BEWARE of MAGIC: The Gathering™
Report by Pastor David L. Brown, Ph.D.
© August 1995
May only be reproduced in full and must include this notice. May not be reproduced
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INTRODUCTION
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE GAME
THE EVIL OF MAGIC: THE GATHERING
THE OCCULT FOCUS & VIOLENCE
OF THE GAME
THE ADDICTIVE NATURE OF THE GAME
THE IDENTIFICATION OF
PLAYERS WITH EVIL CHARACTERS
POSTSCRIPT -- OTHER
FANTASY CARD GAMES & POGS
REFERENCE MATERIAL USED
GenCon is the annual gaming convention, sponsored
by TSR™ (Tactical Studies Research) of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. TSR, Inc. is the
originator of the original Fantasy Role Playing Game, Dungeons & Dragons™.
The GenCon Convention is the place to introduce new products to the FRP
(Fantasy Role Playing) crowd because 15,000 to 25,000 people attend GenCon
annually. In 1993, when I walked into the convention hall where vendors have their booths,
a crowd caught my eye. There was a group of people sitting around a line of tables playing
cards and the crowd was intently watching. I had never heard of or seen a
"fantasy" card game before, so I asked about it. As it turned out, Peter Adkison
and his "basement" company, Wizards of the Coast, had driven all the way
from Renton, Washington to introduce Magic: The Gathering™. I had no
idea at that point that I was video taping Gaming History. At the 95 convention there were
so many people packed around The Wizards of The Coast mega-booth that it was hard
to get a decent picture. People were buying, selling and trading Magic cards.
It was easy to see why "Adkison's basement operation...has mushroomed from 6 to
250 employees, with operations in Glasgow, Scotland, and Antwerp, Belgium, in addition to
Renton, Washington." (3). A press release entitled Growing Globally
tells of their international success. I was startled to read that there are more than 1/2
Billion
Magic cards in circulation around the world with more to come. The company
cannot keep up with the demand for the cards. There is such a demand for the cards that
they are bought, sold, traded and even auctioned over the InterNet. Now, lest you
think we are talking pennies, I have seen bids on cards from $50 to $100. I have heard
report of cards bringing $200 and more. For $1500 you can buy the Unlimited Series set
and for $1000 the Legends series. Need I say more? "Magic continues to grow
and is quickly becoming recognized as one of the most elaborate strategy games in
history."(1/5)
The root idea for the game came from Peter Adkison. You
might say Adkison is a preacher's kid because his father was an Army chaplain. But his
mind was not on the things of the Lord. "While in high school he developed a
fascination with role-playing games, such as Dungeons and Dragons, and began developing
his own games." (3) He organized a small gaming company that he ran out of his
basement called Wizards of the Coast and he began marketing fantasy role playing
games.
That's where Dr. Richard Garfield, professor of
combinational math comes in. He too was a fantasy role-playing enthusiast. He met with
Peter over a pizza in Portland, Oregon, to try to get him to produce the fantasy role
playing game, RoboRally. Peter was not interested but said, "he
really saw a need for a game that could be played quickly with minimal equipment, a game
that would go over well at conventions." (2/4) He suggested the concept for a
fantasy card game and asked Garfield if he thought he could develop the game. The rest is
gaming history.
I see at least four major problems with
this game. These conspicuous problems cause me to urge people neither to collect these
cards nor play the game --
1) The primary focus on the occult
2) The violent nature of the game
3) The addictive nature of the game
4) The identification of the players with evil
characters.
The Bible makes it clear in both the Old and New
Testaments that occult practices are an abomination to the Lord. Deuteronomy 18:10-12
There shall not be found among you any... that useth divination, or an observer of times,
or an enchanter, or a witch, 11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a
wizard, or a necromancer. 12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto
the LORD:
Another scripture passage that points out just how
seriously God views the occult and wizardry is Acts 13:10. The Apostle Paul indicts
Elymas the sorcerer with these words -- O full of all subtlety (deceit) and all
mischief (maliciousness), thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness,
wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
The fact is, we should not mimic things that are an
abomination to the Lord. No one should even pretend to be a child of the devil, an enemy
of righteousness. When they do, they pervert the acceptable ways of the Lord!
Perhaps you are wondering, are Magic cards
really occult oriented? Read this quote carefully -- "Unlike Dungeons and Dragons,
which became an infamous tool for occultists, Magic has not developed an outside
mythology. 'This draws on the milieu, the fantasy of Dungeons and Dragons' says Richard
Garfield, the creative impetus behind Magic..." '4
The Washington Post, pulls no punches when it says
unequivocally that Dungeons and Dragons was an "infamous tool for
occultist." Why? Because D&D derived its story line, symbols and characters
from the occult and Pagan mythology. But Magic: The Gathering™ developer Adkison does
not think his game has that problem. Why? Because he has gone to D&D for his story
line, symbols and characters but not the "real" occult. What is he
thinking? Though he has a Ph.D. in combinational math, his reasoning is flawed. Since
D&D is based on the occult and is a tool of occultist, then Magic cards will
be equally a tool for occultists because they are based on the occult also, the
second generation occult data of D&D. After reading two books about the game, watching
the game being played, reading numerous news articles and reading scores of Internet
E-Mail messages on the game, there is no doubt in my mind that Magic cards promote
the occult and violence. Just a word about God's view of violence -- GOD
HATES THOSE WHO PROMOTE VIOLENCE. Look at Psalms 11:5 The LORD trieth the
righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Let's
look at some more of the evidence.
Georiga Pabst of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
writes, "Magic: The Gathering takes place in the mystical multiverse of Dominia
where players become mighty wizards and, armed with beautifully illustrated cards
of various creatures, artifacts and lands, cast spells and enchantment aimed
at killing off the opponent." 3 (emphasis added)
Georgia, in the above concise statement, hits the nail on
the head. Every player is a wizard or sorcerer and the goal is to build up enough magic
energy to kill your opponent. Here's how it works according to the instruction book that
comes with the cards -- "There are two basic types of cards: spells and
lands. Lands are easy to spot; they say 'land' in between the picture and the text box. Lands
are the most common kind of card in Magic, since they usually provide the mana,
or magical energy, for all your spells. You can lay out one land per turn, and you
may use the land for mana as soon as it is in play." 5/5 Now, how do you kill
your opponent? Aimee Miller of the Washington Post wrote, "The rules of the
game are simple: Each player starts with 20 'lifepoints.' You gain lifepoints by casting
beneficial spells from land cards. You lose lifepoints when attacked by nasty creatures
and charms. If you run out of lifepoints, you're exiled, which is a polite way of saying
your dead. Players stay alive by annihilating their opponents first."
4 She goes on to say, "Want to crush your opponent in under five minutes? Stack
the deck with deadly and destructive black and red Magic cards".
4 (emphasis added)
That brings me to the Mana (magical energy)
Chart explaining the different kinds of Magic and how they can be used.
Black Magic is identified as the magic of death.
Let me share with you two quotes from the book, Mastering Magic Cards. "The magic
of death is often a double-edged sword, however, malevolent to its wielder as well as its
victim. Few people summon the awesome might of the Lord of the Pit without
being ready to sacrifice their very worldly existence to wield its incredible
power..." 1/30 The second quote -- "A black necromancer wields the
sacrifice, particularly the Dark Ritual Cards" 1/30
Blue Magic is mental in nature and taps "the
elemental forces of air and water." Friends, lest you think this is harmless let
me tell you that occultists believe in and seek to tap into the power of what they call
Sylphs (elemental spirits of the air). They believe that Lucifer empowers air spirits.
That is interesting in light of Ephesians 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the
air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:. The truth
is, the elemental spirits that occultists claim to communicate with, whether they be air,
water, earth or fire spirits are demons from Satan's diabolical horde. I have personally
interviewed a real witch who says she invokes earth spirits known as trolls (really
demons) to assist her in her rituals. (See my pamphlet The Truth About Trolls for
more information). Magic cards is conditioning children to be receptive to
paganism.
Green Magic draws energy from the forest and has
vast destructive capabilities. Green or Ecological magic is in fact one of the most
popular forms of witchcraft today.
Red Magic is the destructive magic of earth, fire,
chaos and war. Chaotic magic is practiced by many today. There are Internet sights
devoted solely to this diabolical from of magic.
White Magic is used for protection, healing
injuries and chivalrous war. Wiccans claim to practice only this "good" kind of
magic. I know that is not true. I have copies of curses that "good witches" have
spit out against Christians. And let me remind you that occult magic in any form is
derived from Satan and his diabolical horde.
Likely there are those who will protest, What's the
big deal? It's only a game! Listen, games are powerful tools for capturing the
minds of children. Games point the thinking of those who play them in a definite direction
and if that direction is not a wholesome direction, there can be problems. Listen to who
is playing the game and what it is doing to them --
"Magic addicts range from
kindergartners to middle-aged professionals -- the game's a favorite pastime for Microsoft
employees. They also include a substantial number of female players in addition to the
'teenage', white male boys" Renee Shallis of Wizards of the Coast. 4
"Originally targeted to males in their teens and
early 20s, Magic now has younger children playing ..."
"After the printing of Fallen Empires, there
exists over 1,000 cards, and no one can claim to own all of them. Many of the veteran
addicts are familiar with each and every one and can recite their name, abilities,
casting costs, and color with no reference to aid them;" 1/5
"The game has literally captured the
imaginations of thousands and taken on a life of its own." 1/3 That is a
major problem. When anyone becomes preoccupied with thoughts that are an abomination to
the Lord God Almighty there is going to be trouble. According to 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
we must reject thoughts that are contrary to God's word, and bring into
captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. If a person refuses to do that Romans
1:21 reveals the consequences -- Because that, when they knew God, they glorified
him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their
foolish heart was darkened. A darkened heart is serious business!
Let me issue a solemn warning to parents, Magic:
The Gathering is dangerous because it conditions the minds of the players to be
receptive to the occult and violence and those who really get into it become addicted. It
becomes the focus of their lives.
There is one final issue I want to deal with. That is --
Many of those who play Magic cards
identify mentally with the Sorcerer they choose to play. That is dangerous. Consider
these quotes --
"Part of the game's appeal comes from 'the
ability to develop a character -- you get to be somebody else,' says Garfield...In Magic
the deck you put together reflects your character -- your persona." 4
"...Magic is closer to role playing than
any other card or board game I know of." 2/17
The best thing you can do, in my opinion, with Magic:
The Gathering is to follow Acts 19:19-20 Many of them also which used
curious arts (occult materials) brought their books together, and burned them
before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of
silver. 20 So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.
Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the
unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Because Magic cards "struck
gold" there are now more than a dozen new fantasy card games that have been
introduced. Many of them add another element you need to be warned of, that is SENSUALITY.
In my opinion women are portrayed in pornographic or near pornographic fashion. In fact,
as I ready this research report for the printer, I talked to a New York attorney, who is
researching Magic cards. She has nearly 1000 of them. She told me that there
are definitely cards that are sensual and portray women in pornographic poses. Other
fantasy card games include -- SPELLFIRE™, GUARDIANS™, HIGHLANDER™,
WYVERN™, VAMPIRE™, BloodWars™, SHADOWFIST™, HYBORIAN GATES, RAGE COMBAT, TOWERS IN TIME™,
On the Edge/ARCANA, EVERWAY™
just to name the ones that I have researched.
I should say a few words about Pogs (also called
milk caps). I am concerned about pogs for the following reasons. First, many of
them have occult symbols on them. Some of them have drawings of pagan gods and goddesses.
Many are death oriented, containing drawings of skulls, skeletons, etc. I have seen some
that are sensual. Others have shamanistic figures on them or witches. But, there are many
that have sports figures on them or even Hollywood stars. Even if your child collects only
the good pogs, if he trades them with others, he will be exposed to the bad
ones. Do you want that exposure? Second, The QVC home shopping channel announcer
made the following announcement attributing it to an organization called the Pog World
Federation -- Every stack of pogs has its own aura. You concentrate on your
ch'i. That is alarming because auras are rooted in Hindu beliefs and the
ch'i
is rooted in Taoism. Both have occult implications. Basically they are saying
pogs have their own energy or life force and so do the players. To win you need to connect
the two. That is the occult doctrine of pantheism. Finally, there is the element of
gambling that concerns me. Do you want your child playing pogs "for keeps" as we
used to say in marbles? I do not believe gambling glorifies God.
1. Mastering Magic Cards; George H. Baxter &
Larry W. Smith, Ph.D.; Wordware Publishing, Inc., Plano, Texas.
2. The Magic The Gathering -- Pocket Players'
Guide; Wizards of the Coast, Renton, Washington.
3. Success of fantasy sci-fi card game is magical; by
Georgia Pabst; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, August 6, 1995.
4. Under the Spell of 'Magic' by Aimee Miller; Washington
Post; 7-27-94.
5. Magic: The Gathering -- Deckmaster's
Instruction book that comes with the cards.
A notation on my footnote numbering system: When you see
numbers like 2/17, the first number represents the reference material used and the second
number indicates the page number.
Information on how to get a 4 color copy of this
report is available from --
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"Neither
is there salvation in any other: for there is none
other name under heaven given among men, whereby we
must be saved."