think the game is fine.

Yeah, we would love that or a couple of Paid to Protects as prize support.

The recession maybe over but:
A) the economy has not fully recovered from the effects
B) People will keep these mindsets (thats why alot of out grandparents are penny pinchers)

This is why the game is struggling o_o.

Hayamachop said:

The game isn't struggling everywhere, regardless of the economy.

Mayhap we should turn to these individuals who managed it and find out how they did it. Sometimes the lessons won't be applicable, but it'd be a much better environment to say : "I tried that and it didn't work over here." than "Game's dying."

CultKiller, thanks for posting a well-presented, thoughtful, objective post. We could all learn a bit from you.

I agree for the most part.

And the recession isn't actually over. The Dow may have hit 10,000 again recently, but before the recession, it stood at a nice 13,900 or so. That's a 39% difference. That is HUGE for such an important market. The worst is past us, CERTAINLY (the lowest in the recession was 7100 or so, lower than the lowest point after the 9/11 attacks). But as the Great Depression before this, it's not as clear or cut and dry to define the end of the recession.

The mindset of the people, however, is still in the recession. People might not understand completely what's going on with the economy but when people won't shut up about it, they know it's bad. I don't think it's exactly correlates to an effect on the game, but at least some people might quit because of it.

However in 100% of the cases of people I know here in the forums that quit recently is because they're moving to Magic or YGO. That's not exactly a sign of a bad economy, deciding to play an even more expensive card game than UFS...

When things are poppin, games are hoppin.

The economy is not poppin. And really, do you trust economic adivsors from the US government? You know, the same ones that say 'blah blah blah will be fine after this infusion of money' and then later the thing goes belly up? ...

Politics aside, yeah. Times are tough. But if you like the game for the GAME that it is, play the GAME in whatever way you can.

vermillian said:

I agree with both points. However I don't see any other way to deal with the economic situation since it's unfortunately in the hands of money-grubbing economists and politicians who sadly don't feel the effects of the situation as badly as we do.

why is there still a username mocking me? =/

MarcoPulleaux said:

I'm surprised he wasn't more subtle about it.

MarcoPulleaux said:

Stay on topic. Jeez

CultKiller said:

CultKiller said:

vermillian said:

CultKiller said:

I guess it'd be the 6 deadly sins then...

Shaneth said:

They'd find something else then.

guitalex2008 said:

Yeah it is...bas Economy = smaller companies/games dying off. Yugioh and Magic both have lasting power and are not going to die off any time soon so when the economy is struggling it's expected for people to hop on to games with big companies behind them.

Sol Badguy said:

The basis was that people can't afford playing games so they cut down on the hobbies. I argued that this is NOT the case, because people are migrating to more expensive games.

But I understand you just wanted to point out that the game is supposedly dying, again. Neither FFG nor UFS are dying off as a result of the bad economy, and your argument doesn't disprove mine because it was taken out of context.

Well the reason people are leaving is because they think the game is dying due to the cut backs that have been made which are due to the economy. I personally do not think the game is dying at all and am still buying cards and playing. But If I did think the game was dying I would start looking towards games that will probably not die for quite some time. I thought that the basis was the effect the ecomomy has had on the game which has been cut backs. These cut backs have made players think that the game is slowly dying which in turn has led them to play other games.