Magic can be a very taxing hobby. We hear stories of players blazing bright, and then burning out just as fast. Money can be a difficult hurdle for players to overcome. Family issues, whether existing or new, also cause players to scale back or quit altogether.
How can Magic players combat these issues? Stories of players coming back to the game abound at all levels of competition, so obviously the game still has attraction to these players. From Zvi Mowshowitz and Jamie Wakefield recently, through Jon Finkel in Kuala Lumpur to local players around the globe getting back into the swing of things, we are seeing a blast from the Magical past in addition to the new acquisitions Wizards has sought.
Burnout is typically caused by heavy emotional investment, without the expected results. You travel the region, hitting every PTQ you can find, without a single blue envelope to show for it. You fly to three different Grand Prix tournaments in two months without any Day 2 results. You hit 4 different StarCityGames.com Open Series weekends without so much as a sniff of a money finish. It could even be as simple as 3-2ing your FNM every week, with no foils to show for your effort.
How can we combat this problem? We have a number of options. First of all, let’s check out our results. I don’t mean the final standing or win-loss record. I mean everything gained from the event. Was it an awesome road trip with some good friends? How about dinner afterwards? If all you care about is the result, you’re missing out on some of the best parts of Magic events. I’m not saying to not worry about the event at all, but keep in mind that a Magic tournament is more than just X rounds of Magic. Even the best players have bad days. The old friends you see and new friends you make are a major factor in the overall value of an event.
Second, let’s check our expectations. Did you show up to the event with minimal testing and poor preparation? Then why do you think you deserve the Blue Envelope/Pro Points/Money Finish? Reasonable expectations that match your preparation are important. One of my former local players used to go to Regionals every year expecting to qualify but always finishing with a losing record. No preparation, coupled with playing a bad deck, saw him get wrecked every year. Same thing at FNM, showing up and going 2-2 without any thought on how to improve. Any wonder why he quit? His expectations were not realistic at all, and since he wasn’t getting the value he wanted out of it, he stopped. While we tried to explain why that was, but it was too late.
Now, that can also be a source of burnout: playing too much. Playing 12 hours a day, 7 days a week is another way to take the fast train down to Burnout Town. Many players think they must play Magic to the exclusion of all else, and that kind of intense time commitment can cause even the strongest of wills to erode. Like anything else, you can have too much of a good thing. Determining the proper amount of Magic to play in a given day, week, or month, is an important decision, but also a very personal one. Cedric Phillips wrote about his intense playtesting for GP: Oakland, MTGO- ing up to 7 hours a day, 7 days a week, for three weeks. Cedric ended up 9th at that event, which shows his intense preparation paid off. I would also bet that Cedric doesn’t play that much every single week. It’s kind of like studying. You cram hard before the test, but you don’t marathon study all semester long.
Budgeting your time can be incredibly rewarding here. A good schedule can ensure two things. One, that you get enough play time in. Knowing you’ll get however many hours you schedule a week of playtesting lets you know you’ll get adequate practice time in for whatever upcoming events there are. Second, it also allows you to get maximum support. If you’re partners in crime know you playtest Tuesday and Thursday nights, they can plan accordingly and practice with you. There’s a reason Wizards does Friday Night Magic on the same night around the world. You know you can go play Magic anywhere on Friday night. It’s part of your schedule. Playtesting can be the local equivalent, where your local players know they can playtest on Tuesday night. (Or whatever night. It’s just an example)
As your free time becomes more committed, with work, other hobbies, a significant other, possibly even children, you will find yourself with less and less free time. There is a reason that so few Pro Tours have been won by married players, and that is because a family requires an enormous investment in time. That’s not to say you can’t, (PT: San Diego was won by a married player, Simon Gortzen, and LSV went 17-0 at that same event as a married player) instead pointing out that a family is an incredible commitment. Budgeting your time becomes more important the less of it you have. This can make sure you are getting as much out of the time that you do have.
Another important resource to budget is your money. I don’t want to jump into the Mythic debate, as I and others have covered it already, but the fact of the matter is that there are some very expensive cards out there. My wife and I recently reviewed our expenditures so far this calendar year, and I found myself needing to defend some of my Magic purchases. I didn’t think I had spent too much, and in reality I hadn’t. However, when coupled with the exorbitant amount I had spent on fast-food, it was a little excessive. I’d spent over $1000 on fast food since Jan 1. That’s over 200 bucks a month. A playset of Gideons every 30 days. That’s just crazy. Since I love Magic more than I love Triple Baconators and Double Downs, I agreed to drastically cut back on my food expenditures, start packing a lunch in my sweet Punisher lunchbox, and have a bigger Magic budget. The cost of certain cards has risen, and I made a choice on what I wanted, personally, to spend my money on. I’m often amazed at how often people are “broke” for Magic cards, but have 100- plus dollars to blow on a night of drinking. It’s a choice, but recognize that you value that night out more than playing Magic with Jace, the Mind Sculptor, according to your actions.
Before the Forums get out of hand with anecdotal posts about that one guy that can’t buy X and has no place to cut in his budget, please understand that I do realize some people are priced out of the market, and that is unfortunate. But I’ll reference a quote from the Twitter profile @ErikLauerQuotes: “Someone has to be priced out, or it’s not really a market.”
The last area I want to focus on is one that many players don’t directly relate to burnout, but one I feel is important; health. Bill Stark, over at The Starkington Post, recently posted an article about how video gamers had shockingly low health. Magic can be a similarly sedentary activity, especially if you’re playing MTGO a lot. The truth is that getting a healthy amount of exercise and living a healthy lifestyle has benefits in all facets of your life, including Magic. Exercise has been shown to increase brain activity and improve cognitive capacity. Staying fit will increase energy levels, and actually make you happier, through the release of endorphins. Now, I’m not saying we should all give up Magic to become marathon runners, just that there are obvious benefits to some level of healthy exercise.
Additionally, this can help combat burnout, as exercise, in whatever form, is a great way to relieve stress. Since burn out is often caused by heavy emotional investment and the stressful results, staying fit can help combat burn out by giving a natural outlet for stress relief. I began playing basketball weekly before Regionals, and I firmly believe that it helped me to my best showing in that tournament. Patrick Chapin has mentioned how his running regimen has helped him stay on top of his game. Chess Masters often had a workout regimen that included physical activity of some sort. The long term benefits of sunscreen exercise have been proven by scientists.
Finally, one of the best ways to combat burnout is to have fun. I’ve never heard anyone quit Magic who said “Man, that was an absolute blast. I had a great time. I’m quitting.” Many players who are returning to Magic are doing so because of the fond memories they had playing the game. I doubt those memories are of their 8th pick in an 8- man pickup draft. They are memories of the fun times and great people at these events. Having fun is the surest way to avoid burnout, because if you’re having fun, why would you quit?
Until next time, this is Jeff Phillips, reminding you: Don’t make the Loser Choice
Teflon_Jeff AT hotmail DOT com
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