Collectible Card Games are a staple of nerd culture and have been for decades. Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Magic the Gathering are the most well-known games in this sphere. Over the years, collectible card games have become expensive to the point where a lot of players can’t reasonably keep investing in the hobby. As a result, they turn to digital hybrids to continue playing their favorite game without worrying if they’ll have money to pay rent.

Are Digital Hybrids New?

No! Digital hybrids have been around for over a decade at this point. Some have been unofficial and widely popular, like the Dueling Network, a Yu-Gi-Oh! client, that is now gone due to a third-party forcing the website to shut down. There have also been video game versions of these collectible card games, but they became obsolete after a year since those games don’t have live updates. When these games were around, it was easier to play if you didn’t have money for physical cards. However, they required an annual investment to stay up to date with the latest releases.

Community

Before the internet, players would buy cards and build decks to play with others in person at school, home, or out in public. Some players would enter tournaments and win cash prizes that would then lead them to play in official global tournaments. This developed a sense of community and became the foundation for many friendships. However, life happens, and people move away or friendships end. With the introduction of official digital platforms, people can play online with others and stay in contact with friends.

What if you have a big group of friends? There are also many unofficial ways people can play these games through clients like Tabletop Simulator, where players can host game nights with a big group of friends as long as players own the client and have the correct mods downloaded. Software like this makes it easy for friends from all around the world to hop into a Discord call and play together in a room without much of an issue.

Hobbies are Expensive!

Anyone who has dipped their toes in a collectible card game knows that a decent starter deck costs about $100 or more, depending on the game. If you’re new to collectible card games, this is a wild price to pay for something you’re not sure about. Luckily, many of these card games can be played online. Yu-Gi-Oh! has Duel Links, Magic the Gathering has Magic the Gathering Arena, and Pokemon has Pokemon TCG Live. Using these digital resources lowers the point of entry to $0, making it easier for new players to start playing and get a guided tutorial on how to play the game of their choosing.

For older players, investing in new decks can be unsustainable. This isn’t a new problem; one of my local card shops from 20 years ago priced a single Gaia the Fierce Knight for $50. In that card shop’s defense, it’s still priced at $50 today despite its value now sitting at $0.10. However, that’s nothing compared to multiple cards worth well over hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars. Many of us live paycheck to paycheck, so the idea of spending a month’s rent on a card is absolutely ridiculous. Many players have opted out of physical cards and moved to their preferred online client to continue playing their favorite game at a much more friendly price point.  

Combining the Two

Using digital alternatives allows for new players to discover a new hobby and older players to keep playing a collectible card game they love without worrying too much about money. It also allows players to discover their favorite decks and play styles. If it gets to the point where the player wants to invest in a new deck, they can also use these digital clients to test them out before investing in a real copy. Overall, it’s a win-win situation for new and veteran players.